As promised, following co-writer Justin Gray's comments from yesterday, we bring you Jimmy Palmiotti's thoughts on the series hitting #50, plus a few lovely preview pages. Take it away, Jimmy:

In the 70’s, John Albano and Tony DeZuniga knocked it out of the park. Simple as that.

Getting to write a character I read as a child was something I would never have dreamed about happening, and now sitting here looking back a the 49 issues that came before this…well, it’s a type of surreal joy for me. Justin and I both understood the expectations put upon us by the die hard fans when we started the series and now looking back, consider ourselves totally blessed by the talented artists that helped us along the way and totally understand that the success is just as much because of their part in Jonah’s adventures.

Having the award winning Darwyn Cooke on board for the 50th issue makes this giant sized anniversary book something extraordinary all around. Add to that the constant support of our friends and colleagues at DC and we have an anniversary worth celebrating. If you never gave this book a shot in the past because of some preconceived notion of western comics, I recommend you give this issue a shot. Darwyn’s storytelling is classic in every sense of the word and trust me, this story itself will make you laugh, cry and feel like you just were part of something special.

Last, but not least, we would personally like to thank the fans and retailers all over the world that stuck with us, supported the book and especially those vocal few who made it their business to recommend Jonah Hex to those around them. This kind of undying love for the character has made it possible for us all to be here, over 4 years later, celebrating one of the most violently fascinating comic book characters ever created.

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