Jonah Hex: The First Bronze Age Anti-hero?

[tth2]

Punisher starts out as a clone of the Executioner. Later, his back-story gets lifted from the Bronson Death Wish movies.

It was ALL from the Executioner, from both having been snipers in Vietnam to both of their families having been killed by the Mob.

[tth2]

I remember reading something about that, and it wasn't that Conan was not the first choice, but that Marvel assumed the rights were already sold or would be too expensive. So they contacted (I think) Lin Carter or some other author, hoping to nab a "Conan-clone" for cheap.

Yes, it was Lin Carter, for the rights to Thongor. Which Marvel ultimately did license, but who enjoyed no success whatsoever.

[Zonker]

Thanks, tth2! I didn't know that much about the Executioner.

 

As far as Conan goes, it had an interesting publication frequency: bi-monthly to start, then as you say JC, quickly promoted to monthly, then back to bi-monthly, then again to monthly towards the end of the Barry Smith run, never looking back from there. I remember Roy Thomas claiming the book was almost cancelled, only winning a reprieve as a result of a sales spike during the Gil Kane fill-in issues. Of course, he was saying this in a lettercol early in the Buscema run, defending his view that Smith wasn't critical to Conan's success. ( Turns out he was right from a sales perspective! ) In hindsight, I wonder if Roy Thomas was just whistling past the graveyard waiting for those Buscema sales figures to come in. In retrospect, it looks more like they simply skipped a few months to try to keep Smith on track (didn't he have issues with his Green Card?), before punting the book over to Gil Kane for a couple of issues and immediately returning to monthly frequency.

 

Here's the cover date data, cut & paste from GCD:

 

Issue 1

October 1970

 

Issue 2

December 1970

 

Issue 3

February 1971

 

Issue 4

April 1971

 

Issue 5

May 1971 Goes Monthly

 

Issue 6

June 1971

 

Issue 7

July 1971

 

Issue 8

August 1971

 

Issue 9

September 1971

 

Issue 10

October 1971

 

Issue 11

November 1971

 

Issue 12

December 1971

 

Issue 13

January 1972

 

Issue 14

March 1972 Back to Bi-Monthly

 

Issue 15

May 1972

 

Issue 16 Smith short story + reprint

July 1972

 

Issue 17

August 1972 Monthly for Good. Kane fill-in.

 

Issue 18

September 1972 Kane fill-in.

 

Issue 19

October 1972 Back to Barry Smith

 

Issue 20

November 1972

 

Issue 21

December 1972

 

Issue 22

January 1973

 

Issue 23

February 1973

 

Issue 24

March 1973 Final Barry Smith issue

 

Issue 25

April 1973

 

Issue 26

May 1973

[joe_collector]

In retrospect, it looks more like they simply skipped a few months to try to keep Smith on track (didn't he have issues with his Green Card?)

 

That's the way I remember it as well, possibly from an interview with Barry Smith.

[matewan1990]

In retrospect, it looks more like they simply skipped a few months to try to keep Smith on track (didn't he have issues with his Green Card?)

 

That's the way I remember it as well, possibly from an interview with Barry Smith.

 

Nope, to let Barry get back on track, they inserted fill-in issues by Gil Kane or if artists got behind, Marvel simply inserted reprints into their comics, sometimes interrupting storylines. Bi-monthly or monthly status was determined by the sales.

Mike B.

[joe_collector]

Nope, to let Barry get back on track, they inserted fill-in issues by Gil Kane or if artists got behind, Marvel simply inserted reprints into their comics, sometimes interrupting storylines. Bi-monthly or monthly status was determined by the sales.

 

So Mr Expert, if I were to produce examples of comics that changed schedule for reasons other than sales, what would you say then?

[joe_collector]

I was doing a little research on this, and apparently, right during the time Conan went bi-monthly for a few issues, Barry Smith quit the book. He got ticked, and apparently just quit.

 

Insert Stan Lee throwing things and beating Roy Thomas with a cane.

 

Then we had Smith coming back, Kane helping out, and back to a monthly schedule. Seems a bit coincidental...

[bronze johnny]

Kudos to all the forumites participating and making this an interesting thread!

 

I do remember an article written by Tony Starks in Overstreets Comic Book Monthly titled "Lost Comics of the Seventies" (1994) which lists Tony's top twenty 70's books and includes ASW #10. If I recall correctly, Tony ranked the book somewhere around 18 or 19. The interesting thing about this is that I remember Tony writing that the book would place higher but for the fact that it was a Western. This is significant since Jonah Hex was (as correctly indicated before in this thread by a fellow forumite) the Western genre's "last stand." Since the Western genre, in general, came to a conclusion during the Bronze Age, it should be pointed out that Jonah Hex was nevertheless successful - a gunslinger who continued to go on while his genre died. Quite amazing!

 

Conan, of course, kicks off one of the Bronze Age's great contributions to Comicbookdom, the Sword & Sorcery genre. I need not say anymore about Conan's incredible status in the Bronze Age.

 

Both Hex and Conan have in their own way provided tremendous contributions to the Bronze Age. However, it is unfair to compare the success of one character to the other since each of them "resides" in a different genre- Westerns were dying while S & S was peaking.

 

One question before I say goodnight:

 

Which do you identify to be more of an anti-hero- a Barbarian or a Bounty Hunter?

 

bronzejohnny

[HouseofComics.Com]

I believe Barry Smith was actually deported at one point.

[joe_collector]

Which do you identify to be more of an anti-hero- a Barbarian or a Bounty Hunter?

 

Actually, that should read: Barbarian or a Cowboy

 

Or... Mercenary vs. Bounty Hunter

 

Or... Sword-carrying killer vs. Gun-slinging killer.

 

Apples to apples.

 

Plus, an anti-hero is defined by his environment - he's a grey in a world of black and white. Some consider Michael Corleone, Travis Bickle and Tony Montana as anti-heros, and although they are "bad guys" in the conventional sense, but are more heroic than the real villains of the piece. It's all to do with how someone acts in relation to their environment and the world around them.

 

Tell the story from cop's POV, and these anti-heroes are suddenly the villains.

 

If the world is evil and stark, then an anti-hero like Conan or Deathlok cannot be compared to someone like The Punisher in current, more sociable, times.

[Psiknight]

To be fair, I just picked up the Millennium Ed. of All Star Western 10 and it was very good. I'll probably be on the look out for a nice copy of that soon.

[joe_collector]

To be fair, I just picked up the Millennium Ed. of All Star Western 10 and it was very good.

 

I picked up the odd back issue over the years and really like the character, and I don't think anyone is hatin' on Hex, just trying to provide a little historical perspective.

[seank]

To be fair, I just picked up the Millennium Ed. of All Star Western 10 and it was very good. I'll probably be on the look out for a nice copy of that soon.

 

Pick up the Jonah Hex Showcase paperback. 500 pages of Jonah Hex for $16.99. It's great reading and a great deal.

[joe_collector]

Pick up the Jonah Hex Showcase paperback. 500 pages of Jonah Hex for $16.99. It's great reading and a great deal.

 

I see it on Amazon.ca, but do you have any details - issues, etc.?

[joe_collector]

Okay, I just ordered Showcase Presents Jonah Hex and House of Mystery - everything else looked too old/gay (GA/early-SA) for my liking, but I might pick up the later editions.

 

Is there a Batman edition?

[Timulty]

Not yet. Though there is a Superman that is supposed to come. I almost picked up the HOM today. I have the Jonah Hex somewhere around here. You will like it. Greatly.

[seank]

Okay, I just ordered Showcase Presents Jonah Hex and House of Mystery - everything else looked too old/gay (GA/early-SA) for my liking, but I might pick up the later editions.

 

Is there a Batman edition?

 

No Batman edition yet.

[joe_collector]

Okay, I just ordered Showcase Presents Jonah Hex and House of Mystery - everything else looked too old/gay (GA/early-SA) for my liking, but I might pick up the later editions.

 

Is there a Batman edition?

 

No Batman edition yet.

 

Too bad, as that's the old DC GA/SA stuff I'd even read.

[Psiknight]

Okay, I just ordered Showcase Presents Jonah Hex and House of Mystery - everything else looked too old/gay (GA/early-SA) for my liking, but I might pick up the later editions.

 

Is there a Batman edition?

 

No Batman edition yet.

 

Too bad, as that's the old DC GA/SA stuff I'd even read.

 

I was about to place an Amazon order for a few of those collected series (both Marvel and DC) until I found out they are all in black and white. That sucks big time. A buddy of mine has all of the EC library sets and it's not the same when it is in B&W.

 

I guess I'll get some of the Marvel Masterworks if I can get them cheaply.

[HouseofComics.Com]

I'd recommend The Dark Knight Archives #1 from DC. Hardcover, color, reprints Batman 1-4. Used to be $49.95 but now it is $19.95 which means under $14 on Amazon. Sweet package and those issues have a much grittier Batman. Issue one alone is amazing iwth first Catwoman, first Joker, and stunning Dr. Strange story with Batman brutally kililng the monster men in a variety of ways.

 

Marc