Jonah Hex #55 "Trail of Blood!"

Jonah Hex #55 Dec 1981
"Trail of Blood!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Tony DeZuniga, art & cover

The four members of the Fort Charlotte Brigade (Micah, Shenandoah, Pee-Wee, & Timmy) have just sprung forth from the tall grass to put a halt to Jonah Hex's escape from El Papagayo. Carmelita had helped Jonah escape from El Papagayo and now Micah tosses a small bag of money to her, thanking her for leading Jonah into their clutches. It turns out that Carmelita is working not only for the Mexican Army & El Papagayo, but Quentin Turnbull as well. Carmelita is chuckling at have played the winning hand when she is suddenly shot dead off of her horse by the Mexican bandit leader.

Papagayo is in the hills above them and shouts down that he intends to kill Hex and the men that are with them. In fact, Papagayo says that if they all surrender now, he will kill them quickly instead of slowly. Jonah Hex will have no talk of surrender or even of fighting. He thinks their best chance is running and he lights fire to the tall grass in order to shield their escape with the smoke.

The plan works but only delays Papagayo's pursuit of them.

The next morning, it is the 12th anniversary of Jeb Turnbull's death. In Richmond, VA, Quentin Turnbull heads out to lay flowers on the grave of his son who died 12 years ago (which was 1863, thus making this 1875. NO!!! Really!?!?!?!) . Solomon puts forth that maybe Jonah is not guilty but Turnbull gently reminds Solomon that he is a good man, but naive. Turnbull then spends some silent time at Jeb's grave.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Jonah Hex & the Fort Charlotte foursome are breaking camp. Pee-Wee suggests killing Hex now, but Micah thinks that they will need Hex's help to get them into the US and away from Papagayo. As they head out, Jonah asks Timmy, a young man, why he is involved in this since he couldn't have been old enough to be involved in the War Between the States. Timmy explains that his dad was killed in the Fort Charlotte Massacre and is planning on avenging his father's death. Jonah explains what really happened at the fort, but Timmy will hear nothing of it and spits in Jonah's face.

Jonah grabs Timmy by the collar, but Pee-Wee has leveled his rifle at Hex, demanding he let go. During all of this, Shenandoah has dismounted and has walked forward on the trail to pick up a parrot feather. Jonah shouts a warning but it's too late, Shenandoah falls into a collapsing pit full of sharpened stakes and dies. Jonah grabs Micah's rifle and starts squeezing shots off, killing at least one of Papagayo's men.

Several of Papagayo's men ride down on the four remaining men. Jonah smashes one bandit's brains in with a rock and then kills another who is trying to kill Timmy. He hears Micah scream and heads over to help him, but Jonah is too late and can only kill the bandit afterward. Finally all of the bandits are dead and Timmy thanks Jonah for saving his life, but Pee-Wee says that Jonah was only saving his own skin and vows that he himself will kill Hex once they cross the Rio Grande.

Up in the hills, Papagayo is spying on their departure and despite a henchman's statement that they will escape across the river in a few short hours, Papagayo says that it's all... part of a plan.

Hours later Pee-Wee, Timmy & Hex arrive at the Rio Grande at a ferry crossing. They can't find anybody in the ferryman's house (because they are bound and gagged) and decide that they can navigate the ferry across the river. Once they get the ferry loaded and in the middle of the river, El Papagayo shouts from the hills overlooking the river that he is bidding goodbye to Jonah and the other two men.

Jonah starts rummaging through the crates on the ferry and finds a bundle of dynamite with a lit fuse. They all jump overboard since there may be more dynamite hidden and the ferry gets blown to splinters. Jonah swims over to Timmy, who is drowning, and drags him ashore. However, Pee-Wee is standing there with his rifle leveled at Hex.

Timmy starts protesting that they can't kill Jonah, it ain't fair after everything that Jonah has done for them. Pee-Wee says that what is fair is killing the man that killed their friends and family. Timmy jumps up a grabs a rifle but Pee-Wee guns him down before Jonah can do a thing. Jonah does however end up killing Pee-Wee with a single shot.

Timmy is sitting against a rock, gasping his last, telling Jonah how when they get back to Virginia, Timmy will tell everyone what kind of man Jonah really is so they won't keep chasing Hex. Timmy then dies.

Jonah buries Timmy and then rides off.

Statistics for This Issue
Men Killed by Jonah - 5
Running Total - 338
Jonah's Injuries - None
Timeline - 1875. This story covers 2 days.

I would have liked to have seen more El Papagayo and less of Turnbull. Turnbull gets to be just one note hammered constantly on an out of tune piano, no one can reason with him and he has only one idea, kill Hex.

It was kinda nice to see Timmy coming over to Jonah's side, but since this story has a backup story, we didn't get the extra pages that could have been used to give us more of that growing relationship between Jonah & Timmy. Needless to say, this story didn't thrill me as much as it could have.

However, the last panel does make a good point moving us into the third phase of Jonah Hex, The Tragic Hex (hint hint, upcoming post)

Next Issue: Jonah ends up taking the train to crazy-town.

Jonah Hex #54 "Trapped in the Parrot's Lair!"

Jonah Hex #54 Nov. 1981
"Trapped in the Parrot's Lair!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Tony DeZuniga, art & cover

With no mention whatsoever of Mei Ling walking out on Jonah and taking Jason with her, we start our story with Jonah getting a nice hot bath at Rosie's (wherever that may be). In the midst of his bath, two hardcases walk in, threatening Hex. Jonah grabs the scarf on one, pulls him into the tub and then stabs him. Using his dead body as a shield, Jonah then grabs the dead man's pistol and pushes a couple of slugs into the other man. Then, to the amazement of women comic bloggers everywhere, Jonah stands up in the tub and comments on the pistol he stole from the dead man.

Of course, causing so much carnage and bloodshed has its consequences. Jonah gets charged $2 to have the floor cleaned and gets kicked out of Rosie's. Later riding into town with the two dead men, Jonah Hex is recognized by a bystander who races off to send a telegram to Richmond, VA.

In Richmond, Quentin Turnbull is talking to the Fort Charlotte Brigade and is asking for positive proof that Jonah Hex has been blown up by the dynamite trap laid for him. This, of course, goes against the LAST time we saw Turnbull which leads me to think that this story arc is out of order with the marriage storyline and makes me wonder why we have fill-ins thrown in here. Each story in the marriage arc were short ones (except for issue 50) so I would have thought that Fleisher could have kept up the pace. Now I know how Joss Whedon felt.

I digress.

While Turnbull is gloating that Hex is dead, Solomon walks in with the information from the telegram, stating that Jonah Hex is alive and in Clementine Springs. Turnbull assigns the four members of the Fort Charlotte Brigade to kill Hex, for sure this time.

Jonah checks into the hotel and heads up to his room after dinner. A mysterious stranger follows him and attempts to open the door to Hex's room to only be surprised by a pistol to the back of his head. The stranger turns and it is Col. Sanchez of the Mexican Army. Hex invites Sanchez into his room and Sanchez unfolds a story, explaining how El Papagayo is still alive, despite being stabbed and left for dead. Sanchez explains that the President of Mexico is willing to pay $10,000 for the bandit, dead or alive (thus allowing Jonah to dirty the floor at Rosie's 5,000 times and not be in the red.)

Jonah takes him up on his offer and heads for the border.


Much later, high on a cliff overlooking a lone rider, two of El Papgayo's men open fire on the rider. When they inspect the body, they learn that it is only a stuffed dummy and that Hex has the drop on them. Jonah ties them both up, disguises himself as a bandit and rides on into Papagayo's lair. However, all of this has been closely watched by a lookout, who quickly rides to warn the bandit leader.

Jonah rides into the old fortress and walks into Papagayo's HQ where the bandit wastes no time in unmasking Jonah and taking him prisoner. Papagayo decides that he will kill Jonah slowly but, as usual, things start with a rifle butt to the head.

When Jonah awakens, he is at the bottom of a dry well, strapped to a pole and bound with rawhide. A mule is slowly turning the pole and as it twists, the rawhide starts to strangle Hex. Jonah manages to grab his knife and cut his way loose and then use the knife to create handholds so that he can climb from the well.

El Papagayo is not an idiot, he has left a guard in case Jonah escapes and as Jonah pulls himself over the edge, the guard draws a bead and suddenly.... dies. He is knifed in the back by Carmelita, El Papagayo's main squeeze who also works for Col. Sanchez. She and Jonah escape in the cover of night.

Later, after she has shown Hex the way out, Carmelita starts to return to El Papagayo in order not to blow her cover, but just then....


Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 2
Running Total - 333
Jonah's Injuries - Knocked out with a rifle
Timeline - Like I said before, this one must be a filler since it makes no mention of Mei Ling (which Turnbull was aware of) and assumes that Turnbull still thinks Jonah Hex is dead. Based on what happens next issue, I place this one in 1875.

I have always liked El Papagayo and it is almost unbelievable that we have gone 44 issues without seeing him. It's a shame that the timeline was so screwed up because I could see the Parrot using Jonah's marriage to his advantage by kidnapping Mei Ling, but then, Turnbull beat him to it and to reuse that plotline would have been a poor choice.

This also had a backup story of Tejano

Next Week: El Papagayo, The Fort Charlotte Brigade, and a river ferry that doesn't crash apart on the rapids! No, really.

Jonah Hex #36 "Return to Fort Charlotte"

Jonah Hex #36 May 1980

"Return to Fort Charlotte"

Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Luis Domiguez, art - Luis Dominguez, cover

Jonah Hex is about to enter his hotel room when three men, a short one (Maynard Judson, local banker) and two gorilla-size, stop him and ask if he is indeed Jonah Hex. He admits that he is and turns down what he thinks is a 'welcoming committee' thanking him for capturing the Carley Brothers. But they are not a welcoming committee. The two large thugs beat the crap out of Jonah and throw him over the railing into the saloon below.

When Jonah comes to, he is being attended to by a 'saloon girl' (aka hooker) who sees that Jonah has three broken ribs (okay, she's a hooker with x-ray vision). Judson explains that Painted Butte is a nice town and they mean to keep it that way. They don't cotten to gunfighters and hookers so they put Jonah and the woman on horses and lead them to the edge of town.

As they ride off, the woman keeps pestering Jonah for her to bandage up his ribs but he turns her down. Eventually she almost talks Jonah into a coma (but she does score points for pointing out that she made need Jonah's help to survive in the wild west). Jonah thanks her and asks her name. She meanly wants to know why that is important, is Jonah gonna whisper it in her ear late at night when he tries to kiss her? Jonah replies that he wouldn't even let his horse kiss her.

A short while later they come to an old bridge. The woman gets off her horse and leads it across but when she gets to the middle, the ropes on one end snap. The horse plummets to its death, but the woman grabs onto of the bridge. Jonah unfurls his rope and (with three busted ribs, mind you), lasoos a branch on the far side. He ties off the rope and then travels across, hand over hand. He manages to grab the woman's hand and pulls her up so she is hanging around his neck.

This being a book about Jonah Hex, one of the unluckiest men in the old west, the rope breaks. This being a book about Jonah Hex, one of the LUCKiest men in the old west, he and the woman both survive the fall. But of course, this book is about Jonah Hex, blah bla blah balah balah bala, so he and the woman end up bring surrounded by the Fort Charlotte Brigade. The Brigade clubs Jonah and the woman over the head, knocking them out and then throw across a couple of horses.

Twelve hours later they arrive at Fort Charlotte. KABLAM!!!!!! Yup, my head exploded again. Near as I can figure, they were in far west Texas last issue. It appears in prior issues that Fort Charlotte was back east (like, maybe, South Carolina? But wait, would a Union fort BE in South Carolina?), but obviously you can ride a horse 1600 miles in twelve hours or about 134 miles an hour. KABLAM!!!!!!

Anyway, the Brigade take Jonah and the hooker and toss them in the very same brig that Jonah was held in back in Jan. 1863. Jonah explains the whole terrible history to her and they even find that the tunnel still exists. The hooker then understands that the Brigade plans to re-enact the massacre that happened "more than ten years ago." (placing this story after Jan of 1873, but since folks rarely take into account what month an event happened in addition to the year, I'm leaning toward the year 1874, even though I thought the first part of this story took place in 1878. I can be wrong sometimes. )

Jonah explains the layout of the fort, how you have to crawl through concertina wire, get past the Gatling guns and then through the barbed wire. The hooker gets a bright idea and since Jonah saving her life back on the bridge was the first time a man ever did anything for her without expecting something in return, she smashes a stool over his head, knocking him out. I love hooker-logic.

Outside the fort, the Brigade are watching the perimeter of the fort, waiting for Hex & the hooker to make their escape. Using binoculars in the dark, they are able to see Jonah crawling under the concertina wire. What they are actually watching is the hooker wearing all of Jonah's clothes making the escape. Once past the wire, the hooker trips the wire that sets off the "automatic" Gatling guns. I don't know what is more awesome, a hooker in Confederate greys or automatic Gatling guns.

Our brave little hooker hits the ground in time to avoid all of those bullets and makes her way to the barbed wire. The Brigade is watching her progress and notes that "Hex" will soon find the wire cutters that they left by the fence. Indeed, she does find the wire cutters and the moment she cuts the first wire....

The Brigade is now satisfied that Jonah Hex, their sworn enemy is now dead, all thanks to them hooking up a dynamite detonator to the barbed wire. They ride off to report to Turnbull and return to their families. Off course, the rousing explosion awakens Jonah (he's wearing long-johns, sorry ladies).

We cut to Richmond, Virginia several hours later and find Solomon delivering a telegram to Mr. Turnbull. Turnbull learns that Hex is dead and states that Hex was a formidable adversary "these past ten years". (again, I'm leaning more to 1874, here). The last panel we see Jonah riding off in his long-johns, his tattered clothes clinging to the barbed wire and a makeshift grave of piled stones marking the last resting place of the hooker.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - None
Running Total - 261
Jonah's Injuries - Beaten up, three broken ribs, fell from a bridge, pistol-whipped, hit with a rifle, knocked out with a stool.
Timeline - Well, taking into account the verbal references from the Hooker & Turnbull (two folks that you can always rely on), I'm placing this at 1874.

How did I like the story? Ehhhhh, not so much. The cons? Automatic Gatling guns, lack of geographic knowledge, no real reason for the hooker to die (or even to risk her life), I'm not sure that they had the means to blow something up when a current was broken (via a CUT wire), Jonah & the hooker falling into a canyon & living, Hex landing on his HEAD from the balcony.... The pros? I really really really liked the cover with that perspective.

I guess I would toss this one near the bottom of the barrel regarding Hex stories.

Next Issue: Waterproof dynamite, Harper's Ferry, Chancellorsville, and Jonah decides the outcome of the Civil War.

Jonah Hex #35 "The Fort Charlotte Brigade!"

Jonah Hex #35 April 1980
"The Fort Charlotte Brigade"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Luis Dominguez, art- Luis Dominguez, cover

Judging by the cactus, Jonah is riding across Arizona looking for the Carley brothers who have robbed the Santa Fe Bank. Little does he realize, two of the brothers are high up in the cliffs, laying an ambush for him. Two of the brothers are ready to gun Jonah down as he rides into a narrow canyon, but suddenly Jonah walks up behind them and tells them to surrender. They both aim their rifles at Jonah, telling him to put his hands up. As Jonah raises his right hand, he grabs his knife in the back of his coat and buries it in the chest of one of the Carleys. The other brother surrenders and Jonah tells him that since he is shaking so much, he should put on Jonah's coat.


On the other side of the canyon, the third Carley brother is waiting for Jonah to come along. Just then he spots Jonah riding straight up the middle of the canyon and the brother opens up, knocking the rider from the horse. He celebrates and then runs down to the corpse, only to find it is his brother, bound to the saddle, gagged and dressed up to look like Jonah. He has killed his own brother. Jonah gets the drop on him too and the next morning he takes the two corpses and one survivor on into Painted Butte, Texas.

Calendars and geography are not the strong suit in DC westerns. Saguaro cactus are found in SE California, southern Arizona, and NW Mexico. The bank is robbed in Santa Fe (N NM), Jonah captures them amongst the saguaro cactus and then takes them clear across AZ & halfway across NM and into TX (about a 400 mile trip) ...the next morning. My head just exploded. And we haven't gotten to the fun part.

Jonah rides into town and steps into the sheriff's office. An elderly man sitting on a porch sees, Jonah, jumps up and runs into the telegraph office. Next we are in the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, where a man with an eagle-topped cane receives a telegram from his servant Solomon. We know this is Quentin Turnbull, but are not allowed to see his face in order to add mystery for new readers. Turnbull states that the news of Hex in Texas is welcome news and it is just in time for tonight's meeting of the Fort Charlotte Brigade.

That evening, Turnbull and Solomon head toward an old barn filled with about a dozen men in confederate uniforms. Once Turnbull enters, they repeat their solemn vow "Long Live Jefferson Davis and the Old Confederacy and Death to Jonah Hex!"

We then get an 8 page recap of the Fort Charlotte Massacre. However, the black orderly is now white and the Captain has a full head of hair and full mustache. At the end of the recap it is stated "Of the three dozen Confederate prisoners who took part in the ill-fated Fort Charlotte breakout that day, only a handful escaped alive." (emphasis added). Looking at the picture, I can count 13 people. Granted, some of those may have died from their wounds, but then we have a dozen men or so in the barn. I will be gracious and say that some of the men in the barn may be sons, brothers, or fathers of the deceased (not unlike Turnbull). There is no clear way to get an accurate account of the survivors of the massacre.



Anyway, Turnbull announces that Hex is in Texas and they all swear to ride out there and have their vengeance. To be continued...

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 2
Running Total - 263
Jonah's injuries - none
Timeline - No real way to tell, but it appears to take place after the last run in with Turnbull so this is probably around 1878?

Next Issue: Jonah Hex, a hooker, and explosives. What more do you want?!?!?