Jonah Hex #33

Darwyn Cooke's cover for Jonah Hex #33 delivers an immediately arresting image: the scarred bounty hunter half-buried in snow, hat brim loaded white, pistol leveled straight at the viewer with cold, unflinching intent. The stark near-monochrome palette — broken only by the warm rust of Hex's scarf — makes the whole scene feel as bitter and unforgiving as a frontier blizzard. With Palmiotti and Gray's "The Hunting Trip" promising exactly the kind of brutal, weather-beaten adventure the title does so well, this September 2008 issue is a fine showcase of the series at its lean, atmospheric best.