When it comes to new comics, especially independent books by untested creators, the best way to get my attention is to do something daring and different. Jonas started out looking like something I've seen before, a western/horror blend, and I thought it was capable but not much more. Once I got into the second issue and learned the secret of the setting, though, I was more intrigued, especially with the way that Colin blends the western genre with religious zealotry and a strange, almost hallucinatory worldview. I have my gripes about Jonas, including some unfortunate typos that make it appear a little rough at times, and some occasional troubles reading Colin's unusual painted art style, but by the time the second issue had ended, I was curious to see where Colin was going with it.
From early on, I could tell that Jonas was going to be something unusual. It stars a marshal (calling himself an Ironstar) with a dark secret that drove him into his lonely profession, which isn't terribly new. What is new is that his dark secret involves his role in a snake-worshipping branch of Christian-based faith and a hallucination that caused him to take the life of his son. This was a bizarre backstory for the character to have, and combined with his plain-speaking narration, I had started to think that Jonas might actually be a little simple-minded, which is unusual for your protagonist if he's not named Forrest Gump.
That's when I got to the second issue and discovered that Jonas speaks differently because Tales of an Ironstar isn't set in the Old West. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world that has begun to mirror aspects of the Old West. Now, this isn't a totally unknown trick either, but Colin sets it up in a way that I didn't see it coming, and his inclusion of strange mutant animals as a significant threat makes it more than just a goofy twist for shock value. Together with Jonas's strange narration, seemingly still tainted by the hallucinations that caused the death of his son, Colin gives a sort of trippy, weird style to Tales of an Ironstar that sets it apart from your usual western or post-apocalyptic tale.
If Jonas has a failing for me, it's largely in the artwork. Colin goes all out with full-color painted work, but while I appreciate his unusual color choices and watercolor style, for actual storytelling, it's not the ideal style. It conveys emotion and tone, but doesn't actually do a lot to clearly articulate action. Crucial story moments, like the death of Jonas's son in the first issue or Jonas's capture in the second, come through in emotion and generalities, but the specifics of the scene are a little hazy. I like the art, and it's certainly unusual, but I have to wonder if Colin is sacrificing clarity of storytelling in his colorful collage style of artwork.
Jonas: Tales of an Ironstar is an unusual entry in a couple of genres we don't see a lot of. Colin glosses over the details of how the world got to be this way, and even what it looks like in general, to focus in on a specific character and the role he's chosen to play, and it's an approach that pretty much works. Certainly worth a look if you're a fan of the western genre with a bit of a twist, although those who don't have a taste for a more experimental narrative and art style might find Jonas a bit off-putting. 6/10
