Customer Reviews

Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo (DC Comics Vertigo (Paperback))

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This book is probably one of the best comics in recent history. Lansdale and Truman's styles mesh into a cohesive package of grit and laughs, breathing new life into the once-thought-dead genre of the western comic. I knew that I had to buy it after the first page. Lansdale's strong narrative voice grabs the reader by the neck and and holds him there until the final panel. Be sure to pick up the 5 issue miniseries that follows, Riders of the Worm and Such, as well...

Just terrific. Two Gun Mojo featuring Wild West comix icon Jonah Hex is a rousing Western hybrid. Sure, the horror elements--zombies brought to life by a spike-toothed snake-oil salesman skilled in the ways of voodoo--don't bring Gary Cooper in black and white to mind, but I'm all for Hex and horror colliding in a one-horse town. And if Wild Bill Hickok himself is back as one of the undead to challenge the speed of Jonah's gunhand, then so much the better.

The supporting characters help keep us rooted in the West: Slow Go, aged bounty-hunter, terrible shot, and perfect foil for Hex, at least until the zombies corner him in a stable in the night of dead; the Indian woman whom Hex defends in a bar full of bigots and who later repays the favour by attending Hex's public hanging (sign says "Noon Or Thereabouts") in disruptive style; the Apaches and Cavalrymen who go to war with Hex caught right in the middle when all he wanted was a little revenge, out in the desert, against Doc Williams, snake-oil peddler, and all-around snake.

This is a brutal tale of murder, revenge and most types of lawlessness you could imagine on the wild frontier. The art by Truman and Glanzman is superb--a dusty nightmarish treat--but some of the images are quite gory. Jonah himself is a study in quiet charisma and determination, and author Joe Lansdale puts all the right words in his mutilated mouth while the bullets keep flying out of his gun. This was a wonderful finale to my recent look at the Wild Wild West in Comics, before turning my focus to Space Soldiers.

This is a prime example of why comics should be getting more respect. Landsdale and Truman recreate the badass character of Jonah Hex and pit him against a supernatural (?) menace. The art is gritty and real, the dialogue is crisp and clear as a desert sunrise. My favorite line? " That's Jonah Hex his own damn self. He's killed more men than hell has souls. " The fact that this series hasn't been optioned as a film is a crime. I have heard that Hex was recently on an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. If anyone could do this series justice, it'd be them. If you like westerns with an edge, this is for you. If you're a horror fan wanting a creepy story, this is for you. Check it out. It won't dissapoint.