It seems too often that I bitch about comics that suck. But when my memory works, I've been making an effort to pick up the new "Jonah Hex" series from DC. It....doesn't suck. I missed issue 2, but issues 1 and 3 have featured decent self-contained stories dealing with morality. It's surprising to me, because I've never been a fan of DC's Old West heroes or of Hex himself. With Hex's recent appearance on Justice League Unlimited and with Deadwood doing well for HBO, it's a good time to put him into a new series.
Hex is drawn with more than a passing resemblance to Clint Eastwood, but I don't have a problem with that. Stealing some of Eastwood's reputation adds to Hex's demeanor as a stern bounty hunter. I can imagine Eastwood's raspy voice delivering some of Hex's lines and that adds to the dialogue's impact. Besides... what's not to like about Clint fuckin' Eastwood?! There's also a bit of Deadwood, as gringos refer to the Apache as "heathen dirt-eaters".
My only minor problem is with the geography of issue 3. Hex is thrown into a casket, tossed into a river and falls off a waterfall. Like a river you'd find in eastern Kansas or Kentucky. Yet within the same general vicinity is a typical dusty plains cowtown and high rocky buttes-- two things you'd find in Arizona or New Mexico. In those areas, you won't find a raging river or waterfalls. The "rivers" out here are maybe 3 feet deep in a rainstorm. The Apache also figure prominently in the same story, so you have to stretch things a bit. I'll place the story in Montana or Wyoming and call it good. Or maybe I'm just biased, because for decades comic books have consistently drawn the west incorrectly (I always get upset when they draw Denver like New York City, but with mountains in the background).
Jonah Hex is off to a good start. Mature storylines, satisfying plots and exceptional artwork. Even the coloring has caught my attention. Worth your $2.99.
I thought about picking this up as I kind of liked Hex back in the day (like when I was 10), but I also passed up on the #1 Sgt. Rock ish that came out yesterday. Now, the Haunted Tank one-shot coming up I may not be able to pass up, tho. I REALLY was into The Haunted Tank.