Dean Poling
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — With Hollywood on the verge of releasing a Jonah Hex movie starring Josh Brolin this summer, DC Comics may have wanted to bank a little ahead of the curve by offering something of an origin for its disfigured Western renegade in comics form prior to the film’s release. Sort of like Marvel Comics finally offering an origin for Wolverine once Hollywood came sniffing around. Jonah Hex has always been a character akin to Clint Eastwood’s Josey Wales, a Confederate rebel without a cause in the post-Civil War West, with the difference being that bounty-hunter Hex doesn’t have Eastwood’s looks. Well, maybe half of his looks. One side of Hex’s face is marred by scarring with a bug eye and a signature flap of skin connecting the jagged spaces of his mouth on one side. He’s been shooting up DC’s version of the West for the past few decades and was re-introduced in harder-hitting adult stories in more recent years. In this hard-covered graphic novel, Hex finds his long-lost mother. Regular Hex readers won’t be surprised to learn it is not a happy reunion, though it is surprising to see Hex portrayed as a young boy. A Mexican renegade has framed Hex’s mother for murder to lure Hex into a trap. Along the way, Hex discovers he has a half-brother who serves a town both as a preacher and sheriff. “No Way Back” is gritty Old West action, with Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotta infusing Hex with the no-mercy-for-the-merciless spirit that has long been his trademark. Artist Tony DeZuniga had a memorable run as co-creator of Jonah Hex many moons ago. DeZuniga returns to Hex, with illustrations that bring Hex to full gritty life. If the movie commercials have piqued your interest about Jonah Hex, “No Way Back” is a good place to start. Or if you like the movie, “No Way Back” is a good place to return.
