Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Jonah Hex #63

This is a comic I pick up from time to time, and then kick myself because I don't pick it up regularly.

Jonah Hex is about as straightforward as a comic can be. The title character lives in the "Old West" (at some point shortly after the Civil War) and makes his living as a bounty hunter.

He's hired to track down a murderous monster named Loco, who specializes in killing and torturing women and children. When he hears about the horrible things Loco has done, Hex flashes back to his own childhood and remembers a particularly unpleasant event.

His search for Loco shows why Hex is a virtual force of nature - especially when he's properly motivated.

The story by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti is lean, clever and brutal - think of the movie Unforgiven and you have the feel of this comic.

The series is also blessed by some amazing artists. This time around the art is by Jordi Bernet, and it's impressive. The landscapes are terrific, the emotions and intensity of the story are vivid, and the raw nature of the life and death struggle is splashed across each page. Great, great work here!

Hey, there's a good New Year's resolution: I promise to not miss any more issues of this outstanding series. (And there's a resolution I can stick to!)

Grade: A-

--------------------

No comments: