Broken Frontier

Does anyone else out there have a comic they love to read? That one book that you either read first when you get your comic order or save for last like some kind of comic book dessert? Jonah Hex is that type of book for me.

Jonah Hex is a throwback title, not just because the main character was created over 30 years ago. Hex is a gunslinger for hire in the old west, an outlaw who lives by his own code of honor. Jonah is an anti-hero that the 1970’s were famous for and never really went out of style.

The book features, up to this week at least, “done-in-one” stories. Are you familiar with decompressed storytelling? This is compressed storytelling. Each issue told a self contained story each month. These are good stories, the kind you’d find in a western starring Clint Eastwood. And fans of the genre will tell you those are the best kind of westerns.

The series seems to be everything a comic fan could want. It has a complete story each month in a style that is not all that common place in today’s market featuring a complex and interesting character. If that is the case, why aren’t more people reading it?

Jonah Hex debuted in November 2005 in a quasi-respectable 53rd place on the Diamond 100 with sales totaling 33,800 copies. Since then, sales on the book have been steadily declining. Four out of the last five months the title ranked outside of the top 100 and sales on number 11 dropped to a dangerously low 19,000 copies. It would not be hyperbole to say that the series is at risk of being cancelled.

The powers that be on the title are shaking things up starting with tomorrow’s issue #13. That issue starts a three-part story, a break from the title’s “done-in-one” status quo, that will tell the never before told origin of Jonah Hex. Finally, after 34 years of existence, we will find out how he got that scar, why he still wears his Confederate uniform, and what made him the man he is today.

The regular writers on the book, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, will be joined on art by European comics’ legend Jordi Bernet. He might not be too well-known in the United States, but savvy readers are probably aware of his work on the European books Torpedo and Kraken. 

But will any of this bring in new readers? Origin stories are usually good jumping on points for any series. And the fact that this one was three decades in the making might generate enough excitement to bring in both the old fans of the character and some who have never heard of Jonah Hex before. And if the new fans come in, they are liable to stay. Gray and Palmiotti write the character in such a way that you need not know decades of history to enjoy the story.

Still, it will be a difficult struggle. Westerns really haven’t broken in with superhero-friendly comic readers. DC’s other western title, Vertigo’s Loveless, sells even worse than Jonah Hex. It seems like it wouldn’t matter if the book was written by William Shakespeare and had art by Pablo Picasso, people would still stay away because it was a western.

And that is a shame. Jonah Hex is, in mine and many other people’s opinion, a great comic book. Gray and Palmiotti were given an exclusive contract by DC for a reason—because they are great writers who consistently write interesting stories. And Jonah Hex is one of the best characters in the DC stable. This is a mix of many great things coming together. If you were hesitant to check out this title for any reason, find the courage to pick up this arc. Read it for yourself. If you are like me, you’ll be hooked. 

Also out this week:

• Superman Confidential #1: First, it was JLA Classified. Then, it was JSA Classified. Now, the Man of Steel gets a new series, with the name “Confidential” instead of “Classified”, where rotating teams of creators are given the opportunity to write stories about the character. Judging by previous titles mentioned, the creators will be big names and tales will be untold stories of Superman’s past.

The first arc seems to bear this out. Written by DC: The New Frontier’s Darwyn Cooke and with art by Batman: The Long Halloween’s Tim Sale, it will tell the tale of Superman’s first encounter with Kryptonite, the radioactive remains of his home world that acts as his Achilles’ heel. So, the series is getting off on the right foot. Where it goes from here will depend on the creative teams and stories that follow.

• Incredible Hulk #100: This milestone issue arrives smack dab in the middle of the Planet Hulk storyline, and marks the beginning of the “Allegiance” arc. Some pivotal revelations are set to occur in both the main story and in the back up as the arc rumbles towards its conclusion.  We find out more about who the Sakaarson and Worldbreaker might be and in the second story, drawn by veteran Gary Frank, someone finds out that the Illuminati were the ones who sent Hulk into space.

If that wasn’t enough, we get not one but two reprints of past issues. That adds up to 104 pages of goodness that any Hulk fan will be sure to love for only one dollar more than regular cover price. That is the way that anniversary issues should be celebrated.

• Freshmen Vol. 2 #1: Everyone’s favorite team of super powered—or, in one notable case, non-super powered—college students returns (and come to think of it, shouldn’t it be called Sophomores? Ah, never mind). Co-created by Hugh Sterbakov and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Austin Powers actor Seth Green, the series takes a skewered view at young super-heroes, college, and talking beavers.

What’s in store for this new series? Dreams about children’s book’s characters, attempts to break off a toxic romance, a constantly drunk man trying to pass his classes and much, much more. Fans of the first series have been waiting for this sequel to arrive. Are you not one of them? You could catch up with the trade paperback of the first series and then pick up this issue to join in on all the fun. 

• Fantastic Four: The End #1: After characters such as the Punisher, Hulk, the X-Men and Wolverine had the opportunity to have their final stories told, Marvel at long last gets around to featuring the heroes who started the Marvel Age going—the Fantastic Four. This issue starts a six issue series detailing the last days of the company’s First Family.

The story and art is in the hands of superstar artist Alan Davis. The Brit is primarily known for his artwork on such titles as Excalibur and Uncanny X-Men, but he has acquitted himself quite nicely as a writer on the Justice League of America: The Nail series. He marks his return to the Fantastic Four, having drawn the team at the start of the Heroes Return era. 

• The Nightly News #1: The news media is the enemy in the new series written and drawn by Jonathan Hickman. A cult of people whose careers, marriages, and lives were ruined by the shoddy reporting and errors newsmen reported decide to strike back at the entity that wronged them. And the scary thing is, they are willing to die for their cause.

“As timely as today’s headlines” might be a corny description to apply to this series, but that doesn’t make it any less true. With all the criticism for the way news is reported these days, this scenario isn’t as outrageous as it sounds. There is a kernel of truth in it. And all good fiction contains an element of truth. So if you hold the news media in a negative light, this might be the series for you. 

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. Bill also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software.