What a damn good 22 page comic. I’m not going to lie; I came into Jonah Hex on this issue solely for J.H. Williams III’s artwork. However, I found a story that is equally as spellbinding as the pencils. Jonah Hex #35 manages to tell a completely stand alone story wrapped in a moral perfectly showcasing what makes Jonah Hex such a great, rounded character. Let me tell you a tale about the rat, the snake, and the hawk…

See, the entire narrative of Jonah Hex #35 centers around this concept. It’s the “bigger fish in the sea” dynamic but Jonah Hex #35 spins it on its head by not painting the dividing lines so clearly. I truthfully finished the comic and thought about the symbolism and how it can be applied to Hex, the Marshall, his men, and the Trevor Gang for a good 10 to 15 minutes, coming up with a number of different scenarios as to who each animal could represent and why. And that’s the beauty of this comic. The varying ways of interpretation are almost limitless. I could probably write a thesis paper on the dynamics of this issue’s symbolism. But instead of detailing my theories I’ll simply leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions because that’s half the fun of this book.

So if you came into this review and saw the 5 bullet rating and wondered what the hell could be so special about an issue of Jonah Hex, that’s it. It’s something that should be read by everyone who considers themselves a comic fan. It’s a great fusion of art and storytelling successfully delving into deeper aspects of the human psyche and what drives us. Plus it’s a cool Western story, and cowboys are bad-ass.

I’m keeping this rather short but do yourself a favor and get Jonah Hex #35. I’m just as guilty as everyone else but maybe it’s time to put down some of the spandex books that have been nothing but punching month after month and instead invest in something that actually gives comics a good name. Jonah Hex #35 is that type of book. Three dollars is a small price to pay for something this good.

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