DC Showcase: Jonah Hex

Hex is a scarred bounty hunter who travels a harsh frontier where justice wears a dusty coat and a gun. He tracks down criminals with a cool calm that hides a violent past. When his latest quarry is about to be closed, a ruthless brothel madame cuts him off by killing the target, leaving Hex with a burning need for payback. The moment sets a chase that moves through sunlit wastelands and dimly lit rooms, tallying clues and eclipsed loyalties along the way. The tale favors stoic mood over flashy action, leaning into a Western noir atmosphere. It presents Hex as a man shaped by violence who still insists on his own code. The animation emphasizes contrasts and restrained dialogue.

Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, this piece reimagines a DC Comics gunslinger and serves as one of the DC Showcase animated shorts released in 2010. It draws on the world crafted by Joe R. Lansdale, Phil Noto and Justin Gray.

Box office data were not published because the short appeared primarily on home video and digital releases rather than in theaters. It was released as part of the DC Showcase collection, aimed at collectors and fans of animated DC properties.

While not a box office blockbuster the short nonetheless broadens the DC animated universe by presenting Hex as a stoic antihero with a Western noir tone. Viewers praise the moody visuals, crisp animation and a strong voice cast that gives new texture to a niche character for fans of genre.

Critics generally respond to the short with appreciation for its lean storytelling and atmosphere rather than big spectacle. The themes center on vengeance versus mercy, the toll of violence on a haunted hero, and whether loyalty to a code can survive brutal realities. This part adds quiet mood and weight.