Jonah Hex V2 #36 "Seven Graves Six Feet Deep"

 Jonah Hex V2 #36 Dec '08
"Seven Graves Six Feet Deep"

Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti - story, Rafa Garres - art and cover

Birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan

Pulaski, Tennessee, 1866

Another issue with massive amounts of prose in the caption boxes that gives the story behind the story, making this another difficult tale to recap. We see Hex, unscarred, riding through dense forest and he happens upon a young Black woman washing clothes near a series of waterfalls. As he rides up, he starts to ask her for directions to the nearest town. Of course, things being what they are, with Hex still wearing his Confederate Grays, the woman panics and runs off, slipping and falling into the rushing river. 

She gets swept away and Jonah starts riding along the banks, unleashing his rope, attempting to save her. He tosses a lasso and she grabs at it as she loses her grip on the rock to which she has been clinging. Swept away and over the falls, he body tumbles and twirls, entangling her in the rope and she strikes her head on an outcrop of rock, and sinks beneath the surface. Hex quickly dismounts and rushes into the river, but sadly, by the time he reaches her, she has expired. Jonah takes her to the bank, lays her down and tries to resuscitate her. 

During this, the captions explain the beauty of the area, and delve into why Hex continued to wear the Gray after the War Between the States was completed. We are given a recap of Hex's history, his marriage to Mei Ling, his enslavement by the Apache, his surrender to the Union forces and the number of men killed by Hex (400+)  and that less than 20 of those had been former slaves, all outlaws with a price on their heads.

Suddenly there is a cry from the woods and seven Black men rush from the timber and they tackle Hex and beat him senseless, determining that Hex killed the woman. One man pulls Hex's pistol, but another stops him from using it, for the gunfire will bring the 'others' if they are near. They strip Hex and grab the rope, determined to hang him then and there. And elderly man amongst them stays their hand, citing the woman is wet, what if she had fallen in the river and Hex had tried to save her. The others count that as foolishness and hoist the naked Hex aloft. Since they are raising him, Jonah is suffocating (rather than getting his neck broken as happens when a gallows is used.).

Shots ring out as four men ride up, gunning down all of the Black men, even chasing them into the woods to murder every last one of them. They restore Jonah's clothes to him and take him home.

Popular Misconceptions

Nathan, the ringleader, stands at he fireplace, waxing on the evils of the Reformation (Lincoln's, not Luther's). The others are seated at a table, agreeing with the downfalls of the Administrations policies. Jonah comes walking into the room and they exchange names. They offer Jonah a drink as thanks for wearing the uniform of the Confederacy as they lament how many of them have been driven to ground by carpetbaggers invading the land.

They have been contemplating a new uniform to strike fear into the hearts of the 'negros and scalawags', perhaps something white. They raise their glasses in a toast but Jonah declines. They take that as an insult. Jonah expresses his appreciation at being saved from death, he doesn't cotton to the killing of unarmed men, and for another thing, he isn't a son of Dixie.

At that point, the men start postulating that perhaps Jonah stole the uniform off a dead soldier or perhaps he is a spy. Jonah assures them the uniform is his, earned through and through, and the thinking behind the Blue and the Gray is anathema to him. Suspicious looks are exchanged all around the table and Nathan asks what prompted Hex to don the Confederate uniform and Jonah relates that he was a young man looking for comradery after years enslaved to the Apache. Nathan comes to the conclusion that Hex has taken leave of his senses. Jonah cites that he is done talking and any further thoughts he will take to his grave at a later date, but for these men, they can take theirs with them now, and with that he opens fire as they start to attack him.

Nathan sustains a gunshot to the knee, the other three are dispatched to the great Beyond.

Returning to the Scene of the Crime

Amidst the darkness, Nathan hobbles forward, frightening away a raccoon feasting on the dead Black men by the river. Jonah tosses Nathan a shovel and tells him to start digging. Nathan says he will not bury vermin to which Jonah responds by dismounting and kicking Nathan's injured knee. Nathan lies in agony, saying he will be dead before the first grave is finished but Hex states that Nathan will dies when Hex says he can. Nathan refuses and Hex buries the point of the shovel into Nathans leg. 

Throughout the night, Nathan digs seven graves, buries the men he killed, and then expires himself. Jonah then digs one last grave for the Black woman that died and gently lays her to rest, riding off into the dawn. 

During this, the captions explain that the author, having studied Hex, has concluded that Hex had no distinct hatred of men of color. He wore the Confederate Gray as a symbol of personal shame, knowing that people would greet him with hatred and revulsion. Others, evil in their heart, might extend a hand of friendship, thus exposing themselves to Jonah's wrath. An anger flowed through Jonah to the extent that he didn't hate his fellow humans based on any outward appearances, he hated all people equally, because he had no friends, just two companions, Death itself and the acrid smell of gunsmoke.

Statistics for This Issue
Men Killed by Jonah - 4. 

Running Total - 736 (432 past, 55 future, 15 Vertigo, 234 V2)
Jonah's Injuries - Beaten and hung.

Timeline - One day in 1866. This is prior to Jonah's scarring at the hands of his adopted Apache father.

Rape Percentage - 25% (9 of 36)

This is one of the best stories in all of the Jonah Hex books and it answers the question of why Jonah continues to wear his old uniform (much better than any other theories put forth). The captions, a narrative by a future historian, outline the history of Hex and the state of Tennessee so wonderfully, one is fully immersed in the inner workings of the mind of this man without hardly a word being said by him. 

Normally I'm not a big fan of Rafa Garres, but here, his dirty, warped humans and bizarre angles really really sell the action and savagery of the beatings and murders. I can't think of another artist that could have done this story justice.

Next Issue: Once again, Jonah's trouble with the ladies comes in threes.

Jonah Hex #1 Vol. 1 "Vengeance for a Fallen Gladiator"

Jonah Hex #1 Mar-Apr 1977
"Vengeance for a Fallen Gladiator!"
Michael Fliesher, story - Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, art & cover

Jonah finally gets his own magazine and they start this one of right. The low point-of-view, the perspective of Jonah Hex being drug to a coffin, the Lopez art, this cover is a keeper.

Open the book and the splash page is gone!!! We start in Whalenburg, TN in the spring of 1874. Jonah is riding down toward a large plantation-looking home. As Jonah nears the gate a guard tells Jonah to drop his guns. Jonah tells the man that he has no fight with him but Jonah is suddenly lassoed and yanked off his horse. Four men start beating Jonah, punching him in the gut, kneeing him in the groin, kicking him in the head and then getting ready to bash his head with a rifle butt.

They are stopped by a man running from the house. The guards refer to him as "Doc" and he explains that Mr. Royden has sent for Jonah Hex to find Royden's son. As Doc takes Jonah into the house, he apologizes for the treatment Jonah received. Jonah tells him not to fret.

Jonah is led into the master bedroom where he sees Frederic Royden bedridden with his wife by his bedside. Royden verbally runs everyone out of his room so he can talk to Jonah. He tells Hex that his son was kidnapped six months ago and when the maid tried to stop the men, she was gunned down. The maid died before she could give a description of the two men that kidnapped Tommy. Royden explains that he is dying & will pay $20,000 to get his son back. Jonah asks why Royden has waited six months. Royden waited for a ransom note, but it never came, then they hired the sheriff, then Pinkertons, then other bounty hunters. Royden tells Jonah that Tommy is blonde with blue eyes & an odd scar on his left wrist. Jonah takes the job & leaves, heading west, figuring that the kidnappers would have a better time hiding out in the wilds.

Two weeks later in Rock Creek, Arkansas Jonah comes upon the Mange & LeClerc "boy-fighting" show. These two men have a group of boys that fight each other and the crowd will bet on the winner. I'm not sure if I fault Fleisher here for naming these two guys Blackie LeClerc & Charlie Mange or if I fault Lopez for drawing them to fit their names. LeClerc is tall, skinny, long hair parted in the middle, long skinny mustache, tall 10-gallon hat, vest, tie & black overcoat. Mange is shorter, blond, unshaven, wearing a Union coat and something that looks like a dwarf top hat. These guys just look evil and their names are a like a big neon sign that reads KIDNAPPERS!!!!!

Anyway, on to the story. Jonah watches as "bruiser" Donovan fights it out with Pablo Sanchez. The townfolk pony up their money and the fight starts with Pablo headbutting Donovan in the stomach. Donovan goes down & doesn't get up. A handy town doctor examines the boy & pronounces that he has a ruptured kidney and is about to die. LeClerc goes bonkers on Pablo for destroying some prime fighting stock and is about ready to literally whip the boy when Jonah shoots the whip in half and then punches LeClerc through a fence. LeClerc announces that he is going to draw on Hex but Mange stops him, pointing out that he is about to draw on Jonah Hex.

LeClerc shanges his tune, saying that he deserved the @$$ kicking he just got. Hex asks if either of them has seen a boy matching Tommy Royden's description. LeClerc & Mange deny it as well as almost all the boys. Jonah looks at Pablo directly & asks him, but Pablo, head hung low, denies it as well. Jonah lets them know that he'll be in town for a few days if they do see Tommy.

That night, Pablo climbs in to Jonah's second floor hotel room & tries to wake him. Jonah, of course, is not in the bed, but sitting on a chair in the shadows. Pablo tells Jonah that the injured boy is really Tommy Royden, even though Donovan had brown hair. Pablo says he will take Jonah to Tommy & prove it. As they are walking through the darkened town, Pablo explains that LeClerc & Mange mostly use orphans or runaways but sometimes they have to resort to kidnapping to replace boys who die in the fights. LeClerc & Mange have told all the boys that if they try to escape, they will hunt them down & kill them.

Finally Pablo & Jonah get to their destination & Pablo starts to climb in the back window of the building. Jonah notices that it isn't the doctor's office. Pablo tells him it is the undertaker's, Tommy died earlier that afternoon. By candlelight Jonah & Pablo examine the body and find not only has Tommy's hair been dyed but they find the scar on his wrist as well.

Just then LeClerc & Mange speak up from the shadows. They had followed Pablo to the hotel & now here. Pablo pleads with them not to whip him. LeClerc assures Pablo that he won't be whipped. LeClerc then shoots both Pablo & Jonah. Pablo falls dead, but Jonah only receives a graze on his skull, rendering him unconscious. Mange suggests shooting Hex again, but LeClerc has "A better idea". They take Hex's guns and nail him shut inside a coffin and then leave town.

Hours later Jonah wakes up and notes that the air is getting thin. He is able to pull his knife from the back of his shirt and starts to use it to pry the coffin lid up. The knife breaks! Jonah notes that he liked that knife & he'll have to make LeClerc & Mange buy him a new one. The lid has been loosened though and Jonah manages to kick his way to freedom.

Several hours later & several miles from town, the kidnappers are sitting around a small campfire drinking coffee. Mange asks LeClerc if he heard anything in the woods. Jonah steps from the shadows, announcing what they heard was him & he wants to have a friendly little chat. The kidnappers observe that Hex has the drop on them, bt what is he gonna do? Jonah states that he is gonna kill whoever is responsible for kidnapping Tommy Royden.

LeClerc says that fine with him because Mange did it. Astonished, Mange starts telling Hex how the whole thing was LeClerc's idea. Jonah sees that there is a slight disagreement so there is only one way to decide this .... a fistfight ... on the edge of a cliff.

With Jonah sitting calmly on a nearby rock holding them at gunpoint, he tells the kidnappers that whoever survives the fight must be the innocent one and Jonah will let them go scott free. LeClerc & Mange tear into each other savagely but in their struggle they roll too close to the edge of the cliff and They both topple over. Mange, screaming, plunges headfirst into the canyon below. Leclerc is able to grab onto the edge of the cliff and starts begging Hex for help.

Jonah walks over to the edge and tells LeClerc not to yell so much, Jonah is thinking about Tommy Royden and "thet nice Mexican boy you killed. Whut wuz his name again?" LeClerc starts trying to deal with Hex, he tells him he will cut Jonah in on the business, they'll be partners, Jonah will get 75%. Jonah asks how much did the boys get? LeClerc chastises Jonah for getting all "sanctified" and starts ranting about how the boys are better off in the fighting troup, how they have a chance instead of being on their own, how they....

The story ends with Jonah arriving back at the plantation in Tennessee leading a a horse carrying Tommy's coffin. The rain is pouring down as Jonah unloads the coffin in the front yard. Doc comes out & tells Hex that Mr. Royden died last week. Mrs. Royden comes out, sees the coffin, screams and falls weeping on it. The last two panels are great as Doc tries to pay Jonah what is due him, but Jonah silently gets on his horse and leaves.

This is an interesting take on a man who would take money from women and children in the past and often was seen as more motivated by profit than anything else. Here he is still bloodthirsty in dealing with the kidnappers, but appears almost embarrassed at not being able to save an innocent.

Statistics for this issue:

Men killed by Hex: 1 (or should we count Mange's death as well?)
Running Total - 110
Jonah's Injuries: Beaten and a bullet graze to the skull
Timeline: 1874, another early Hex tale.

Comparing this to the "remake" in Jonah Hex #1 Vol 2, it's hard to say which story rises above the other. Vol 2 has Hex dousing the kidnapper with blood in order to be mauled by his own fighting dogs and it goes one step further in Jonah actually killing the young boy to save him from rabies. This story however shows Jonah killing LeClerc and a few panels later appearing to mourn the loss of Tommy. Either way, this is a fine story to start off Jonah's own magazine. My only complaint, voiced earlier, is the almost cartoonish names and faces of LeClerc & Mange.

NEXT WEEK: Those damn government agents and a trip to Mexico.


And because I'm not above pandering to the ladies, I offer this.