DC's iconic Western antihero, Jonah Hex, known for his ruthless bounty hunting, is embarking on a new path in Michael Walsh's six-part series, Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death. This supernatural horror story injects the character into a world of existential dread and spectral entities, as he confronts an ancient evil in the town of Ashecott.
The narrative pits Hex against a malevolent force that preys on the inhabitants and seeks to capture a child with mysterious abilities. However, Hex finds himself not only confronting this otherworldly threat but also seeing an opportunity for personal redemption. The series draws comparisons to titles like Something Is Killing the Children and Walsh's own Exquisite Corpses, aiming for a highly graphic tone without resorting to overt gore, adhering to DC's publishing standards.
A Collaborative Vision
The creative engine behind Shadow of Death is the married team of writer and artist Michael Walsh, and colorist Toni-Marie Griffin. Their domestic partnership directly influences their creative process, allowing for a fluid and immediate collaboration. Walsh described this as being able to "nudge Toni’s shoulder" for instant feedback, fostering a dynamic that avoids lengthy explanations and allows their work to evolve organically.
This close collaboration is crucial for the book's thematic depth, which explores guilt and self-reflection, themes the creators suggest are informed by their experiences with parenthood. Walsh's artwork emphasizes texture, from the rough-hewn elements of the Old West to the grittier, more visceral aspects of horror. He employs Ben Day-style halftones to add dimension and shape to his figures.
Griffin's color palette intentionally subverts traditional Western aesthetics. While initial scenes feature the expected warm desert tones, the arrival of supernatural elements is signaled by jarring, unexpected colors like vibrant purples and strange greens. "I just really wanted stuff to feel odd," Griffin stated. This contrast between warm and cool tones is designed to create a sense of unease and otherworldliness, making the supernatural intrusions feel particularly unsettling.
Griffin also developed custom watercolor textures for the book. These textures shift and evolve with the narrative, remaining subtle in grounded scenes but becoming more unstable and splattery when the supernatural elements manifest, mirroring the chaos of spilled blood and encroaching darkness.
Influences and Evolution
Walsh's artistic influences lean towards body horror and visceral imagery, citing directors and writers such as David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King, as well as contemporary horror films like Titane and Raw. Griffin, conversely, is drawn more to atmospheric thrillers and the visual language of horror. This interplay of influences shapes how the horror elements are presented, with Walsh focusing on creature design and unsettling imagery while Griffin curates the mood through color and composition.
Working within DC's content guidelines presents a unique challenge for Walsh, who often utilizes explicit gore in his creator-owned work. This restriction forces him to rely on creativity, focusing on supernatural imagery, creature design, and pacing to build suspense rather than relying on explicit violence.
A Deepening Mythology
Beyond the supernatural horror, Shadow of Death delves into a more fundamental Western trope: the reckoning with one's past. The series explores the possibility of a man like Hex confronting the morality of his actions and questioning the justice of the lives he has taken. This introspective element connects the supernatural nightmare to the classic Western theme of a gunslinger unable to escape the consequences of their history.
While Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death is planned as a six-issue series, Walsh has expressed a desire to expand the mythology further. He envisions the current story as the first act of a larger narrative that could explore more of the Wild West and its supernatural underpinnings. Griffin has hinted that future installments, should they occur, would become "way more creepy."
Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death #1 is scheduled for release on October 7th.