Fiona Staples & Jeff Lemire Draw 'Jonah Hex' [Preview]

On sale this week is, believe it or not, the 66th issue of DC Comics' Jonah Hex. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, the ongoing series about the gritty Western anti-hero has seen a who's who of excellent comic book artists contribute both covers and interior artwork, including Paul Gulacy, Phil Noto, Russ Heath, John Higgins, Darwyn Cooke, J.H. Williams III, Billy Tucci, Dick Giordano and more. Add to that roster Fiona Staples, the Canadian artist whose work on the DV8: Gods and Monsters covers made that book such a unique presence on the stands (but not on the trade paperback cover -- boooo) and Jeff Lemire, another Canadian whose work on Essex County and Sweet Tooth have earned him many fans at this site. DC Comics has released a preview of Staples' work on Jonah Hex #66 and a look at Lemire's cover for issue #69, both of which you can check out below.

I love Westerns and this was my first time getting to draw one, so I really enjoyed tackling the scarred faces, period clothing and harsh environment. This particular story had a bit of a horror aspect too, so it was right up my alley! Of course, the best part of all was drawing Jonah's famous messed-up face and contorting it into different expressions (mostly variations of "stoic" and "disgusted") as he reacts to the weirdness going on around him.

DC promises some kind of exciting Jonah Hex announcement in the near future, but for now we can enjoy Staples' work on the series.