Hex #3 (November 1985)

It was a normal day in 1875. At a saloon, a bounty hunter with a scarred face and a bad reputation found himself vanishing. He would find himself in a post-apocalyptic future, forced to fight for survival in a world and time beyond his imagination. But then again, that was just another day in the life of the gunslinger known...as Jonah Hex.

First appearing in All-Star Western #10 (February-March 1972), Hex was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex would be the main star of the All-Star Western series (which would take up the new name Weird Western Tales with issue #12) until issue #38. In 1977, Hex would get his own self-titled series, which lasted 92 issues. Tony DeZuniga would do the art for most of the series, but writing would be mainly handled by Michael Fleisher.

Hex would be shown as having a life driven by seemingly endless bad luck and tragedy. Considering that his surname is "Hex", it's not that surprising. As a bounty hunter, he was regarded as being a surly, cynical man. Despite this, Hex would be shown to have a code of honor to protect the innocent.

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit, Jonah Hex's life would spin in a wild new direction. His old series would get cancelled, and he would get a new ongoing series simply called Hex. In this series, the scarred gunslinger would find himself being transported forwards in time to a post-apocalyptic 21st century Seattle, Washington by a man named Reinhold Borsten. Borsten wanted to use Hex as essentially a gladiator, but the bounty hunter was like "Nah" and would go on to have adventures for a time in this Mad Max-esque world.

The Hex series, which an issue of we're looking at here, would last for eighteen issues. It got mediocre reception in the US, but it was well-received in other places like the UK, Spain, Italy, and Japan. Through unexplained reasons, Hex would return to his native era, and spent the rest of his life there. Over the years, Hex would be shown to have a variety of adventures not just in the typical Western oeuvre, but also battle monsters and even meet members of the Justice League. In 2005-2011, he got a second series that lasted 70 issues. It was a good series. With the New 52 reboot in 2011, he became the star of a new All-Star Western series. This series would chronicle Hex's adventures in Old West-era Gotham City, and later his time in the present day. This series ended after 34 issues in August 2014.

Jonah Hex would go on to be arguably the most famous of all of DC's Western characters. He would go on to appear in various media outside of the comics. In 2010, Jonah would get his own self-titled film, in which he was portrayed by Josh Brolin. The film gave Jonah the power to temporarily resurrect the dead, an ability he never had in the comics. That year also saw him get an animated short in which he was voiced by Thomas Jane. He would also appear in the DC Animated Universe, appearing in Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited. His animated appearances continued in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and in Justice League Action. Hex would also grace the live-action series Legends of Tomorrow, portrayed by Johnathon Schaech.

So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Hex #3!

The cover is awesome! An Ed Hannigan, Denys Cowan, and Klaus Janson piece, it depicts Hex drawing his six-shooter in front of what looks like a burning pyre with a crowd of dazed zombified people behind the pyre. The smoke from the pyre shows an image of gas mask-wearing soldiers marching with guns drawn. It's an awesome cover, with a great creepy vibe to it. My only complaint about it is that it doesn't really reflect what goes on in the comic itself.

"The Lotus Eaters"
Writer: Michael Fleischer
Penciler: Mark Texeira
Inker: Carlos Garzon
Colorist: Bob LeRose
Letterer: Tin Harkins
Editor: Michael Fleischer
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Jonah Hex in a not-unusual spot for him: trying not to get shot.

"All Ah did was ask where the grocery store was!"

Hex is able to lose the two motorcycles, but the flying metal manta ray is going to be more of a challenge for the challenge. Despite that, Hex proves himself up to it. You see, Hex is a man known for being quite deadly with a gun. Two shots to the cockpit is all Hex needs.

"Ah reckon that's a hundred points, right?"

Sometime later, the Old West relic finds himself in a rundown town, with more squalor than he ever imagined. And he's seen some squalor. Unfortunately, he has no map, so he has no idea where he is. Which means he doesn't even know where the saloon is so he can get some whiskey. And of course, since this is a post-apocalyptic story made in the 80s, there are a bunch of wildly-dressed punks who want to steal his motorbike. As such, Hex must kick some butt.

While the time-tossed cowboy lays a smackdown on the punks, a man is seemingly pouring some charcoal briquettes into a pot and burning them. In actuality, he's burning something called "Lotus". He breathes in the smoke created by the burning substance, and it takes him on a little trip. He watches Hex brawl with the punks, and it causes him to see a pair of rams locking horns.

"Hee hee, ram fighting..."

I love that the panel is bordered by squiggly lines, a nice way of showing that what we're seeing is not "real". As the brawl goes on, the man's hallucinations change. Next, he sees a bunch of clowns boxing in a circus, with a flying elephant coming down towards them. In reality, a small red aircraft is landing as Hex gives the last punk a Mighty Kick and Mighty Punch. The pilot calls out to the Civil War veteran: "Hey, Scarface! Those punks got friends! Tons of them! Let me get you out of here!" Hex agrees and hops on board. The craft flies off before the punks' buddies can reach them. As for our Louts-addled friend? He happily watches the craft fly off, remarking what a pretty bird it is.

Elsewhere, we see what appears to be lines of what I think are World War One-era German and French soldiers advancing towards each other.

They engage in battle. And there's an audience for it.

Yeah, reality shows are getting WAY out of control.

As you can see, this was a battle created to entertain a certain bunch of VIP guests. The Germans use what is presumably mustard gas to attack the French soldiers. This concerns one of the viewers as mustard gas is rather deadly, and he doesn't want to get hit by it. However, Reinhold Borsten, the man who organizes these battles assure them that the ion shield they're under will keep them perfectly safe. After all, it would not be good for him if the Conglomerate's highest-level administrators die under his watch.

The soldiers are completely unaware that they're no longer in their native time. When they're brought to Borsten's time, they're kept under heavy sedation, and they're revived in settings that are practically identical to the time and place they were abducted from. They're kept in stasis until it's time for the show. One of the execs points out that this was supposed to be the day of the Wild West gunfight. The one that Borsten brought Jonah Hex from the past to fight in. He explains to the executives that "technical problems" forced him to postpone it.

Meanwhile, Hex's rescuer introduces himself. Barnaby Blossom's his name, shipments are his game. His product is Lotus Blossom, a nice little perfume that sweetens the air. Taking in the delightful smell allows people to...escape from the dreary dark world for a little while. He's been looking for a shotgun man to help protect his shipments, and Hex may be the man he needs. A group of hijackers try to bring the craft down to get Barnaby's Lotus Blossom shipment. But Hex is able to put an end to the hijackers' plans.

Elsewhere, Borsten is flipping out because his men have been unable to find Hex. He really didn't need this thorn in his side considering he already has enough problems on his plate. He's also trying to complete something called the "Soames Project". Borsten then collapses in pain. His attendants quickly get him to a "rejuvenation bubble". Evidently, Borsten has been doing some traveling, and it's had an effect on his body, requiring more time in the bubble.

Later on, Blossom and Hex land their little red flying Corvette in another desolate town. Blossom and Hex put on some masks. They take a few sticks of Lotus Blossom out and get a fire going. Blossom explains that burning some of the sticks as a free sample is a way of opening up new territory and getting more customers of their product. And Blossom has ever-increasing quotas he needs to meet.

The mist has people in a daze, hallucinating and losing any track of where they are. Hex spots a dazed young boy walking towards a pit, proclaiming he's "the Birdman". Not Hanna-Barbera's Birdman, though. And not Michael Keaton's, either. Hex grabs some rope, improvises a lasso, and uses it to swing over the pit a la Tarzan, saving the boy.

Remember how I said earlier that Hex's personal code of honor involves protecting the innocent? Well, it makes Hex realizes that Blossom's little "escape" is dangerous. Someone nearly got killed! Hex grabs a tarp and puts it over the fire. He and Blossom brawl and Hex ends up losing his mask in the process as the dealer flees. Some of the Lotus is still in the air. Hex is dazed by it, but he still manages to reach Blossom's skycraft.

Blossom tries some aerial maneuvering to get the gunslinger off, but Hex has a grip like Gorilla Glue. It allows him to bust his way into the skycraft like John McClane in Die Hard.

"Welcome to the party, pal!"

Blossom tries to shoot Hex with a crossbow, but the gunslinger is just as quick with his Mighty Punches as he is with his six-guns. The two donnybrook in the flying vehicle, but Blossom ends up falling out the window Hex busted. Whoops.

It was at that moment that Barnaby Blossom knew...he effed up.

He's okay! Well, not really. Blossom screams for help, but the people down below are so mentally addled and out of it by the Lotus mists that they aren't even aware of him. Blossom's grip gives out. As he falls to his death, the boy whom Hex rescued earlier sees him as a Birdman flying through the sky. The story ends with Hex trying to get back control of the skycraft...even though he has no idea how to do it.

This comic was pretty good. It has a strong anti-drug theme to it, but it was the 80s, so that was not surprising. I did like the karmic death of Barnaby Blossom. If only he didn't have those people all whacked out on his product, he may have been saved. I also got a chuckle out of Hex trying to figure out how to fly the goldurned contraption that he got himself stuck in. I also liked that the story did not forget to touch on Borsten's hunt for the gunslinger. It gave the idea there still was a bigger story going on in the background. I really enjoyed Mark Texiera's art in the issue. It's got some good story-telling, and the characters are rather expressive. There's also plenty of action, which is not a bad thing.

This was a fun comic. I'm not sure if it's available digitally, and I don't think the Hex series has ever been collected in trade, so you'll have to search the bask issue bins for this if you want to read it yourself.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time, when the Secret Wars come to an end...