Single Issue Standout

In the world of comics,the story arc reigns king.Two or more issues telling an adventure,weaving the story through each issue.When done,the series moves onto the next arc,or gives us a one and done,single issue story.This new feature will highlight any 1 particular issue of a book,either standalone or part of a larger arc that just hits every note,and begs reread.

Jonah Hex number 50 of the current series is one such book.Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray continue to write the heck out of this book,and are joined by Darwyn Cooke for this oversized tale.Jonah has been keeping company with female gunslinger Tallulah Black,and as we open,she is seen leaving him.Jonah takes on a large bounty of 50 outlaws and proceeds to take them down.We move forward in time and find Tallulah moving into the same small town Jonah is trying to clean up.She is building a home,as she is trying to change her ways and go legit,as she has...a baby on the way.The baby is kidnapped by a religious zealot,and Jonah is forced to track them down.

The final scenes involving Jonah,the captured kidnapper woman,and a local lawman as they try to ascertain the baby's whereabouts are tension filled.The final few panels where Jonah leaves a small gift for Tallulah were drawn and written with pure emotion.Darwyn Cooke's cartoony style works very well with the Western genre.This issue was full of action,but plenty of character development,which says alot for Jonah,who is written as a man of stone,rarely showing feeling.A definite single issue standout,even if you don't normally read Jonah Hex,pick up a copy of #50.