Weird Western Tales #35 "The Hangman"

Weird Western Tales #35 July-Aug 1976
"The Hangman!"
Michael Fleisher, story - George Molterini, art - Ernia Chua (Chan), cover

When we last left Jonah Hex, he was out in the desert having missed the opportunity to score a bounty. Now our story opens with Jonah literally crawling across the desert to a small water hole. He lowers his hat to get a drink but before he can raise the hat, it is riddled by gunfire with a shouted warning to stay away from the water. The man shouting the warning is Redeye Charlie, who appears to be an old prospector. He tells Jonah that the watering hole is poison and offers one of his canteens to Jonah. Jonah explains that the Yellow Mask Gang shot his horse & left him for dead in the desert. Charlie offers to take Jonah into town (Hill Valley, AZ) on one of his mules.

As they ride into town several hours later they happen upon what appears to be either a town picnic or a carnival. They are aghast to learn that the town has turned out for a hanging of a saloon girl that is accused of stealing $10 (about $140 today) from a cowboy. Charlie offers to pay the $10 to save her life. The sheriff refuses and Charlie starts to argue. Jonah tells Charlie to back off since the folks in the town have the right to do what they want. Charlie & Jonah ride on into town as the hanging proceeds and the saloon girl dies.

Jonah & Charlie part ways, Charlie heads to the livery to house his mules and Jonah goes to the saloon to get a steak. While Jonah is eating, the sheriff comes in & demands $20 from the owner. The owner states that it was only $10 last time, but the sheriff points out how much money everyone is making by the folks coming to town to see all the hangings. The owner pays up and once the sheriff is gone, he complains to Jonah about the price increase. Jonah asks why he pays it then. The owner explains that he makes more money on hanging days than on all the other days put together. There is a hanging about every 10 days or so and since the sheriff is also the judge everything moves really quickly.

Jonah tries to get a room at the hotel but learns that it is full...because of the hanging. they only have a few vacant rooms that they keep open in case any traveling ladies find themselves stranded for the night. Jonah decides to spend the night at the livery and finds that CHarlie has drunk himself into a stupor. Charlie says that he is heading for the hotel but Jonah explains that they only have rooms for ladies.

The next panel has a drunken Charlie in a dress checking in to the hotel. The creepy bellboy helps the 'drunken lady' up to her room and once inside, starts disrobing. When Charlie takes off his dress he ends up getting kicked out of the hotel. The sheriff happens along and finds the drunken Charlie in the street. He takes him to jail to sleep it off.

The next morning the local bank is robbed by the Yellow Mask Gang. They end up getting a gold shipment that was supposed to be a secret. As they make their getaway they shoot one of the managers of the bank but all the noise wakens Jonah over at the livery. As they ride past, Jonah jumps out of the loft, kicking one of the riders square in the head. Jonah tells a bystander to take the dazed crook to the sheriff because he is heading out after the rest of them.

The sheriff takes custody of the robber & the bystander leaves. Once they are alone, the sheriff starts chewing out the robber for getting caught. He ends up letting the robber go and they will split up the loot later. Seems like the sheriff is the one telling the gang about the gold shipment. As the robber leaves, the sheriff shoots him in the back right in front of Charlie. Charlie threatens to tell the town what he knows but the sheriff goes into the cell and knockes Charlie out with the barrel of his gun. The sheriff pours a bunch of whiskey down Charlie's throat to fit in with a plan he has.

Far outside of town, the Yellow Mask Gang is splitting up the loot in a cabin. According to them, they have about $80,000 in double-eagles (1.1 million $$?) but since a double eagle is a $20 piece that means they stole 4000 of them?

Anyway, Jonah is up on the roof, blocks the chimney and the cabin fills with smoke. One owlhoot comes out to see what the problem is & Jonah smacks him with a pistol. The other three come out and they make the mistake of drawing on Jonah. he dives to the ground and kills them all with three shots. He ends up taking the bodies and the one survivor back into town.

They arrive back in town to find a hanging almost in full swing (giggle, snort, 'full swing', I slay me. Har har, 'slay me', hee hee) but this time it's Charlie at the end of his rope (snort). The sheriff found a yellow mask in Charlie's bedroll, proving he is part of the gang. The horse Charlie is on is whipped and Charlie starts swinging but Jonah shoots the rope in two. Jonah helps Charlie up off the ground and Charlie tells the whole story about how the sheriff is in with the gang. The sheriff denies it but the owlhoot that Jonah brought in decides to rat out the sheriff when he learns that the sheriff killed is brother (who was captured by Jonah earlier). The owlhoot produces the gold shipment schedule, the very one in the banker's handwriting that he had given to the sheriff.

Folsk decide that they had gathered for a hanging so they might as well have one. As they are stringing up the sheriff, the banker offers the job of sheriff to Jonah. The pay is good but of course he would have to keep the hangings a comin' so the town will prosper. Hex and Charlie both ride off as the rope draws tight around the sheriff's throat.


Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 3 members of the Yellow Mask gang
Running Total - 94
Jonah's Injuries - none
Timeline - A nice 'done in one' that could take place anywhere during the bounty hunting years.

A good story with good supporting characters and a whole town that is corrupt, but not totally. they are just running their own version of the lottery. Moliterni's art is again, gritty, and great. The coloring is vastly improved and helps the story along, not like last issue. The cover is a little crowded with the "DC Comics salutes the bicentennial" banner.

Next Week: Jonah meets "Rawhide", attempted rape, and the return of Bigfoot.

Weird Western Tales #34 "Death of a Bounty Hunter"

Weird Western Tales #34 May-June 1976
"Death of a Bounty Hunter"
Michael Fleisher, story - George Moliterni, art - Luis Domiguez, cover

We're back to the gritty art of Moliterni this issue and it starts with three men sitting around a campfire talking about how much fun it was to see Jonah Hex hanged. As they laugh & talk there is a loud SNAP and then Jonah steps out of the shadows with a broken noose around his neck, with the campfire flaring up dramatically. Jonah tells the three men to drop their guns when he is suddenly hit from behind and knocked out.

Four men walk up. They are bounty hunters, headed by Jason Leech, and they shoot the original three men and then take the bodies back to town for the $3,000 reward the next morning. As they collect, Jonah shows up & demands that the money is his. A fight is about to break out between the two men when the sherrif walks in with a wanted poster for Dutch Rafferty for $5,000. Jonah takes the poster and again threatens Leech. Leech decides to split the money with Jonah to save his own skin.

Later, Jonah is outside the livery and has a pack-mule with supplies and several dozen canteens. He is approached by Oswald Hotchkiss of the New York company of Smart & Smathers Publishing. Hotchkiss wants to follow Jonah and pen a dime novel about his exploits. Jonah's not interested until Hotchkiss mentions $1,000 that he is willing to pay.

All during the trip, Hotchkiss is quizzing Jonah on his tactics & his plans. Finally, Jonah follows Dutch and a cohort across the desert and into a narrow canyon. Hotchkiss asks if Jonah is going to blast them out with dynamite, but Jonah's plan involves using Hotchkiss as bait. He has Hotchkiss ride alone into the canyon.

Once in the canyon, Hotchkiss is spotted by Dutch & friend. They run down & grab Hotchkiss's horse before he can ride off & they demand he dismount. Hotchkiss hollers to Hex for help and Hex gut-shoots Dutch's friend as he draws on Hex. Dutch surrenders on the spot. Jonah ties up both criminals and waits for night to fall so that Leech and his bunch can't ambush them.

Hours later under cover of night, Hotchkiss begs for a break and Jonah relents. Jonah tells Hotchkiss to help Dutch off his horse & to get the bedrolls out. They learn that the gut-shot outlaw is dead and Jonah drags him him off to bury him so that the buzzards don't give away their position come sunrise. While Jonah is burying him, he tosses in a canteen about 3/4 full & buries that as well.

When Jonah gets back to the camp, he learns that Hotchkiss has built a fire to make some coffee. In anger Jonah stomps it out explaining that a fire could be seen for miles. Later in the night, Hex wakes up to find Hotchkiss gone. He spies a glow coming from over a ridge and when he tops it he find Hotchkiss building a huge bonfire to signal Leech. Hex beats the living crap out of Hotchkiss, including a "kick to the head", when suddenly Leech & the gang stop him.

Hotchkiss is relieved to see Leech save him, but Leech shoots Hotchkiss dead. Leech also shoots Dutch and kills him. Leech loads up Dutch's body and takes the mule full of canteens, since all of their canteens are almost dry. They decide to leave Hex in the desert to die. Once they are gone, Jonah digs up the canteen he buried with the body and then crawls into his bedroll since there "ain't no hurry."

The next afternoon, Leech's gang dismount and start to drink from the canteens on the mule only to find all the canteens contain sand. Hex has tricked them and they are all going to die of thirst because of it. One of the men still has half a canteen, but Leech guns him down and then shoots the other two men in his gang. The gunfire scares the horses and they run off, dumping Dutch's body in the sand. Leech starts dragging Dutch's body back to town, but a sandstorm comes up and since Leech has nothing to use to cut off Dutch's head, he has to drag the whole corpse (and in Dutch's case, that is sizeable). Leech continues through the storm, eventually tying a rope around Dutch and the around his own waist. he is now forced to crawl, his water gone & his strength fading.

Night falls, and eventually Jonah Hex arrives to find Leech surrounded by sand & gasping for water. Hex asks where Dutch is. Leech gasps for water. Jonah tells him that for the location of Dutch, he'll get some water. Leech raises up, looks behind him and says "H-He's... He's...." and then dies.

Jonah notes that with all the sand that has been kicked up, there is no way he could backtrack Leech's trail & find Dutch, so in disgust he rides off, never seeing that Dutch is buried in the sand dune behind Leech.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - For all the bloodshed, 1, Dutch's friend
Running Total - 91
Jonah's Injuries - Knocked out, again.
Timeline - Nothing in the story to place this anywhere in the timeline.

This is one of the better stories but sadly the coloring really hurt the book. The blue seems to have run amock on some pages and the rest of the coloring was just big blobs of color obscuring Moliterni's great line work. I'm not sure if this one was in the recent Showcase, but I'm sure that it was much better in B&W than here.


Next Week: Hangin's, cross-dressin' and ice cold beer. Just your normal prelude to Thanksgiving.

Weird Western Tales #31 "Gunfight at Wolverine"

Weird Western Tales #31 Nov-Dec 1975
"Gunfight at Wolverine"
Michael Fleisher, story - George Moliterni, art

This issue opens in June, 1875 (same year as last issue in Richmond, VA) with Jonah hex riding into Wolverine, Wyoming. As he rides past a large outdoor arena being built, he wonders why he friend Dave Prentice sent a telegram requesting Jonah come to Wolverine. Jonah & Dave fought together at Antietam and Dave is one of the fastest draws that Jonah as ever seen.
Jonah arrives in town and wonders who he should ask to locate Dave. He is riding past the sheriff’s office as six men stand outside, calling the sheriff out. Jonah notes that 6 vs 1 doesn't seem fair but he's not gonna get involved. Just then the sheriff comes out & it's Dave. Dave strolls slowly out and asks the men which one wants to be the first to get his head blown off. They laugh, pointing out that it's six to one. Jonah corrects them, saying it's six to two (and adds ",Skunk" for an extra measure).

The next scene is nicely written as Jonah & Dave discuss the telegram, the trouble Dave is in, how Dave will be with Jonah just as soon as he kills these men, Jonah taking note that one of them MIGHT get off a lucky shot, Dave letting Jonah taking first pick of which ones he wants to kill, and Jonah choosing "Big-Mouth over thar, an' Paul Bunyan over thar, an thet tall, ugly one over thar". The six men get pretty disgusted asking if they're gonna fight or stand there and talk everybody to death! Dave & Jonah draw, six shots are fired and the six men fall dead in the street. Dave compliments Jonah on his shooting and says that he wouldn't want to face-off against Jonah anytime soon. Jonah echoes the same sentiment regarding Dave.

As Jonah & Dave go to the livery to get Dave's horse, Dave explains that those men were part of Butch McCandless's gang. They've been trying to get revenge since Dave hung a couple of his boys for bank robbery. As they ride out to Dave's place to meet his wife & son, they catch up on the past 10 years. Jonah makes mention of the ongoing cough that Dave has to which Dave responds it's from smoking and not to worry.

Jonah asks why Dave sent for him & Dave says that he just wanted to see an old friend. As they pass the arena, Jonah asks why it's being built since it looks big enough to hold the whole town. Dave explains it's for a rodeo. When they get to Dave's house, he introduces his wife, Sandy, and son, Tommy. When Dave introduces Jonah, Sandy suddenly starts crying and runs inside.

Later, during dinner, Sandy apologizes for her behavior. Just then a Molotov cocktail crashes through the window, setting the house afire. Dave tells Tommy & Sandy to put out the flames while he and Jonah sneak down through a tunnel Dave dug in case of Indian attack.

Outside, two men have a string of bottles of kerosene, ready to throw at the house. As they ready to throw one on the roof, a bullet shatters the bottle and then all the other bottles, except two are shot as well. We hear Dave compliment Jonah on his shooting and says that he'll shoot the last two bottles. The two fire-bombers draw their pistols and are gunned down. Jonah notes that Dave missed the bottles. Dave spots two more men over by a hay bale. Jonah lights up the bottles and tosses over towards the hay. Dave shoots the bottles, setting the hay bale on fire and Jonah guns down the men as they flee for safety.

Dave and Jonah return to the house where the fire has been put out. Jonah helps Sandy clears the table and Sandy tells Jonah that Dave has tuberculosis and won't last the year. Dave is worried how She and Tommy will make due since being a small-town sheriff, Dave doesn’t earn much money. She tells Jonah that Dave has cooked up a wild scheme that will make lots of money by.... Dave loudly interrupts her and asks Jonah if he would like to go on nightly patrol with him.

As they ride into town, Dave asks Jonah what Sandy told him. Jonah said it was about some plan to make money and asks if Dave is planning on stealing anything. He simply replies, "Nope".

In town they encounter a local drunk, who takes note of Jonah's confederate coat and explains to Jonah what trash the Rebs were. Jonah sates that the war has been over a long time, but the drunk keeps railing. Finally the man charges Jonah who simply sidesteps and slaps him on the back of the head as he falls past into a horse trough. Dave fishes the drunk out and takes him to Jail.

Jonah is waiting for Dave to return and a blind man in a Union uniform comes up and asks Jonah if he has his ticket to the gunfight yet, only $5. The blind man explains that it's a fight to the death between Sheriff Prentice and Jonah Hex, the two fastest guns in the west. It won't be fixed, neither, because Prentice guarantees that unless one of them dies, all the money will be refunded. The blind man, tired of trying to sell the ticket, finally wanders off. Dave returns and Jonah mentions how insulted he is that he wasn’t properly invited to the gunfight. Dave starts to explain and Jonah is suddenly knocked unconscious from behind. Dave tells Jonah's attacker to help get Jonah over to the arena.

Later, Jonah staggers to his feet in the arena. It is crowded with the entire town and lit by kerosene lanterns and the first hint of sunrise is on the horizon. Dave is standing in the arena, facing Jonah. He apologizes for having to do this, but he's sold two thousand tickets at $5 each and he knew Jonah would never agree to do this. This is his only way of providing for his family and even if he loses the fight, he still wins. Jonah picks up his hat and turns to walk away, The crowd gets restless and starts booing. Dave warns Jonah that he'll shoot him in the back if he has to. Dave draws and we hear a shot ring out.

Jonah spins around and Dave is dead. Sandy is standing to the side with a smoking rifle. She says that she couldn't let him become a murderer for her sake and then she falls to the ground, cradling her dead husband in her arms. Jonah leaves the arena and the banker approaches Jonah with the ticket receipts. Jonah says that he'll take them out to Dave's place as he leaves town. Just then Butch McCandless arrives and forces Jonah to drop his gun belt. Butch is a little peeved about all the killing of his gang & will take the money to console himself. Jonah, with his guns on the ground and Butch holding two pistols on him, tells Butch that if he lets Jonah take the money to Prentice's family, Jonah will let Butch leave alive. Butch breaks out laughing until a knife is hurled into his chest. Jonah, standing over Butch's corpse, take the strongbox from the banker.


Out at Dave's place, Jonah gives the money to Sandy and Tommy. Tommy, crying, asks if Jonah outdrew his dad. Jonah states that no man alive coulda outdrawn his paw, he was the fastest.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 6
Running Total - 90
Jonah's injuries - Knocked unconscious
Timeline - Summer of 1875

This was a very enjoyable story. The interaction between Dave and Jonah sounded like two friends that hadn't seen each other in a long while, short questions, short answers, that fit these two men to a T. The little jabs and comments during the gunfights were priceless as well. Other nice bits included Jonah helping with the dishes and the blind ticket salesman. Finally, the irony of Sandy shooting her own husband to save Jonah was well done also. The death of Butch was the icing on the cake. And since Jonah DID have to face the possible wrath of the entire town, this issue did include Jonah vs Wolverine ... Wyoming.

Next Week: A kidnapping, Jonah fights a b'ar, and (I kid you not) Jonah Hex vs Bigfoot. No, really, Bigfoot.

Weird Western Tales #30 "The Trial

Weird Western Tales #30 Sept-Oct 1975
"The Trial"
Michael Fleisher, story - George Moliterini, art - Luis Domiguez, cover

WWT 30 is another pivot point in the Jonah Hex saga. First off, this was the month that DC started with a new format for its covers, trying to have a branded banner running across the top of the book. Back in the 70s, comics were sold in spinner racks and kids would just flip through the tops. Having this banner was a good idea in that it was easier & faster to find a DC book. It was a bad idea for a book like Weird Western Tales in that 40% of the cover was taken up with the title and the banner.

Next, this book continues with the aftermath of the Fort Charlotte massacre and has Jonah confront Turnbull for the first (& last?) time. Third, it starts the domino effect of bad or incorrect dates/timeline for Jonah. But enough of all that, let's get into the book.

The story starts in 1875 in Richmond, Virginia as Jonah rides into town, thinking that he needs to square things between himself and Quentin Turnbull. Jonah stops in a tavern and asks for whiskey. As he stands at the bar drinking a man at a nearby table shouts that he doesn't want to be in the same establishment with a Yankee turncoat. He continues ranting about how Jonah caused the death of many of his friends and he wants to have revenge on Jonah. The man's friend convinces him to leave the bar and eventually everyone leaves, including the owner. As the owner walks out the door, he tells Jonah that the whiskey is free but just bust the glass when he is done because the owner doesn't want real people to catch what Jonah has. Jonah broods for several minutes and finally shatters the mirror behind the bar with a well placed whiskey bottle.

Out at the Turnbull plantation, Solomon informs Turnbull that Jonah is in town and that "aftuh all the trials an' tribulations you done been through" Turnbull will get his revenge. Turnbull plans to get some men armed with shotguns but then gets a better idea, inspired by what Solomon said.

Later that night, as Jonah is resting outside his hotel, he is approached by a local lawman who informs Jonah that there is a matter of settlement for the broken mirror in the bar. As Jonah reaches in his pocket to pay for the damages, he is knocked out from behind. The "lawman" and the attacker bind him and haul him to a undisclosed barn.

When Jonah wakes up, he finds himself tied to a chair and in the middle of a 'courtroom' that has Quentin Turnbull as the judge and survivors of the Fort Charlotte massacre as the jury and witnesses. Jonah is being charged with treason against the Confederate States of America for betrayal of his comrades in January of 1863 (1). Man after man testifies about what they saw in Fort Charlotte and then they pronounce him guilty as charged.

Turnbull decrees that Jonah will have the buttons of his coat removed as a sign of disgrace, he will have a yellow stripe painted down his back as a sign of betrayal, and he will be shot at dawn by a firing squad. Turnbull then orders Jonah taken away because "the very sight of him makes me want to vomit". Jonah is lead away and as he is locked in a toolshed one of the guards kicks him in the stomach and throws Jonah inside.

In the toolshed, Jonah finds a pitchfork and manages to use the pitchfork to cut the rope holding his hands. He then lures the guard to the window in the door, grabbing the man by the throat and threatening to kill him unless he opens the door. The guard opens the door and Jonah slams the door into the guard, knocking him out. Jonah reaches to get the guards gun but just then Solomon arrives with a shotgun. As Solomon holds Jonah at gunpoint, Solomon says how much he regrets doing this. Jonah maintains his innocence but Turnbull arrives and takes the shotgun from Solomon.

Turnbull states that he is going to kill Jonah himself, but Solomon tries to reason with Turnbull about Jonah's innocence. As Turnbull gets ready to shoot, Jonah turns and grabs the pitchfork and uses it to deflect the shotgun. He then knocks the shotgun from Turnbull's hands. Turnbull states that Jonah should kill him now or else he will kill Jonah. Jonah wants to talk to Turnbull and he tosses the pitchfork aside. Turnbull rushes Jonah and as Jonah sidesteps out of the way, Turnbull trips and falls on the pitchfork. The last scene is of Jonah riding off as Solomon holds the dead body of Turnbull.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - none, not one.
Running Total - 84
Jonah's injuries - Knocked out once and gut kicked once.
Timeline - When this was published, the timeline wasn't a problem, but in 1980 Jonah Hex #37 had Jonah meeting Stonewall Jackson and ultimately shooting him. Stonewall was shot by his own troops in May of 1863. But in this issue, Turnbull states that the massacre happened in January 1863, 4 months prior to Jacksons death.
Later on, 1875 itself becomes a problem when Fleisher starts a running continuity and places some major events in Jonah's life in 1875-1876. 

Overall, this story wasn't as great as the previous one. The stabbing of Turnbull was overly melodramatic and this story seemed a poor resolution to the Fort Charlotte Massacre/Turnbull revenge subplots.

Next Week: Jonah Hex vs. Wolverine!!!

Weird Western Tales #28 "Stagecoach to Oblivion"

Weird Western Tales #28 May-June 1975
"Stagecoach to Oblivion"
Michael Fleisher, story - George Moliterni, art.

The story starts in Green Rapids, Wyoming, 1874. A telegraph operator receives an important telegram. He rushes out to deliver it when he hears gunshots. In the street is a dead man and Jonah Hex reloading his pistol. The telegram is a job offer for Jonah from the Huddleston Downing Express Company, over in South Pass City.

Four days later, Jonah arrives in South Pass City just as the stage arrives with one of the drivers shot up by the Hauschel Gang. Jonah locates Mr. Preston, the man who sent the telegram. Preston explains that Huddleston Downing ships gold nuggets from the local mine over to Green River City but Jake Hauschel & his gang are constantly robbing the stage. Tomorrow they are shipping $135,000 by a secret route that only Preston and his clerk Sims is aware of.

Preston shows Jonah that he has had the coach reinforced with steel plating and demands that Jonah ride inside instead of alongside. Jonah takes the job.

That night, Sims, the clerk, shows up at the Hauschel hideout and delivers all the info on the shipment, route, guards, eveything, in exchange for 25%. As he turns to leave, Jake Hauschel shoots Sims in the back.

The next morning, Jonah is telling Preston that he hopes they don't regret letting Jonah see the route in advance. That proves to b true as the stagecoach comes up on "The Narrows", a half-mile stretch of road with cliffs towering over it on both sides. The pass is so narrow that the stage couldn't turn around if it had to. Just as the stage gets to the middle, the Haschel Gang starts firing from above, killing both drivers and all six horses.

Jonah and the men are pinned down in the stage. The other guards ar convinced they're safe because someone will come along and then go get help. Jonah decides to make a break for it. As he runs for shelter, Jonah is cut down in a barrage of gunfire. The Hauschel Gang then sends flaming kegs of kerosene down onto the stage, setting it afire. As the guards run out, they are shot dead in their tracks.

After the stage burns out, Jake and the boys gather the chest and ride off. Several hours later, Jonah stirs and realizes that he luckily had a bullet only craze his scalp. Manyhours later, Jonah arrives back in town on foot. As the doc is tending Jonah, Preston storms in, demanding to know what happened. Jonah mentions how the Gang knew the route. Preston mentions that Sims is missing. Jonah asks whose idea the "Narrows" was and Preston owns up to it, saying that it was the shortest & cheapest route. Jonah bad-mouths Preston and then leaves.

The next morning, Jonah is having breakfast at the saloon and he is approached by Cobb Wisner. Cobb's cousin is a member of the Hauschel Gang. Cobb tells Jonah tht he has heard the gang has almost a half million stashed away. Cobb says that he could tell Jonah where the hideout is and Jonah could kill them all and find the money. Jonah turns down Cobb's offer, saying that he doesn't want their blood money. Jonah heads out on his own to track down the Hauschel Gang.

As he starts closing in on them, he gets ambushed by two members of the gang who decide to "fix 'im up jus' lahk we done thet preacher ovuh in Tucson last year" and they tie Jonah to a cross made of saplings. They empty Jonah's canteen and leave him for dead.

Jonah eventually finds a narrow canyon archway and keeps slamming the ends of the crosspiece until it finally cracks but Jonah collapses from exhaustion.

That night, at the Hauschel hideout, Jake wakes up in the middle of the night and stabs his own lookout, returns to the cabin and shoots the remaining four members of his own gang. In the gunfight, Matt Borden (the cousin of Cobb Wisner), gets off a lucky shot and kills Jake. Wounded, Matt heads for town on horseback.


Jonah comes to and continues on to the hideout, only to find everybody dead and a trail of blood leading back to town. Meanwhile, in town, Matt comes riding in, shouting for help. Several townsfolk rush to his aid and start to take Matt to the doc's office. Just then Cobb shows up and demands that Matt tell them where the loot is hidden before they get him treatment. An arguement ensues and then Jonah comes riding up. Jonah comments that Cobb is pretty free with money that isn't his and then rides off to get a steak.

The townsfolks side with Cobb and refuse to let the Doc treat Matt until he reveals where the loot is hidden, but Matt then up & dies. The townspeople get angry at Cobb for dragging things out and losing their share of the treasure. They grab a rope and hang Cobb in the middle of town. A man comes running into the saloon where Jonah is eating and shouts out they are gonna hang Cobb. Everyone excitedly rushes out to watch the hanging, leaving Jonah alone, eating his steak.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - One man seen dead in the street at the start of the story. The Hauschel gang was responsible for 12 men dead (including themselves)

Running Total - 82
Jonah's Injuries - Skull grazed by a bullet
Timeline - 1874, stated clearly at the beginning. A blurb at the end of the story explains that this story was true and the Hauschel gang's loot has never been found. I learned that South Pass City is real, but I couldn't locate any info on the Hauschel gang or a company called Huddleston Downing Express.

I didn't care for this issue very much, it was nice to see Jonah tied to real events, but has been done since and has been done better. At times the story almost seemed like one of the old westerns that Gold Key put out, with tons of text on the page (like when Jake kills his gang). George Moliterni's art is very good, lifelike and gritty with people having natural proportions and their clothes hanging like real cloth. George did a lot of work on Jonah and I always thought he was under-appreciated.

Next Week: Prison Break!! The truth about the Man with the Eagle-topped cane!! And the Emancipation Proclamation!!