On The Cheap: Get Most Of Darwyn Cooke’s DC Work For Under $50

Of the many artistic talents to pass through DC Comics, few have as distinctive a style as Darwyn Cooke. Taking an aesthetic rooted in both Jack Kirby and 1950s magazine illustration, Cooke has carved out a distinctive identity as the artist behind such hits as New Frontier, the Catwoman original graphic novel Selina's Big Score, and The Spirit, leaving perhaps the most distinctive mark on that last character since his creator, Will Eisner.

Now until the 16th, thanks to Comixology, you get a chance to check out the vast majority of his DC Comics work, all for under $50. The marquee item here is of course New Frontier, and you can get the entire six-issue miniseries and a later one-shot for under $15. That's a great deal, but if you already have that series and you're looking for a fresh recommendation, we'd strongly suggest picking up Jonah Hex #50.

Jonah Hex, which ran from 2006-2011, was written entirely by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, the great unsung tag team of comics writing, and was a series built mostly around one-and-dones that prided itself on having a different artist with every issue.

Cooke previously drew Jonah Hex #33, but he was called upon again for #50, "The Great Silence." The result is both a fantastic intro to who Jonah Hex is as a character --- this issue was responsible for Hex becoming my favorite comics character of all time --- and a wonderful anniversary issue.

Taking place over an entire year, "Silence" sees Jonah Hex and the scarred, one-eyed beauty Tallulah Black hook up in a bar after a job, then go their separate ways. A pregnant Tallulah goes on to build a new life for herself while Hex finds himself taking a bounty involving 50 outlaws. The climax is genuinely heartrending, and Cooke's gorgeous art --- and Dave Stewart's perfect coloring --- is the reason why.

There are many more goodies in the sale, like Cooke's Eisner-winning issue of Solo, and his incredibly fun Batman/The Spirit one-shot, but "The Great Silence" is easily the biggest get in the sale. Snatch it up; it's good stuff.