JONAH HEX #92 Final Issue (1985)

Dang! I haven't posted anything this year and it's already May. Let's get this thing going. I busted out a banger to start. 

“He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers. He had no friends, this Jonah Hex, but he did have two companions: One was death itself… The other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke…”

The iconic introduction for Jonah Hex first appeared in Weird Western Tales #26 (1972) It perfectly defines Jonah Hex who was feared throughout the west. Also it's pretty badass. 

My introduction to Jonah Hex came via Secret Origins #21 (1986), that lead to me reading DC Special Series #16: Jonah Hex Spectacular (1978). The JHS presented a story about the end of Jonah Hex's life and it was, fittingly, a horror story. To see a man turned into a gaudy painted decoration in an amusement park was twisted and creepy. It was so good though, I had to know more. It was easy reading up on Jonah Hex, backissues were plentiful and cheap (a key factor). I would buy issues but mostly I would just read the comics in the comic shop (Thanks to Nan and John for allowing me to shift through their backissues and read books without having to buy them. 1000X thank yous). 

He became one of my favorite characters. I read through Weird Western Tales and the Jonah Hex series. Read every issue but #92. I could never find #92. I didn't even know what it looked like (this was before the internet kids).  All I knew (from what my LCS told me) was it had Jonah Hex as a skeleton and it was cool!  Years later I finally found the issue and the cover did not disappoint.  A striking image for a final issue. And to find out it was drawn by Denys Cowan (also a favorite of mine) was icing on the cake. I bought this cover in 2018 and eight years later I am still in awe that I own this. I have what I consider three milestone Jonah Hex covers and this is one of them.  It holds a place of honor amongst my collection.

Denys Cowan and Klaus Janson, teamed up to create this very memorable cover to the final issue of Jonah Hex. It features Hex as a skeleton still wearing his cowboy hat and carrying his gun.  It was a clever way to bring closure to the character's adventures. Adventures that began in All-Star Western #10 (1972) and ended with Jonah Hex #92 (1985).

Gut-wrenching final issue! Will it also be Jonah's last gunfight?

Jonah Hex #92 by artists Denys Cowan and Klaus Janson. On a 11X17 board. 1985