Random Happenstance

I've bought this one at least twice, probably on the strength of the Walt Simonson cover; but let's see if I can head off a third time! From 2010, Jonah Hex #55, "The Brief Life of Billy Dynamite" Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmotti, art by Vicente Alcázar.

The titular young Billy might be spending a lot of time in a saloon, but that's just because that's where his ma and pa worked; and he had a barfly educating him in the finer points of explosives. But, good times rarely last; and sure enough Billy's folks get it in a robbery. The robbers don't get far, though: a couple are killed by the arriving Jonah Hex, then Billy helps himself to Jonah's other gun, to smoke the others. The kid even has the sand to charge Jonah for a drink afterwards; and five years later Billy is running the joint...and due for a growth spurt, he did not look five years older. When some banditos get too rowdy, Billy slaps a lit firecracker into one's mouth: his bartender Fiona, is able to bounce them after that, but they return a week later, to burn down the joint and throw Billy, strapped with dynamite, into a fire.

Fiona escapes, and later finds Jonah Hex getting a shave, and gives him an earful: he really isn't sure why this was his problem, and I kind of agree? Fiona argues, if he'd been on time five years ago, he could have saved Billy's parents; but he was probably drunk? Hex doesn't recall, but mmm, could be. In short order (a page turn!) Hex catches the gang, and has them tied upside down to trees with dynamite under their heads. A lot of dynamite. That looks like seven sticks in a bundle, times maybe seven bundles...Hex excuses himself, to get out of the blast radius, which I feel would be substantial? And I probably got put on a watchlist trying to figure it out! One of the bandits tries to point out, there wouldn't be anything left of them to bring in for the bounty, but y'know, sometimes you just have to do things for yourself. Still, how in the hell would Jonah have got those guys all tied up, upside down like that? Would you have to hang them by their ankles first? Seems like a lot of work, for a rather slight issue, but okay.