Jonah Hex is a constant. The series never loses its original flair, nor its stubborn nature and callous sensibilities. It’s a surprising title, to say the least. Every issue follows almost exactly the same pattern; Hex arrives, there’s an issue to overcome, he does, he kills some people, he leaves. It’s almost perfectly simple.

This issue has Hex confronted by a gang over alleged cheating during a card game; as ever, violence ensues. The West as portrayed in the world of Jonah Hex is a harsh place, and this feels like a spiritual successor to all the great Western tales; from “The Searchers” to “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” and so on.

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray continually pen adventures where Jonah Hex is placed into scenarios from which no regular man could escape. But, being that he’s our hero, it’s just a matter of waiting to see how he escapes and who he decides to kill first. It’s even more engaging when you consider the ending of this issue, which, like a handful in the past, establishes a new potential nemesis for Jonah to face-off against some time in the future.

The book itself has managed to garner the attention of numerous artists over its five year run, and this issue is no exception. The art by Brian Stelfreeze is absolutely stunning; it’s almost cartoony, but it feels gritty and harsh. The scene in the rain, in particular is one of the best drawn segments of a comic book I’ve seen in a long time.

Jonah Hex has been one of the most consistent books of the last decade, and it’s great to see its high level of quality continue onwards for the foreseeable future. It is, quite honestly, a damn fine book.