Weird Western Tales

Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics

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
Publisher| DC Comics
Schedule| Bimonthly/Monthly
Format| Ongoing series
Publication date|

List

* (vol. 1)
June–July 1972 – August 1980
(vol. 2)
April 2001–July 2001

No. of issues|

List

* Vol. 1: 59
Vol. 2: 4

Main character(s)| Jonah Hex
Scalphunter
Cinnamon
Creative team
Written by|

List

* John Albano
Cary Bates
Michael Fleisher
Gerry Conway
Roger McKenzie

Penciller(s)|

List

* Tony DeZuniga
Neal Adams
Gil Kane
Bill Draut
Alfredo Alcala
José Luis García-López
Howard Chaykin
Dick Ayers

Inker(s)|

List

* Frank Springer
George Evans
Danny Bulanadi
Luis Dominguez
Romeo Tanghal

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.

## Publication history

[edit]

### Original series

[edit]

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name was partially inspired by the sales success of Weird War Tales,[4] and signaled the loosening standards of the outdated Comics Code Authority.[5]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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

* High Moon
* Weird West, the cross-genre

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b 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 (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). 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."
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 978-0-7566-4119-1
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, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2012.

## External links

[edit]

* Weird Western Tales at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
* Weird Western Tales vol. 2 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
* Weird Western Tales and Weird Western Tales vol. 2 at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

* v
* t
* e

DC Comics Mystery Titles

Titles|

* House of Mystery
* House of Secrets
* Tales of the Unexpected
* The Unexpected
* The Witching Hour
* Ghosts
* Secrets of Sinister House
* Secrets of Haunted House
* Tales of Ghost Castle
* Weird Mystery Tales
* Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion
* Sensation Mystery

Related titles|

* Weird War Tales
* Weird Western Tales
* Plop!
* Doorway to Nightmare
* Strange Adventures

Characters|

* Swamp Thing
* Cain and Abel
* Eve
* I…Vampire
* Mister E
* Doctor Thirteen
* Madame Xanadu
* Phantom Stranger
* Eclipso
* Mark Merlin/Prince Ra-Man
* Enchantress
* Deadman

Editors|

* Joe Orlando
* Len Wein
* E. Nelson Bridwell
* Karen Berger

* v
* t
* e

DC Comics Western characters

Heroes|

* Bat Lash
* Cinnamon
* El Diablo
* Jonah Hex
* Nighthawk
* Pow Wow Smith
* Scalphunter
* Stuff the Chinatown Kid
* Super-Chief
* Tomahawk
* Johnny Thunder (John Tane)
* Trigger Twins
* Vigilante

Villains|

* El Papagayo
* Pistolera
* Terra-Man
* Quentin Turnbull

Publications|

* All-American Comics
* All-Star Western
* High Moon
* Jonah Hex: No Way Back
* Justice Riders
* The Kents
* Loveless
* Weird Western Tales
* Western Comics

Real-life characters|

* Frontier Fighters (featuring Buffalo Bill, Davy Crockett and Kit Carson)
* The Legends of Daniel Boone

In other media|

* The Vigilante
* Jonah Hex
* DC Showcase: Jonah Hex

* v
* t
* e

Jonah Hex

* John Albano
* Tony DeZuniga
* Michael Fleisher

Supporting characters|

* Amadeus Arkham
* Bat Lash
* Cinnamon
* El Diablo
* Jinny Hex
* Nighthawk
* Pow Wow Smith
* Scalphunter
* Super-Chief
* Tomahawk

Five Warriors from Forever|

* Black Pirate
* Enemy Ace
* Viking Prince

Publications|

* All-Star Western
* Weird Western Tales
* Jonah Hex: No Way Back
* Jonah Hex: Shadows West

In other media|

* Jonah Hex
* soundtrack
* DC Showcase: Jonah Hex
* Legends of Tomorrow
* "The Magnificent Eight"
* "Outlaw Country"
* "The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly"
* The Flash
* "Welcome to Earth-2"
* Batwoman
* "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 2"

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