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Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex #1
Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex, Volume One
Witness the earliest adventures of DC's legendary gunslinger from ALL-STAR WESTERN #2-8 and #10-11, WEIRD WESTERN TALES #12-14 and #16-33! Jonah Hex had no friends, but he did have two companions: death, and the acrid smell of gunsmoke!
528 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 25, 2021
Jonah hex was the pinnacle of comic westerns to me. He wasn't just a superhero with a horse and a gun that many of the Marvel & DC western series seemed to be. The stores had a grit and underlying real world feel to them. Great collection of the 1st 1/2 of DC's run of classic hex stories. Recommended
September 9, 2014
Showcase Presents is a line of reprint books published by DC Comics. In order to keep the cost low and the price point right, these 500 page tomes are in black and white. Obviously, most comics are not printed in black and white, but this is the only way to get some of these older comics reprinted and into the hands of readers.
Whereas super-hero titles like Superman may suffer somewhat from the lack of color (super-heroes tend to be colorful, as do their villains), comics that depicted more realistic genres like westerns and war, with art that are not full of buff muscle gods and barely covered nymphs, seem to fit this format very well. Many of the artists working in these genres were using black shading, for instance, to create mood and nuance long before Frank Miller made it a popular motif among super-hero artists.
This first volume of Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex is such a volume that looks amazing in black and white. There is a wide variety of artists here, from Tony DeZuniga to Luis Dominguez to George Moltieri and others. Each artist gives us a visual imprint that I imagine was blurred somewhat back in the days of four color presses. The reproduction we get here is crisp with fine detail for a period comic.
Jonah Hex first appeared in All-Star Western #10, cover dated Feb-Mar 1972. Conceived by DC stalwart writer John Albano and rising artist Tony DeZuniga, Hex quickly became a very popular feature of the book, which became Weird Western Tales with the twelfth issue. By issue #38, Hex was popular enough to be given his own eponymous comic, which lasted for 92 issues.
The premise behind Jonah Hex is that he’s a bounty hunter with a sense of justice and morality that sometimes gets the best of him. In these stories, most of which are done-in-ones, Hex comes up against crooked sheriffs, landowners, thieves, and even entire towns. Perhaps the fastest gun in the West, he defeats his foes with cunning, even though he often has to endure a little humiliation first.
Hex creator John Albano scripts about half the stories in this volume, followed by Michael Fleischer, who was to become the pre-eminent Hex writer for the next decade. Both writers deliver very solid stories, and Fleischer ups the ante by showing Hex having more of a conscience and having to deal with the moral ambiguities he often has to face.
The highlight of the volume has to be the two part story from Weird Western Tales #29 & 30. Fleischer relates the first real hints of Jonah’s past, his time as an officer in the Confederate Army. Due to a guilty conscience over the course the war had taken, and the plight of the freed blacks, Hex decides to turn himself in to a nearby Union army encampment. What follows is a tragic tale of missed opportunities, deception, guilt, and blame, that all comes to a head when the father of one of Hex’s fellow officers decides to bring Jonah to “justice” for deserting the Confederate cause. Mind you, this is ten years after the war was over, but memories are long and Hex has to face not only the grief-induced madness of his accuser, but also his own self-doubt about what he had done.
The last portion of this book contains non-Jonah Hex stories from the first ten issues of All-Star Western. I’m not sure why they are included here, and why DC didn’t just print more Hex stories past the last issue in this volume. These extra stories are Outlaw, about the son of a Texas Ranger who goes rogue and has to face his own father hunting him down for the hangman, and a few stories about Billy the Kid. These early ASW issues had pretty good Neal Adams covers, and Gil Kane and Tony DeZuniga provide the art here. As a whole, these are not all that interesting. The outlaw stories are by Bob Kanigher, who is best known for his work on Sgt Rock and other DC war comics, and the Silver Age writer on Wonder Woman. (Also for creating the weirdest villain ever, Egg Fu.) It’s nice to have these rare comics reprinted, but I would have rather seen them in a separate Showcase Presents book.
I was never a fan of westerns growing up. I’d rather watch anything but a John Wayne western. I bought my first Jonah Hex comic around the time I was 11 or so, though, and quickly became a fan of the character. Although Hex has endured many changes in style, location, and universe, he’s still one of the best anti-heroes in comics. It’s a shame his recent book, also entitled All-Star Western, was unable to capture a large enough audience, but I’m sure that Jonah will be back in some form or another soon enough. In the meantime, there’s still another volume of Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex for me to read through. This book is highly recommended.
Whereas super-hero titles like Superman may suffer somewhat from the lack of color (super-heroes tend to be colorful, as do their villains), comics that depicted more realistic genres like westerns and war, with art that are not full of buff muscle gods and barely covered nymphs, seem to fit this format very well. Many of the artists working in these genres were using black shading, for instance, to create mood and nuance long before Frank Miller made it a popular motif among super-hero artists.
This first volume of Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex is such a volume that looks amazing in black and white. There is a wide variety of artists here, from Tony DeZuniga to Luis Dominguez to George Moltieri and others. Each artist gives us a visual imprint that I imagine was blurred somewhat back in the days of four color presses. The reproduction we get here is crisp with fine detail for a period comic.
Jonah Hex first appeared in All-Star Western #10, cover dated Feb-Mar 1972. Conceived by DC stalwart writer John Albano and rising artist Tony DeZuniga, Hex quickly became a very popular feature of the book, which became Weird Western Tales with the twelfth issue. By issue #38, Hex was popular enough to be given his own eponymous comic, which lasted for 92 issues.
The premise behind Jonah Hex is that he’s a bounty hunter with a sense of justice and morality that sometimes gets the best of him. In these stories, most of which are done-in-ones, Hex comes up against crooked sheriffs, landowners, thieves, and even entire towns. Perhaps the fastest gun in the West, he defeats his foes with cunning, even though he often has to endure a little humiliation first.
Hex creator John Albano scripts about half the stories in this volume, followed by Michael Fleischer, who was to become the pre-eminent Hex writer for the next decade. Both writers deliver very solid stories, and Fleischer ups the ante by showing Hex having more of a conscience and having to deal with the moral ambiguities he often has to face.
The highlight of the volume has to be the two part story from Weird Western Tales #29 & 30. Fleischer relates the first real hints of Jonah’s past, his time as an officer in the Confederate Army. Due to a guilty conscience over the course the war had taken, and the plight of the freed blacks, Hex decides to turn himself in to a nearby Union army encampment. What follows is a tragic tale of missed opportunities, deception, guilt, and blame, that all comes to a head when the father of one of Hex’s fellow officers decides to bring Jonah to “justice” for deserting the Confederate cause. Mind you, this is ten years after the war was over, but memories are long and Hex has to face not only the grief-induced madness of his accuser, but also his own self-doubt about what he had done.
The last portion of this book contains non-Jonah Hex stories from the first ten issues of All-Star Western. I’m not sure why they are included here, and why DC didn’t just print more Hex stories past the last issue in this volume. These extra stories are Outlaw, about the son of a Texas Ranger who goes rogue and has to face his own father hunting him down for the hangman, and a few stories about Billy the Kid. These early ASW issues had pretty good Neal Adams covers, and Gil Kane and Tony DeZuniga provide the art here. As a whole, these are not all that interesting. The outlaw stories are by Bob Kanigher, who is best known for his work on Sgt Rock and other DC war comics, and the Silver Age writer on Wonder Woman. (Also for creating the weirdest villain ever, Egg Fu.) It’s nice to have these rare comics reprinted, but I would have rather seen them in a separate Showcase Presents book.
I was never a fan of westerns growing up. I’d rather watch anything but a John Wayne western. I bought my first Jonah Hex comic around the time I was 11 or so, though, and quickly became a fan of the character. Although Hex has endured many changes in style, location, and universe, he’s still one of the best anti-heroes in comics. It’s a shame his recent book, also entitled All-Star Western, was unable to capture a large enough audience, but I’m sure that Jonah will be back in some form or another soon enough. In the meantime, there’s still another volume of Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex for me to read through. This book is highly recommended.
October 15, 2016
The one where he throws the dude out the window because he said his wolf was dumb
March 26, 2018
I LOVED the John Albano/Tony DeZuniga stories. Hex is resourceful and intelligent, and Albano makes him convincingly cold without making him a complete bastard. DeZuniga's art is killer.
The Michael Fleisher stories were still pretty good, but not up to Albano's standard. I like the Civil War back story that Fleisher inserts, but Hex's heart gets a little too soft, and he gets conked on the head and put into the Old West equivalent of Adam West death-traps way too often for my tastes. Still, mostly good stories though, even if I wish Hex were a little quicker on the uptake.
Weirdly, there is 100 pages of non-Hex stories included as well. Outlaw, by Robert Kanigher & DeZuniga, Gil Kane and Jim Aparo was passable, but repetitive and had a lame end twist. Albano and DeZuniga's three part Outlaw story - a completely different Outlaw, mind you - had some moments, but wasn't nearly up to the standards of their Hex stories.
The final, stand-alone story, by Denny O'Neil and Gil Kane, was nicely violent and had a good "curse" ending.
The Michael Fleisher stories were still pretty good, but not up to Albano's standard. I like the Civil War back story that Fleisher inserts, but Hex's heart gets a little too soft, and he gets conked on the head and put into the Old West equivalent of Adam West death-traps way too often for my tastes. Still, mostly good stories though, even if I wish Hex were a little quicker on the uptake.
Weirdly, there is 100 pages of non-Hex stories included as well. Outlaw, by Robert Kanigher & DeZuniga, Gil Kane and Jim Aparo was passable, but repetitive and had a lame end twist. Albano and DeZuniga's three part Outlaw story - a completely different Outlaw, mind you - had some moments, but wasn't nearly up to the standards of their Hex stories.
The final, stand-alone story, by Denny O'Neil and Gil Kane, was nicely violent and had a good "curse" ending.
December 5, 2010
I love Jonah Hex for all of the same reasons I love Conan. There's just something about a chaotic good approach to the world that I appreciate.
July 1, 2015
Fabulous stories. Don't watch the movie.
July 13, 2017
Jonah Hex is the comic book version of the popular Spaghetti Westerns that hit the US in the sixties. He shares with those protagonists deep emotional scars (in Hex's case, also manifest in his facial scars), nearly unerring aim, and the ability to down any number of adversaries while they are also shooting at him. That nearly everyone he meets wants to kill him or needs to be protected by him is another story feature shared with Italian Westerns. The ten stories written by co-creator John Albano are quite good, but the character gained depth when Albano was replaced by Michael Fleisher. This book reprints the first 23 Hex stories, unfortunately in black and white. Wait, there's more!
Unfortunately, the collection is padded by "The Outlaw" stories written by Robert Kanigher (4), Billy the Kid stories written by Albano (3), and story about a real jerk who hates snakes co-written by Gil Kane and Denny O'Neil. The Outlaw has a great beginning and the series has a strong hook, but the last story is a cop-out that not only invalidates all that came before, but breaks continuity to do so. Billy tried to do something different, but different is not always compelling. The big secret is a genuine surprise, but after a moment it becomes a "so what?" The final story will please those enamored with twist endings and comeuppance, but left me cold.
Unfortunately, the collection is padded by "The Outlaw" stories written by Robert Kanigher (4), Billy the Kid stories written by Albano (3), and story about a real jerk who hates snakes co-written by Gil Kane and Denny O'Neil. The Outlaw has a great beginning and the series has a strong hook, but the last story is a cop-out that not only invalidates all that came before, but breaks continuity to do so. Billy tried to do something different, but different is not always compelling. The big secret is a genuine surprise, but after a moment it becomes a "so what?" The final story will please those enamored with twist endings and comeuppance, but left me cold.
October 17, 2019
Four stars for nostalgia purposes only. Really more a 3 star book. Also the book is out of print now & I got it for 1/3 the price that Amazon is asking for it used. Mine was used too but didn't look like it had been read, a nice clean copy I picked up at a HPB. It pays to hunt sometimes! I'm glad I waited because it certainly isn't worth to me the $30 Amazon is currently asking. It's pretty good nostalgic fun but it does drag a bit especially the last 100 pages which are devoted to The Outlaw & Billy the Kid and are completely Jonah Hex-free. I would like to see DC do a reprint of the Hex comics from the 80's where Jonah is transported to a cyberpunk future. Probably not gonna happen. I guess I'll still have to pick up old copies of the actual comic when I see it in the wild.
February 26, 2019
A very good book indeed, or at least until the Outlaw part which I couldn't be less bothered to read (at a quick glance it looks to be badly written, BTW). The strange thing about Jonah is that he's presented as some sort of antihero, but in reality he tends to be more on the good side than on the bad one. It's also interesting to see some subtle hints of supernatural western thrown in the first stories by John Albano. However, the plot really gets going when Fleisher took the reins of the series as it does the art, very good by Dezuniga but even better by George Moltieri. Recommended for a different spin on the DC world outside the usual flying capes and strech underpants superheroes.
February 17, 2023
There's some really cool art and a few good sequences. It gets somewhat repetitive, however. Also, the last chunk of this volume is taken up by a different All-Star Western comic, Outlaw, which was...not very good.
Sadly, Jonah Hex falls into that resurgence of the "Lost Cause" that seemed so popular in the 1970s, likely as a reaction to the Civil Rights movement of the previous decade.
Still, it's not a bad read. And for a comic from the 70s, it's not as over-written as many of its contemporaries. There are still a few big walls of text parading as word balloons, but frequently the panels are allowed to speak for themselves, without so much pointless dialog & narration.
Sadly, Jonah Hex falls into that resurgence of the "Lost Cause" that seemed so popular in the 1970s, likely as a reaction to the Civil Rights movement of the previous decade.
Still, it's not a bad read. And for a comic from the 70s, it's not as over-written as many of its contemporaries. There are still a few big walls of text parading as word balloons, but frequently the panels are allowed to speak for themselves, without so much pointless dialog & narration.
June 6, 2025
Gems include a stump is mistaken for Hex, Hex draws on vultures, Little Fawn captures Hex, Hex v. a parricide, Hex lets a rabid cougar do his work, Hex has a date w/ a border gal, Hex v. Judge Hatchet, Wolf Boy, waterhole poisoner, & John Running Wolf, Hex gets hot pokered, kills ex-Confederates at Hard Times, gets machinegunned to save US Grant, blind Hex allies w/ a Shakespearian, Hex v. a toll, a letter is sent from Virginia, Hex dates a suffragette, Hex on a cross, horsekick triggers a flashback, Hex is tried in Richmond, & Hex v. tubercular, grizzly, & Crazy Joe Bigfoot
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2018
More a 3.5, than a 3 I’d say. It’s certainly value for money, with plenty of bang for your buck as they say. 500 odd pages, albeit black and white.
Although it’s always fun to see a characters early days, the stories by creator John Albano are, to modern eyes, a little too simple, and very repetitive. It’s not until Michael Fleisher arrives that the Hex stories pick up, as he throws in some backstory and some continuity.
It’s hardly essential reading, but pretty good fun overall.
Although it’s always fun to see a characters early days, the stories by creator John Albano are, to modern eyes, a little too simple, and very repetitive. It’s not until Michael Fleisher arrives that the Hex stories pick up, as he throws in some backstory and some continuity.
It’s hardly essential reading, but pretty good fun overall.
May 11, 2025
The old Hex stuff is great,
but beware the last 125pages or so are just all star westerns without Hex, kind of a bummer.
but beware the last 125pages or so are just all star westerns without Hex, kind of a bummer.
November 8, 2023
I read most of these off the rack back in the 70s and 80s as a kid and then bought this edition as a Christmas gift many years later. These were probably among the more macabre tales DC put out that weren't in House of Mystery. Even the straight-up Western stories usually had a twist to them that would make a reader flinch or finish reading with one eye closed and squinting the other one nearly shut.
Hex had a long run (the longest for DC Westerns if memory serves) in the DCU and survived right up until the Crisis on Infinite Earths closed out his life. There was a follow-up series titled Hex that dropped him into a Mad Max style world where he fit in (in my opinion) better than in the Old West. It didn't last long, but there were a couple of storylines that really stood out.
I went back and reread the book after his first appearance on the Arrowverse program Legends of Tomorrow. They still hold up, although the Woke crowd would probably get "the vapors" at the sight of his Confederate jacket.
Highly recommended for fans of Western stories and DC fans.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
Hex had a long run (the longest for DC Westerns if memory serves) in the DCU and survived right up until the Crisis on Infinite Earths closed out his life. There was a follow-up series titled Hex that dropped him into a Mad Max style world where he fit in (in my opinion) better than in the Old West. It didn't last long, but there were a couple of storylines that really stood out.
I went back and reread the book after his first appearance on the Arrowverse program Legends of Tomorrow. They still hold up, although the Woke crowd would probably get "the vapors" at the sight of his Confederate jacket.
Highly recommended for fans of Western stories and DC fans.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
June 28, 2007
I was surprised at how much i enjoyed this. I'm not a big fan of westerns; in fact i'd go so far as to say the only western-like thing i enjoy is Firefly. But the writing for Jonah Hex was damn good, i thought. It seems pretty violent for the Silver Age; i was under the impression that the Comics Code Authority had banned killing entirely from comics during this era, but Hex shoots somebody dead at least once per story. When DC first started putting out the Showcase Presents editions, i could see why Superman and Green Lantern were among the first they put out, but i didn't understand why Jonah Hex was in the first wave until i read it. Even still, you'd think Batman would have come before even Green Lantern, especially Jonah Hex, but i digress. If you like comics, read this, it's good stuff.
December 11, 2008
Starts out as a standard Weird Western with the ultimate bad-ass (a deformed and misanthropic mercenary with a sixth sense) pitted against vengeful and unredeemable bad guys. The atmosphere is cool here, but I was almost gonna put down the book when I reached the Fleisher stories that make up the second half. Fleisher gives Hex pathos, a natural but deep undercurrent of joyless roleplaying (which reminded me of Brad Pitt's jittery Jesse James watching for glory-seeking killers after his title), and a super back story filled with twists and turns and yes, more cool atmosphere. He really created the Jonah Hex that's been passed down. After the Hex stories there are 5 comics worth of "Outlaw" filler, the owlhoot main event of the Weird Western Tales comic before Hex arrived.
The artwork ranges from sketchy to pretty cool.
The artwork ranges from sketchy to pretty cool.
August 1, 2013
The original Jonah Hex stories are easily among my favorite American comic books. (Some of the new ones don't seem half bad, either, though I've had less exposure.)
Forget everything you might have seen in a certain movie bearing his name. Hex is just a tough-guy ex-soldier with an uglied-up face, a penchant for bringing in bounties dead, and a reluctantly sympathetic heart somewhere under all his growling bluster.
At their worst, these stories are sexist western stereotypes. At their best, they're some mindless comic-book fun with grizzled sensibilities.
Forget everything you might have seen in a certain movie bearing his name. Hex is just a tough-guy ex-soldier with an uglied-up face, a penchant for bringing in bounties dead, and a reluctantly sympathetic heart somewhere under all his growling bluster.
At their worst, these stories are sexist western stereotypes. At their best, they're some mindless comic-book fun with grizzled sensibilities.
June 16, 2011
Reprints All-Star Western #2-8, 10-12, Weird Western Tales #13-14, 16-33. Jonah Hex travels the west as a gun for hire and deals with his past. Jonah Hex is actually surprisingly raw at points especially near the beginning of his series but does soften a bit as his character goes on. Unlike older Westerns, the issues seem to have a little more depth to their stories and a bit more variety, though Hex does seem to get knocked out a lot. Also included are the adventures of the Outlaw.
October 20, 2009
I read this collection of Western Comics while I was sick for several days, and it was just the thing to get me through...
"He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers. He had no friends, this Jonah Hex, but he did have two companions: one was death itself... the other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke..."
"He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers. He had no friends, this Jonah Hex, but he did have two companions: one was death itself... the other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke..."
February 27, 2011
Hex rocks! These stories were a great read and the art wasn't bad either. The only thing I didn't like about the compilation is the last few stories that were about Outlaw and Billy the kid those I could of done without, they should of had more Hex instead. Beyond that glitch read these stories you will be surprised how well they were done.
December 30, 2012
Some thing from the past. Some great work by various artists bringing a tired genre back to making it meaningful as Clint Eastwood was the only director to create great modern westerns. So Jonah Hex followed in his wake. There was some other stories featuring Outlaw and Billy the Kid with some great Gil Kane artwork.Definitely, a must have in the collection. Will we see a volume 2?
February 24, 2009
Didn't bother with the Outlaw stuff.
June 19, 2010
the original stories featuring one of my favorite comic characters. these single-issue stories read very well and look fantastic in black and white.
November 15, 2011
I enjoyed this collection.
April 6, 2012
Classic Jonah, some of it is good, some of it is great, some of it is just eh...
October 1, 2012
Great introduction to Jonah Hex. I need more stories now.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews