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 27, 2010 11:47:03 GMT -5
 Well, after 2 years, we've finally reached the end of our lil' story of Jonah Hex and Mei Ling. I told you at the beginning that this wasn't going to be pretty, but it was something I felt we had to get through here at WWQ. It's an important part of Jonah's history, and it will come up from time to time as the years go on. The ironic thing is, when JONAH HEX #61 drops within the next week or so, J&J will also be touching upon this era for the first time. Its' sort of like when they revisited Jonah's origin around the same time "Death and Gunsmoke" wrapped up here at WWQ...pure coincidence, but interesting to compare their opinion of it to my own.
And two issues back, we also reached the end of Don Walsh's Johnny Thunder tale. I'd like to thank him again for bringing that unassuming schoolteacher to life, as he handled him with more finesse than I think I could ever muster. Luckily, while this particular story has wrapped up, Don ain't done with JT yet...
Okay, old business finished, so let's move on to new. Just like after Jonah's last big storyarc, he'll be taking a break for a while, and 2011 will be a series of one-shots starring various other residents of WWQ. First up is a Civil War-era tale of Scalphunter (with a lovely cover by Borize that's been sitting on the back-burner for, like, two or three years!), and later on, we'll be getting a visit from Bat Lash and Nighthawk in two separate stories. But best of all, Don and I will be putting our heads together to bring you a tale of Johnny Thunder when he was simply John Tane (see, I told you Don wasn't done with him!).
Those of you keeping score might have noticed that WWQ will be hitting the big 2-5 soon. Well, don't fret, we've got a very large bombshell to drop on you around then, so make sure you don't skip any of the smaller stories coming your way, because each one of them has bearing on what's to come.
Also, if you're still jonesing for more Hex stories after this arc, I've started up a whole 'nother title under our Elseworlds board called Jonah Hex: Shades of Gray. It's a brave new world but the same ol' Hex. We're three issues in so far, so give it a whirl if you haven't already:
www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=gray
Uh-oh...I hear that train whistle a-blowin', which means it's time to depart Cheyenne for the wide open spaces once more. See y'all out on the trail!
- Susan Hillwig |
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Post by ryokowerx on Oct 30, 2010 13:06:15 GMT -5
Oh... wow...
I KNEW it was going to be a trainwreck but...
OUCH
Talk about horrible dreadful symmetry.
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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 Nov 1, 2010 12:42:55 GMT -5
Yeah, the original breakup wasn't good, either. Mei Ling had actually walked out on him once or twice before, but Hex kept sweet-talking her back. The final time, he wasn't around to stop her, though the circumstances behind his absence in that case weren't so dire as here. When Jonah returned and found out she was gone, he got so drunk that he started hallucinating. The end result of Hex breaking down and abandoning the home he'd set up with Mei Ling is near-identical, though.
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Post by lissilambe on Nov 4, 2010 20:55:09 GMT -5
I remember reading the original version of this story, the one you make mention of, Susan, and it was indeed heart-rending. Very sad, very powerful. This is an excellent rendition as well, true to the original, with your own flair added to the whole. This was a gut-wrenching, rough story, and it was fascinating to see Jonah be the person all the bounties he hunts sees: a monstrous brute. This is NOT a likable Jonah, not at all. You can't root for him beyond saving his son, and you certainly stand at Mei LIng's side in her decisions. This is a powerful Jonah, and it's a terribly sad, tragic ending to a great storyline, one you've eagerly been waiting to write, it showed in each and every details.
Good work, Susan, five stars and I look forward to more.
Take care
Don
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Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
|
Post by Susan Hillwig on Nov 6, 2010 12:50:28 GMT -5
I just read an interview with Michael Fleisher in BACK ISSUE #42, wherein he said that Jonah Hex isn't the sort of person you'd want to know in real life. Fleisher has also said on other occasions that Jonah must harbor a lot of self-loathing to do what he does.
This is why he keeps everyone at arm's length. This is why he's drunk most of the time. Jonah's really this godawful person who sometimes lets a bit of kindness or humor slip out by accident so folks think he might possibly be a decent human being if he could just stop killing people. But before any of that can happen, his mental state about himself has to change first. Sadly, his past is pretty much set in stone, so we know any happiness here will be short-lived. That's one of the things I like about the new story I'm doing in Shades of Gray: I can explore whether or not Jonah can really be a good person if you literally strip away all his past problems.
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