Jonah Hex, Vol. 4: Only the Good Die Young

Only the Good Die Young compiles issues 19 through 24 of the second (modern) run of the Jonah Hex title. As a fan of the origin series, I find that the more recent Jonah Hex tales have a hard time living up to the first series, but in this volume there are some decent attempts.

The story-lines Texas Money and Unfinished Business are good examples that manage to capture the feel of the old series, including Jonah's habit of playing both sides. Who Lives and Who Dies is the best of the bunch, with the story's narrator giving an outside impression of Hex's outlaw morality and logic that plays to the uniqueness of the character, and also includes proper use of his military background as well.

On the weaker side is Devil's Paw, which feels show more like a poor attempt at capturing the mood of the series, and The Current War, which is way too heavy-handed at trying to inject "the future" into the west with referenced 'automatons' that never make a real appearance, and an Edison/Tesla war that strains credibility and - in my opinion - lands too firmly on Edison's side. Finally, there is All Hallow's Eve, which teams up Hex with classic western comic characters Bat Lash and El Diablo. You would think that this reunion would be a great look back at the old series, but overly-thick dialogue and supernatural-heavy story, combined with artwork that just doesn't feel like a Jonah Hex comic, and you get something that feels more like a bad attempt at an alternate universe reboot with nothing new to offer.

With all of this said, the good parts of this collection outweigh the bad, so it's more than worth picking up if you are following the more recent exploits of DC's greatest western comic character. show less