One of the most interesting parts of this gig is that I get to talk with many of the writers and artists whose careers I follow. The very best part? When one of my favorite creators recommends someone's work that I haven't yet discovered. Enter Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. Their passion for Jordi Bernet is boundless. I have to confess that a few years ago, before their work together on JONAH HEX, I wasn't aware of Bernet's storied career. now, I eagerly track down his work for other publishers. Listen, I could sing Bernet’s praises all day long, but I couldn’t do any better than his collaborators. Here’s what Justin Gray has to say…

“A few words can't possibly encompass the skill and artistry that Jordi Bernet applies to his work and his art is something comic fans should pour over for years if they truly want to understand the medium of sequential storytelling. I can say with regard to our collaboration on Jonah Hex that there is a quality to our scripts that, although we've worked with many amazing and brilliantly talented artists, that quality embodies the Spaghetti Western in his issues. I say his issues because we always feel that when Jordi has a script he makes it his own. The words might serve as a map, but the art he creates gives it a life unexpected and it is always surprising in the best way possible.

“Jordi makes me feel like we're channeling one of my favorite western directors in Sergio Corbucci. There is so much that happens in that process and unless you're as mad about westerns as I am, and have seen as many, you'll never notice the texture and flavor that make the tales he illustrates. His ability to blend humor with intense drama and an incredible eye for detail is rarely seen. There's a poetic symbolism to his work that seems simple and yet is so complex it often slides past your eyes and directly into your brain. I've heard people refer to his work as being too cartoony for Hex, but the reality is he creates a visual mythology that is consistent with the kinds of westerns that kept the genre alive when it was stagnant and void of invention. The kinds of westerns that have offered inspiration for the last five and a half years of our contribution to Jonah Hex.”

Come back later for Palmiotti’s take on Bernet as well as some more pages from JONAH HEX #65.