Weird Western Tales

Weird Western Tales is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to his own eponymous series. Scalphunter then took Hex's place as the featured character in Weird Western Tales.

Weird Western Tales
Cover of Weird Western Tales #12 (June–July 1972), the first issue of the series under that title. Art by Joe Kubert.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
ScheduleBimonthly/Monthly
FormatOngoing series
Publication date
No. of issues
Main character(s)Jonah Hex
Scalphunter
Cinnamon
Creative team
Written by
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)

Publication history

Original series

The original title ran for eight years and 59 issues.[1][2] It started with issue #12 (June–July 1972), continuing the numbering from the second volume of All-Star Western two issues after the first appearance of Jonah Hex.[3] The title's name was partially inspired by the sales success of Weird War Tales,[4] and signaled the loosening standards of the outdated Comics Code Authority.[5]

When Jonah Hex received his own eponymous series,[6] he was replaced as the lead feature of Weird Western Tales by Scalphunter as of issue #39 (March–April 1977).[7] The character Cinnamon was introduced in issue #48 (Sept.–Oct. 1978) by writer Roger McKenzie and artist Dick Ayers.[8] The final issue was #70 (August 1980).[1]

Revival

Weird Western Tales was revived in 2001 as a four-issue limited series.[9] This series had no relation to the earlier title, instead featuring a series of one-shot Western-based stories.

Blackest Night

A one-shot revival of the series utilizing the original numbering #71 (March 2010)[10] was published as a tie-in to the Blackest Night limited series.[11]

Collected editions
  • Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex
    • Volume 1 includes Weird Western Tales #12–14 and 16–33, 528 pages, November 2005, ISBN 1-4012-0760-X
    • Volume 2 includes Weird Western Tales #34–38, 544 pages, March 2014, ISBN 978-1401241063

See also

References
  1. Weird Western Tales at the Grand Comics Database
  2. Overstreet, Robert M. (2019). Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (49th ed.). Timonium, Maryland: Gemstone Publishing. p. 1148. ISBN 978-1603602334.
  3. McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. An instant hit with fans, Jonah Hex quickly overshadowed the other stars of All-Star Western. The series was renamed Weird Western Tales two issues later.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. Daniels, Les (1995). DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York, New York: Bulfinch Press. p. 153. ISBN 0821220764. 'Carmine Infantino and I found out that the word weird sold well.' [editor Joe] Orlando recalls. 'So DC created Weird War and Weird Western.'
  5. Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 82. ISBN 978-1605490564.
  6. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 173: "In true nomad fashion, disfigured gunman Jonah Hex rode his horse out of Weird Western Tales and into his own comic."
  7. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 173: "With scarred gunslinger Jonah Hex riding off into his own series, writer Michael Fleisher and artist Dick Ayers produced a new outcast to headline Weird Western Tales. Scalphunter was 'a man who lived in two worlds, but was at home in neither.'"
  8. Beatty, Scott (2008), "Cinnamon I", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley, p. 83, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5
  9. Weird Western Tales vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database
  10. Weird Western Tales #71 at the Grand Comics Database
  11. Schedeen, Jesse (October 12, 2009). "DC Reveals Plans for Blackest Night in January". IGN. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
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