Jonah Hex #53 "The Haunting"

Jonah Hex #53 Oct 1981
"The Haunting"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Tony DeZuniga, cover

The bad guys have kidnapped Jonah's neighbor kid, Petey, lured Jonah into a cabin and just blown it all to hell. They ride off with Petey, thinking that they will be able to collect a ransom from Mrs. Hex and as they do, Jonah picks himself up off the ground. How did he survive?

The flashback shows Jonah kicking down the door and seeing food cooking on the stove. He picks up the skillet and underneath it sees wrappers from a box of "Ol' Rattler" dynamite!! Knowing that there is a trap, he hurls himself out the back window into the tall grass just as the cabin explodes. Now he is on the trail of the kidnappers.

The kidnappers are riding along, talking about what they will do with the ransom loot when the one riding in the rear is suddenly hoisted up into the trees by a noose around his neck. Jonah drops from the tree onto the dead crook's horse. When the lead kidnapper turns and sees Jonah, he pulls his pistol only to have Jonah shoot it from his hand! The crook says that he can't believe it to which Jonah replies, "Could I help it if when I fired you were holding that pistol in front of your heart?" (Translated from Hex-ese into English for easier typing).

Jonah takes Petey home and when thanked for rescuing the boy, Jonah says he had to, otherwise how could he get anything done on the farm? Jonah takes the kidnappers into town and then returns home after dark. Walking in, he lights a lantern and calls out for Mei Ling. The only answer is a note that she has left, indicating that she has taken Jason and left Jonah for good. Jonah upends some furniture in a rage and heads out to track Mei Ling down only to find a sudden downpour is wiping out her tracks, causing Jonah to rage against God in the middle of the deluge.

Meanwhile, Mei Ling has made here way over to Hiram & Ruth's farm, wanting to sit out the storm. Ruth introduces Emmy Lou and then Mei Ling explains that she is leaving Jonah. Mei Ling finally breaks down crying. She regains her composure long enough to grab her things and then head out despite the downpour.

Back at the Hex farm, Jonah decides to drown his sorrows by tossing back one after another. After some time passes the cabin door opens and El Papagayo walks in and tells Jonah that he would be more than happy to put Jonah out of his misery. Jonah outdraws the Mexican bandit, shooting the doorway and windows to pieces.

Behind him, Jonah hears Turnbull commenting to Solomon on how pathetic Jonah is in his drunken stupor. Jonah starts shouting his innocence to Turnbull and unloads his pistols again, destroying all the furniture. Jonah turns to face his father, holding out a bottle of whiskey. Woodson tells his son that he needs to learn to hold his liquor if he ever hopes to grow up like his paw.

Jonah starts screaming that he never wants to be like his father and rushes out into the rain where he is confronted with the Chameleon, brandishing a bloody pitchfork.


The Chameleon says that tonight Jonah will die but Jonah unloads once again, shooting the head completely off the scarecrow that Jonah mistook for the Chameleon. Jonah finally collapses in the rain, beaten down by his drunken hallucinations and his own sorrow.



The next day, Jonah is packing up his horse, ready to leave, when Emmy Lou rides up, asking where he is going. He states that he is returning to bounty hunting and get filthy stinking rich. Emmy begs to be taken along and Jonah says there is no chance of that happening. Emmy says that she will never forget him and as he rides off and leaves her, he thinks "Oh, yeah, you will!"

Statistics for this Issue
Men killed by Jonah - 2
Running Total - 331
Jonah's Injuries - Almost blown up!
Timeline - Same day as last issue and the day after. Spring of 1876.

This issue also had a backup, Tejano, a short lived series that I will chronicle at a latter date.

I really liked this issue, having a lot of tragedy and showing the amount of sorrow that a life like Hex's can put upon a man. The number of people that have tried to kill him and destroy him have not pushed him over the edge like losing the love of his life and only son. Makes me wonder if the level of pain would have been as deep if Mei Ling and Jason had been killed. I don't think so, because if they were dead, at least there would be some closure. With them both alive, every day that they don't return is another day that Jonah is being rejected by those he loves. It's also another day that he dare not hope that they return, because Jonah is slowly learning that hope brings nothing but more pain.

Jonah Hex is learning that his life is a tragedy. Pure and simple.

Next Issue: Is it still a drunken nightmare, or does Jonah really have to face El Papagayo and the Fort Charlotte Brigade?

Jonah Hex #16 "The Wyandott Verdict!"

Jonah Hex #16 Sept. 1978
"The Wyandott Verdict!"
Michael Fleisher - story, Vincente Alcazar - art, Rich Buckler & Frank Giacoia, cover

Michael Fleisher is back in the saddle right from the start of the DC EXPLOSION with a 25 page story to finish out the framed Jonah storyline. Diving right into the action, Jonah's horse has fallen and broken it's leg, putting Jonah on foot trying to outrun a posse of vigilantes, set on hanging him. Jonah manages to make it to a cave and he starts looking for a back way out.

Outside the posse already knows about the exit and they send a couple of men there to light brush on fir and toss it into the cave. Jonah finds the exit, but gunfire prevents him from escaping and soon the cave is filled with smoke from the brushfires. Jonah runs out, coughing for air, and the posse nab him, tie him, beat him and then commence with hanging him. They explain that they aren't interested in justice or the reward since they knew the men that Jonah is accused of murdering. They place Jonah on a hrose, put a noose around his neck and slap the horse's behind, causing the horse to take off and leave Jonah dangling from the tree. The posse, their work done, leave Jonah twitching and dancing at the end of the rope.

Nearby, there is a man in some bushes, watching the entire scene. To quote the thoughts of the mystery man "N-no! H-He can't die! He can't! Not after all I've endured! N-Not after all I've suffered! For months I've dogged his footsteps..stood within inches of him when he least suspected it ... all the while crafting a retribution worthy of my greatness! And now to see him hanging there, gasping his life away, snatched from my grasp by a bunch of brutal vigilantes! It's more than I can.."

It is my humble opinion that is Fleisher took several months off to craft this wrapup of Framed Jonah, he should have taken another day or two to trim out some of the melodrama. But, this is the DC EXPLOSION and they have pages to fill. That little speech took up three panels.

Back to the story where we find two men trying to save Jonah. A black man, Joseph, is in the tree trying to cut the rope, while an elderly white man, Tobia Nostrum, is trying to hold Jonah up to keep him from hanging. Together they get Jonah down and loaded into their wagon. Nostrum keeps insisting that no matter what a man has done, he is entitled to a fair trial and not a hanging by vigilantes. As they ride off, the mystery man in the bushes is elated. They have saved Jonah Hex, they have saved him for .... WAIT, the mystery man won't say his own name out loud because SOMEONE COULD BE LISTENING!! Do we actually have the fourth wall in a Jonah Hex story????

Jonah awakens in the cabin of Tobias Nostrum. Nostrum makes introductions all around and states that he knows who Jonah is and that he is wanted in nearby Wyandot. Nostrum assures Jonah that they have taken every precaution by removing the bullets from Jonah's guns. Nostrum believes that criminals should be brought to justice via science and not by mobs. Jonah protests his innocence and Nostrum is fascinated at the prospect that Jonah could have been framed.

Joseph goes out into the night to get some firewood, but he is suddenly attacked from behind and a knife is thrust into his heart. The attacker drags Josephs body into the brush and shortly we see the killer head to the cabin. Inside, Nostrum is explaining concepts of fingerprinting and ballistics, saying that he can possibly use these to determine who framed Jonah. Joseph comes back in with the firewood (!?!?!?) Nostrum decides that to compare ballistic patterns they will have to exhume the bodies, so they head out in the night to rob graves.

Several hours later, Jonah, Nostrum, and Joseph are in a cabin by the cemetery. They have a corpse on a table and Nostrum tells Joseph to stand guard outside. Outside, joseph's speech patterns change from the stereotypical to mimic the mysterious man in the bush that saw Jonah hanged. 'Joseph' unhooks the horse from the wagon and heads off.

In Wyandott, the sheriff is cleaning his rifle when there is a knock on the door. A young woman, a saloon girl, comes in and explains to the sheriff that she has seen Jonah Hex at the cemetery. the sheriff keeps trying to put the moves on her, but she manages to get away, and as she runs down an alley, we learn that she is the 'mystery man' (Holy Crying Game!!) .

Meanwhile, back at the grave-robbin'... Jonah hears something outside the small cabin that he & Nostrum are working in. Jonah goes outside to check on the noise and comes face to face with the sheriff and a posse with their guns drawn. Several days later (lets say 10) a couple of men are working on the scaffolding that the town will use to hang Jonah, after his fair trial, that is. And of course they are working on it right outside Jonah's jail cell.

In the jail, Jonah gets a visit from Nostrum. Nostrum has good news. The bullets that he dug out of the three corpses came from a single action Smith & Wesson pocket .38, a small inaccurate gun that a gunfighter would never use (and of course doesn't match Jonah's .45 Colt Peacemakers). But Nostrum went even farther. He traveled to the barn that Jonah had told him about and dug up Ned Landon, finding a .38 and was able to ID it as the murder weapon using ballistics. Nostrum has written it all down in a report and will present it at Jonah's trial tomorrow.

QUICK CUT!!! to The Man with the Eagle Topped Cane reading a newspaper about Jonah going to trial tomorrow in Texas. This man (who is, of course, Quentin Turnbull) has his identity hidden from us. Why? Probably because the last time we saw him identified was 11 issues ago and Fleisher assumes that everyone has forgotten. This gives a sloppy feel (at least to followers of Jonah) when Fleisher tries to generate suspense from something that has already been revealed and is also a major factor in the story. But I digress...

Quentin Turnbull is reading the paper, sees an article about Jonah on trial and the fact that Nostrum is going to testify on Jonah's behalf. Turnbull summons Solomon and instructs him to contact the Wilson boys, there is a job for them.

The next day Wyandott is packed to the gills with people as folks from all over try to squeeze into Gleason's Saloon to see the trial. Down the street at the Wyandott Hotel a man that looks like Nostrum picks the lock on the door to Nostrum's room. He ponders to himself about destroying the evidence. As he is ransacking the room, the real Nostrum comes in. The imposter stabs him and stuffs the body under the bed.

Shortly thereafter, 'Nostrum' appears before the court and is sworn in to testify. Back at the hotel, the Wilson boys (3, count 'em, 3 Wilson boys) point a pistol at the hotel clerk demanding to know where Nostrum's room is. The clerk informs them about the trial down the street. Brian (the ringleader), Bill (the whiner), and Alnert (who wears a bowler ?!?!?) all head down to the saloon to earn their money.

The defense attorney is asking 'Nostrum' the first question when the Wilson boys storm in, guns drawn, demanding to know who & where Nostrum is. 'Nostrum' reacts with a gasp, giving away his position and before the Wilson's can open fire, Jonah, in handcuffs, jumps up and headbutts Brian Wilson, then knees him in the crotch, dives to the floor to grab the dropped pistol and then rolling across the floor of the saloon, guns down Bill & Albert.

The judge is furious and eventually the trial gets back underway. 'Nostrum' begins his testimony by saying that the evidence proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jonah Hex killed all three men. The defense starts to protest when the real Nostrum, bleeding, staggers into the courtroom, states that Jonah is innocent and produces the notebook of evidence proving Jonah's innocence, then he drops dead.

The judge turns to 'Nostrum', demanding to know what is going on. 'Nostrum' then identifies himself as The Chameleon, master thespian!!! He rips off his mask, showing his horribly burned face. Still ranting at the top of his lungs, he states that he is about to shoot Jonah when STABIFICATION!!!, Jonah throws his knife right into Chammy's chest.

The judge declares Jonah innocent and demands that he be released. As Jonah rides out of town, the two men building the gallows start griping that they never got to use it and some days it don't pay to get out of bed.

Statistics for this issue

Men killed by Jonah - 3, two of the Wilson boys and the Chameleon

Running Total - 167

Jonah's injuries - None

Timeline - This wraps up the Hex, Fugitive saga so this is around 1877 or so.

Fleisher really tried to pack a lot into this 25 page saga. Did I like it? At times I really enjoyed it, the Chameleon, Turnbull hiring thugs on a moments notice, and the scientist on the cusp of CSI gives this story a Wild Wild West feel. Depending on my mood, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. So much time was spent on the Chameleon's impersonations that the ending felt rushed, even though it was a little funny. The last few panels went like this:

Rant rant rant rant REVEAL rant rant STABIFICATION!!!!! Release.

Next issue - The DC EXPLOSION continues as Jonah heads east, gets hoodwinked and then the cannibals show up.

Jonah Hex #4 "The Day of the Chameleon!"

Jonah Hex #4 Sept 1977
"The Day of the Chameleon!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, art - Luis Domiguez, cover

Jonah Hex goes monthly!! No more bi-monthly or eight times a year schedule. Monthly!!!! And we wade right into the continuing arc of the framed Hex. The story begins with a stagecoach roaring across west Texas. Inside is a couple on their honeymoon, a banker and an artist from a New York newspaper. Suddenly a masked gunman comes down the hill on horseback, shouting for the stage to stop. He steals everyone's wallets & jewelry and as he is getting ready to leave, his bandana slips. The banker shouts out that he knows this man, it's ..... BDOW BDOW!! He is gunned down in cold blood. The gunman rides off and the dying banker gasps with his dying breath "Jonah Hex......*"

Needless to say, there is some explaining to do and the story jumps right into that. There is a flashback to earlier that morning. We see a man in the woods applying makeup to his face so that he resembles Jonah Hex and he has a long running monologue about how he is an Adonis, the greatest actor of all, how he was jeered from the stage but know he shall only be known as ..... The Chameleon!! The Chameleon is lying in wait with a rifle and as Jonah comes around a bend, The Chameleon notes that the man from Virginia must have agents everywhere to be able to predict Jonah's whereabouts with such accuracy. Then he calmly pumps a rifle round into Jonah, knocking Hex off of his horse & into a shallow creek.

The Chameleon checks Jonah and notes that everything is going as planned and now he must make his appointment with the stage .... coach. The day passes and vultures gather around Jonah. A beautiful barefoot woman with a waterpail happens along and chases the vultures away. She finds that Jonah is still alive and she is able to help him walk to her cabin.

Later, after Jonah has been patched up (He currently has 3 bullet wounds), she introduces herself as Joanna Mosby. She tells Hex that she knows who he is, the papers all over Texas are full of the story of the murders. Jonah starts to tell her that he is innocent but she tells him that they shouldn't have any lies between them and them she starts putting the severe moves on the injured man. A knock on the door interrupts them.

Joanna hides Jonah behind a wooden screen before answering the door.

Outside is a wounded Confederate soldier, missing one leg and an eye, he asks for some bread & water to help him on his way. Joanna invites him in and as she is gathering some food for the old soldier, the vet pulls a flour sack from his coat and hides it in a wood bin. Joanna gives the man the food and some whiskey which he takes with relish and then he leaves. Once outside the old man throws away his crutch, unties his leg, throws down his clothes and runs off. He was the Chameleon!!!

A little while later in town at the sheriff's office and old prospector comes sauntering in and explains that he was out by the Mosby place and saw a scar faced man in her cabin. The sheriff tells the prospector to stick around, he could get part of the reward but the old coot takes off because he is The Chameleon!

Back at the Mosby cabin we are treated to this scene as Jonah gets ready to head out. Joanna begs Hex to stay for his own good. When he won't listen to reason, she asks to be taken with him. A shout from outside signals the sheriff's intent to take Hex in. Joanna opens the door & tells the sheriff that she is by herself. The sheriff & his men barge in, one of them searching the woodbox to find the stolen loot from the stagecoach. One of the men notices a pair of boots sticking out from behind a wooden screen. The sheriff opens fire through the screen and we are treated to an outside shot of the cabin where Jonah is pulling himself up through the chimney onto the roof. He then jumps off, delivering a massive kick to the head of the deputy assigned to guard the outside of the cabin.

Jonah ends up riding off once again to save his hide. For six days & nights Jonah continues his search for Ned Landon until he finally finds his way to a deserted barn on the outskirts of Wyandott, Texas. He kicks the door open and sees Landon hanging from the rafters. A voice from the darkness causes Jonah to wheel around to confront Quentin Turnbull who had obviously recovered from the pitchfork accident the last time they met.

Turnbull assures Hex that Landon is only being hung in effigy for effect. He then outlines his plan to destroy Jonah for revenge for the death of his son. He hired Landon to trick Jonah to go to Mexico to face El Papagayo and Landon also commited the murders that Jonah is accused of. Turnbull had to kill Landon because he knew that Jonah would have hunted him down & made him talk. But now, Turnbull has hired the Chameleon and he is like having 100 men. Jonah is confused about Turnbull's ramblings.

Turnbull ignores him and notes that he wishes he could see Hex & The Chameleon!!! battle it out and it is such a pity that the flozzy will also have to die. Jonah leaps at Turnbull but the faithfull butler Solomon steps behind Hex and cranks him in the skull with a shovel. Hours pass and Jonah finally comes to, but Turnbull & Solomon are gone.

MEANWHILE!!! in town, the artist that was on the stagecoach is showing a sketch that he made of the man who held up the stage. The sheriff remarks that something strange is going on.

Jonah makes his way back to the Mosby cabin and as he is trying to get Joanna to leave with him, The Chameleon!!!, dress as Jonah steps from behind the wooden screen, with his pistol drawn. Jonah throws a water pitcher at him and knocks him out. As he crouches to pull off the makeup, Joanna smashes Jonah over the head with a large platter. Jonah comes to and Joanna has just finished tying him up. The Chameleon states that since Joanna has seen his real face she must die as well and ties her to a chair next to Jonah. The Chameleon!!! proceeds to set the cabin on fire and what happens next is one of the most bad-@$$ things I have ever seen in a comic. To explain would take to much & not do it justice. Just look & marvel. Surely this deserves the notice of the High Connoisseur of Head Kicking.

Joanna manages to get the knife from Jonah's collar and they burst out of the cabin as it collapses in flames. Joanna begs Jonah for forgiveness because she didn't know she would fall in love with him. She wraps her arms around his neck and reaches up to kiss Jonah and Jonah responds.

God, how I love this comic!!!!!



Jonah rides off and later the sheriff arrives, wondering what happened to the cabin. Joanna explains that it was a bacon grease fire. The sheriff wanted to tell Joanna that Hex didn't commit the robbery. The artist sketch showed that the scars on the bandit's face were on the left side of the face but Jonah's are on the right, so Jonah was framed. Joanna tells them that the man who robbed the stage is in the smoldering remains of her cabin, obviously dead.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah: Are you ready? Zero.

Running Total - 125
Jonah's Injuries: Shot in the right shoulder, hit with a shovel, hit with a metal platter.
Timeline: ooooo, I'll actually have to come back to this & write a whole disertation on this.

Growing up I loved this issue and I think it had everything to do with Lopez and his rendition of Joanna Mosby. I remember hoping beyond hope that I would one day encounter a woman that looked like Joanna. I never did and it's probably a good thing too, because I don't go much for getting hit with things on my head. I also enjoyed the story thirty years ago. Now?

The things that are wrong with this story are the omnipresence that Turnbull has with "agents everywhere", the super-villian basis of The Chameleon!!!, the hokey wording of the monologues, Turnbull wanting to destroy Hex (why not just kill him), The Chameleon dressing up to hide the loot in the Mosby cabin when Joanna could have done it herself. There were tons of logic flaws that were only there to heighten the suspense & the drama.

The good things? Jonah responses to Joanna, all of his responses. I think that this was one of the most sensuous comics I have ever owned. The Lopez art and the colors really were top notch, heck I want to scan the whole book for you but I think that you should go buy it. Tell ya what, I have an extra copy (without cover) that I will GIVE to the first person to correctly guess the person shown in the next RINGSIDE!!!


NEXT ISSUE: A deadline missed, A flashback, & Jonah Hex vs Lee Marvin!