Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Oct 17, 2006 12:11:13 GMT -5
Are we done? We are? Oh, good...
Sorry, folks, I'm just amazed at the fact that we finally reached the end of the story. Though there's a three-month lag (normally) between installments for you folks, for me it's been a year-long, non-stop writing session. Sure, I didn't spend every waking moment punching the keys (if you ask my husband, he'll say I did) but with all the hassles and broken computers and occasional hair-pulling, it sure felt that way sometimes. Despite all that, it was worth it to lay out the foundations of WWQ and Jonah Hex's place in the DC2 in general, and I'm glad I put out something that everyone has enjoyed. I'd like to take a moment and thank my behind-the-scenes contributors and fellow Hex-nuts, Kevin and Tim, for being my sounding boards for certain aspects of this fic -- whenever a large hole in Hex history came up, they helped me fill it. Thanks as well to Brandon, Ramon, and Roy, my Three Amigos in the Art Department (they made some right purty covers, didn't they?) and to David, our founding father and the guy who gave me an entire century to ruin as I see fit.
And for those who didn't hear already, a bit of ironic news: starting with JONAH HEX #13 (due out Nov. 1...happy 168th birthday, Jonah boy!) the "other" Hex-writers Palmiotti and Gray will be doing a 3-part story called "The Origin of Jonah Hex." While I'm sure our stories will be hitting similar notes (we do have the same source material) I'm sure the timing of this is pure coincidence, and not some sort of reverse plagirism -- Jimmy told me all the way back in April that they'd be doing an origin story eventually, but by then I was already halfway done with "Death and Gunsmoke". If I'd known sooner, I might have held back on this story just to see what they come up with. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 and all that.
As for Hex's future here in the DC2...well, after what I just put him through, he's requested some vacation time. The man mumbled something about a trip to the Caribbean as he headed out my office door -- I don't know what that's about, we'll find out when he gets back. In the meantime, the rest of DC's Western stable has been patiently waiting their turn, so until ol' Jonah returns from wherever, they'll be taking turns on WWQ. I can guarantee at least one surprise visitor to our pages, along with a story that will have repercussions on the modern DC2 later next year. So get ready for all-new adventures as we head into our second year, and I'll see y'all out on the trail!
- Susan Hillwig
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Post by HoM on Oct 18, 2006 4:47:31 GMT -5
I was thinking of saying something witty like "At last, it's over!" but it doesn't feel good that it is. The story was amazing, the characterisation amazing, the writing, amazing, everything: Amazing. I'll be here next time to read more of your Weird Western tales Susan, and we can only hope they're as good as your debut arc (and I have the utmost faith in you that they will be)
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Post by starlord on Oct 18, 2006 19:03:40 GMT -5
What a great finish to this story, but thankfully not to Jonah. Talk about a life filled with tragedy. And you did it brilliantly, making me hurt right along with the character. Thanks for a great tale, Susan! Can't wait to see what's in store next. Also want to say that both covers are awesome as well! Great job guys!
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Post by Admin on Oct 20, 2006 15:37:42 GMT -5
The covers were terrific! Well done, Rou and Ramon!
Susan, this issue knocked my socks off! I've been saying for a long time now that we have something very special with this opening arc: a definitive, literate history of Jonah's early years, written not only with respect for trafition and the others who came before, but with an historian's eye and a novelist's flair.
I know it takes a lot to make a cuss like Jonah lovable, but taken in the context of this arc (and especially this explosive finale), you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel a soft spot for him! Loved the scene where Bates gets his comeuppance (evil bastard)--- but it really sucked for Jeb!
Jonah's treatment at the hands of the Apache, both physically and emotionally, was a revelation--- so, that's how it happened, huh? And the scene where he woke up and looked in the mirror was heartbreaking (how hard was that to write, Susie?)... Please tell me that Jonah crosses paths again with Noh-Tante and High Cloud! That's a story a want to read!
Beautiful ending, with the story coming full circle in Burnett. I had to go back and read WWQ#0 just to get another fix!
Spectacular finish, Susan! I could almost hear the Sergio leone music over the epilogue. You should be extremely proud of this piece of work--- I know I am just to host it at the DC2!
I eagerly await January and Hannibal Hawkes! Any chance of Cinnamon showing up?
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Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Oct 22, 2006 15:38:27 GMT -5
Lord, I am blushing so bad! Everywhere I go today in Internet-Land, folks are patting me on the back for this fic -- you're going to give me a swelled head, I swear! Not that I don't like praise, mind you...
The story, on a whole, is something I've had brewing in the back of my brain for a couple years: taking all those random bits of Hex-history and laying them down in order, so you could see the whole scope of what the man's been through. It's been done before in timeline form, but not in a literate sense, as David puts it -- reading a single-line description of an event is one thing, seeing it fleshed out and put in proper historical context is another. I didn't have any idea how some things would connect until I began writing this, and I wonder if even Michael Fleisher knew just how all these flackbacks he'd written could be made to fit together properly (as good as the man was, some of his dates conflict!).
I'm glad that I managed to get an emotional reaction out of you folks, especially with the scarring (my husband insists that Jonah actually heard a clothes iron ring like a telephone and tried to answer it) which was indeed tough to write -- again, there's knowing the facts and describing them in narrative form -- while the scarring itself is chronicled, his own reaction to first seeing the result has gone unsaid all these years, but I can't imagine that it would have been good. As for meeting Noh-Tante again...well, he's kind of dead, so I don't think it'll happen.
Sadly, Cinnamon will not be appearing alongside Nighthawk just yet, but keep an eye out in a future WWQ story for hints at her debut. Hannibal himself is going to be too preoccupied in his first story to be thinking about girls anyhow. If you thought Hex had a rough start...
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Post by WalkingManComics on Oct 28, 2006 10:50:02 GMT -5
pardon my late arrival, please, and my ignorance....
I've been a Jonah Hex fan since.... I bet we're talking forty years ago...
what is Weird Western Quarterly? Is it all, as appears, an on-line story? Is it a comicbook story (y'know, words + pictures in panels)? Is it something I can purchase to hold in my hands?
I'd appreciate knowing-- just as I newly appreciate knowing about this very impressive site!
thanks, & happy trails, Matt
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Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Oct 28, 2006 12:44:19 GMT -5
Thank you for checking us out, and I hope you come back, as you left no e-mail address...
WWQ, like all the other stories on this site, falls under the category of fanfiction: unofficial stories written by fans about licensed characters. Due to that, we cannot physically publish and/or sell the stories without violating copyright laws -- once we make a profit, we're screwed -- but so long as we keep our noses clean and don't try to pass this stuff off as the real deal, DC leaves us be.
Long story short: unless you print it out yourself, there is no hard copy of these tales. Best you can do is come back every Wednesday and peruse our weekly offerings, marvel at the lovely covers our great Art Dept. puts together, and wonder how the heck we manage to produce such spot-on work on a regular basis...and remember, kids, IT'S ALL FOR FREE!
Hope that fills you in proper, Matt, and please check us out in January for WWQ#5!
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Post by capeandcowl on Apr 9, 2007 21:13:42 GMT -5
You know, I don't have much time to read everything I would like on DC2, between my job, comic book projects, plus writing Batman and editing Bat-titles and now the upcoming Faust mini...My time is short. So I appologize that this is coming so late but being and Albertan, I have a soft spot for westerners and was dying to check this book out.
I have a great biography at home of Wyatt Earp where he is described as a man who never wanted trouble, but for whom trouble followed like a shadow. That is the exact feeling I get reading this take of Jonah Hex. I often tend to regard Hex as the ultimate Badbass...someone who, if he walked into the worst bar in Gotham City, would scare half the people in the bar and just kill the rest...mostly just because he could. What I liked about this story is the constant sense of humanity of Jonah. He is a killer, he's good at it, but he doesn't necessarily want to do it. The ending where he just wants a decent night's sleep, and can't even get that leaves you feeling sorry for a character, that most often, I think readers have little sympathy for. Well done.
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Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Apr 10, 2007 16:42:51 GMT -5
Glad you made the time to read the story, Grant, and thanks for that great assessment of Hex. Let this be a lesson to you, folks: don't interrupt Jonah's beauty sleep, or else he gets real cranky.
If the human side of the man interests you, then I think you'll like the storyarc I have in mind for him down the line, but that won't be until around issue #12 or so. Lots of other stories to get through before then...including WWQ#6, due out next week! No Hex, but it ain't bad.
And may I recommend to the rest of the readers out there that Grant's BATMAN: CITY OF CRIME is damn fine work -- the cage match in #2 would even give Jonah pause. You'll find it somewhere waaaay above WWQ in the listings (damn alphabetical format!).
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