I'm posting the cover partly so I don't buy it again, but it was a pretty distinctive one of that era: from 1983,
Jonah Hex #76, "Caged!" Written by Michael Fleisher, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Tony DeZuniga. Cover by Ross Andru and Joe Rubinstein.
This series would end with issue
#92, but I'm surprised some plot threads were already in motion, namely poor Emmylou: she had been a captive of the Crows, and was Jonah's new girl, except he was still in love with his estranged wife Mei Ling. They get attacked by three bushwhackers, who Jonah guns down in three panels; criticizing their tactics as he does! He reckons they were just random bandits, but not this time: they had been sent by his old foe
Quentin Turnbull, who was trying to kill Hex to avenge his son. (Hex had been framed for that one by the Union; one of the few deaths in the series that probably wasn't his fault!) Quentin has a flash of inspiration, when he sees his old slave Solomon's trapped possum.
Jonah later gets clonked on the head, so he can be taken to meet Governor McKinley Phelps, who wants him to commit some crimes, get arrested, and sent to the state prison for a month or so, so he can report on doings inside. I feel like I've seen this plot before on an old western show; nothing good can come of it, so
of goddamn course Hex takes the job, after insisting on a handwritten letter certifying he was innocent. I'm very sure he was being scammed, but it was a kind of scummy out for him to ditch Emmy. After a few robberies, Hex is brought in, quickly sentenced, and shipped to the state pen; while both Mei Ling and Emmylou see his name in the headlines. Mei Ling defends Hex after her brother trash-talks him and their kid; while Emmylou is more free to act, which will probably just put her in more danger later, right?
The prison is, naturally, cruel and unusual: the warden and sadist head guard Kozrak don't just abuse the prisoners, they're also pocketing most of the budget and cheaping out on food and such. Hex defends an old-timer who collapses while breaking rocks, and catches a substantial beating for it, then gets thrown in the hole. I'm not sure his luck would improve next month! I'm not even sure he cleared his name before getting sent to the future...
5 comments:
“They get attacked by three bushwhackers, who Jonah guns down in three panels; criticizing their tactics as he does!”
I love how much that helps further drive home how badass Hex. Like if some random burglars broke into the home of a guy or woman who was armed to the teeth and has prepped & prayed all their lives for a moment like that to use all those weapons. Same energy.
Unfortunately Hex would then IMMEDIATELY face karma in the form of doing something equally as asinine as going undercover for a shady governor for an even shadier promise. I think you’re right, I don’t think he ever cleared his name on that one.
I'm having a hard time picturing Hex even taking that job. Prison corruption isn't the sort of thing I'd expect him to care about. Some guys will do anything to get out of talking to their girlfriends. Hey-yo!
*shot by Jonah Hex, who criticizes my comedic timing while he does it.*
That’s exactly why he did it, to get away from Emmylou.
Prison corruption is a huge part of his backstory- the whole ‘being framed for a murder he didn’t commit’ thing happened while he was in a POW facility. Plus, if I’m remembering this issue correctly he basically blackmailed by the governor.
I feel like the ‘Hex in front of his own wanted poster’ bit has shown up on a few other covers, but I’m always glad to have the cover posted instead of linked.
Yeah, there were some long running plot threads in Jonah Hex. Emmylou first showed up before #50, and Turnbull’s been after him since almost the beginning of the series. Then again, he’d been killed twice before- for some reason they kept bringing back Hex villains after he’d killed them without any explanation. It’s not even a ‘maybe he survived’ thing- he got stabbed through the heart and burned alive. Minor quibble about an otherwise great series.
Hex actually does clear his name, though it took about a year (of publishing time) and a bunch of people (the governor included) got killed along the way. Quite literally just another adventure in the saga of Jonah Hex. Also, DC seemed to do that ‘throw the hero in jail to get the inside story’ bit quite a few times around then.
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