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Introduction
He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name
in whispers. They say hes killed more men than Hell has souls. He had no friends, this Jonah
Hex, but he did have two companions: One was death itself the other, the acrid smell of
gunsmoke. Oh, and a buttload of money of course.
In the 45 years since his creation in 1972, Jonah Woodson Hex has grown to become
the hideously scarred face of DC Comics wild west. In that time, he has killed over a thousand
men, been married twice, fought in the Civil War, traveled through time at least four times, and
most importantly, collected many bounties and received many payments for services rendered.
But just how much money did the former reb make in his lifetime? And what would that money
be worth today? This is what I aimed to find out, by reading every appearance of the infamous
bounty hunter.
The Process
Now, how does one go about calculating the fictional net worth of a fictional character?
Well, like any other net worth, of course. By adding up all the profits and assets, and subtracting
all the expenses. Throughout each appearance, I noted when Hex completed a contract and
received money or lost supplies that needed to be restocked and/or lost any money.
Unlike other financial inquiries, though, its significantly harder to find documents to audit
when they are over 100 years old, not to mention the fact that Jonah Hex is a fictional character.
Hell, most of the contracts Hex took never stated a dollar amount. So how how do we know
what Jonah has in assets and profits? We get our answer in J onah Hex Vol. 1 #19, where Hex
states his standard rate for a contract was $5,000, so any contract that isnt given a stated
amount will be assumed to be $5,000. Assets and their values will be evaluated and added at
the final balance, after all appearances.
So we have a process for figuring out profits,but what are the expenses for a famous
bounty hunter? For starters, Jonah spends a lot of time on his own on the trail. So he needs
basic survival supplies like food, coffee, spare pants, and toiletries. He also tends to lose many
horses, saddles, and harnesses, mostly to bullets. Hex loses his Co lt 45.s Remington rifles,
shotguns, and ammo just as much.
Using the prices and wages manuscripts from the National Park Service[1] and the
Library of the University of Missouri [2], we can put together an accurate price guide for anytime
Jonah loses any of his supplies. Putting those together, you have...
Resupply: Dried apricots, dried apples, dried figs, dried peaches, beef jerky, coffee,
toiletries, spare clothes = $6.67, $128.47 with inflation.
Saddle Up: good saddle horse, cowboy saddle, harness = $310, $5,971.03 with
inflation.
Lock And Load: Matching ivory Colt .45s, Shotgun, Repeating Rifle, ammo boxes =
$211.50, $4,073.79 with inflation.
Full Restock: Resupply, Saddle Up, Lock And Load combined = $528.17, $10,173.29
with inflation.
So anytime these words are put on an issue, we will know to subtract that amount from
whatever the total is at the moment. There is also need to account for other various purchases
and services rendered that aren't a regular occurrence like the cost of a doctor[3], a cannon and
ammo[4], a minigun[2], Train costs[2], hotel stays and whiskey[2], and anything he may have bought
in the future[5-15].
So now we have the Profits, the assets, and the expenses covered, the only thing left is
to do the hard work, and to tally up all the money exchanged in all of the characters
appearances. I will also be showing the total balance in todays money after each regular
balance is added, to make it easier to picture the amount of money we are dealing with using an
inflation calendar[16]. The modern total might wobble a bit depending on what year is being used
for inflation, but that doesn't really matter until the end, it is just a guideline for now. So without
further ado, see you on the other side.
Buffalo Hunter/Army Scout: (Jonah Hex Vol. 1 #8) After leaving the tribe, Jonah
worked as a buffalo hunter and then a tracker and scout for the Army from mid 1854 up
until the Civil War. The highest rank a scout can have is Sergeant, so Jonah will be
assumed to have that rank. This entitles him to $17 a month[17]. Total Balance: $1,275,
$34,573.03 with inflation.
Confederate Cavalry: (Jonah Hex Vol. 1 #30) Jonah served for the entire war, up until 2
weeks after surrendering at appomattox courthouse, as a lieutenant in the cavalry,
entitling him to $90 each month[17]. Total Balance: $5,320, $84,778.04 with inflation.
Jonah first appeared in All Star Western Vol. 2 #10 in 1972 with John Albano Sr. and
Tony DeZuniga as creators. This book turned into Weird Western Tales not 2 issues later. From
there, he would be the star of the series up until he would receive his own 92-issue solo book
right up until Crisis On Infinite Earths. This section deals with the beginnings of the Jonah Hex
mythos, and is divided by showcase volumes. (Note: Showcase Vol. 3 - 5 do not exist, but were
used as a reference point on how they would divide the rest of the series not collected.)
Showcase Vol. 1
Showcase Vol. 2
Showcase Vol. 3
Showcase Vol. 4
HEX!
Guns of Vengeance
Origins
Lead Poisoning
The Six Gun War: Part One Of Six: (Jonah Hex Vol. 2 #44)
No contract, no pay.
All Supplies lost, but cannot recover them right now.
Total Balance: $357,475.73, $9,343,641.95 with inflation.
The Six Gun War: Part Two Of Six: (Jonah Hex Vol. 2 #45)
No contract, no pay.
Full Restock. -$528.17
Total Balance: $358,115.06, $9,035,089.44 with inflation.
The Six Gun War: Part Three Of Six: (Jonah Hex Vol. 2 #46)
No contract, no pay.
No supplies lost.
Total Balance: $358,115.06, $9,035,089.44 with inflation.
The Six Gun War: Part Four Of Six: (Jonah Hex Vol. 2 #47)
No contract, no pay
Whiskey, -$0.75.
No supplies lost.
Total Balance: $358,114.31, $9,035,070.52 with inflation.
The Six Gun War: Part Five Of Six:(Jonah Hex Vol. 2 #48)
No contract, no pay.
No supplies lost.
Total Balance: $358,114.31, $9,035,070.52 with inflation.
The Six Gun War: Part Six Of Six:(Jonah Hex Vol. 2 #49)
No contract, no pay.
No supplies lost.
Total Balance: $358,114.31, $9,035,070.52 with inflation.
Counting Corpses
Tall Tales
Bury Me in Hell
The New 52
The Flashpoint changed everything, and Jonah Hex was no exception. The previous
book was replaced by the new, third volume of All Star Western, and was still written by Justin
Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. This book at first focused on Jonah Hex in Gotham City, later
travelling to the future thanks to Booster Gold, and was an attempt to bring Jonah into the new,
more streamlined DC Universe of the time, while also being a world-building book for the wild
west section of DC comics in this new continuity of a post-Flashpoint world.
The Book ran for 35 issues and ended in 2014, and Jonah hasn't had a series or a
special up until June 2017 when he teamed up with the likes of Yosemite Sam and Foghorn
Leghorn of Looney Toons fame.
Gold Standard
+
$27,260 $2,716,200 $444,600
+
$3,188,060
491 66 $20 coins = $982,000 1 66 $5 coin = $1,340 4 66 $1 coin = $2,100 2 66 50 coins = $250
491 67 $20 coins = $908,350 1 67 $5 coin = $1,500 4 67 $1 coin = $1,920 2 67 50 coins = $250
491 68 $20 coins = $932,900 1 68 $5 coin = $750 4 68 $1 coin = $1,400 2 68 50 coins = $270
491 69 $20 coins = $932,900 1 69 $5 coin = $900 4 69 $1 coin = $1,560 2 69 50 coins = $190
491 70 $20 coins = $105,565,000 1 70 $5 coin = $15,000 4 70 $1 coin = $2,340 2 70 50 coins = $15,500
491 71 $20 coins = $8,101,500 1 71 $5 coin = $3,850 4 71 $1 coin = $1,320 2 71 50 coins = $3,350
491 72 $20 coins = $2,086,750 1 72 $5 coin = $3,300 4 72 $1 coin = $1,320 2 72 50 coins = $2,200
491 73 $20 coins = $2,037,650 1 73 $5 coin = $7,650 4 73 $1 coin = $1,840 2 73 50 coins = $2,550
491 74 $20 coins = $1,792,150 1 74 $5 coin = $2,750 4 74 $1 coin = $1,000 2 74 50 coins = $6,500
491 75 $20 coins = $1,644,850 1 75 $5 coin = $4,200 4 75 $1 coin = $14,200 2 75 50 coins = $560
491 76 $20 coins = $1,522,100 1 76 $5 coin = $4,050 4 76 $1 coin = $1,400 2 76 50 coins = $460
491 77 $20 coins = $1,571,200 1 77 $5 coin = $3,250 4 77 $1 coin = $1,200 2 77 50 coins = $450
491 78 $20 coins = $2,405,900 1 78 $5 coin = $4,250 4 78 $1 coin = $1,200 2 78 50 coins = $6,000
491 79 $20 coins = $2,455,000 1 79 $5 coin = $2,150 4 79 $1 coin = $960 2 79 50 coins = $1,250
491 80 $20 coins = $748,775 1 80 $5 coin = $1,300 4 80 $1 coin = $960 2 80 50 coins = $1,230
491 81 $20 coins = $748,775 1 81 $5 coin = $1,750 4 81 $1 coin = $960 2 81 50 coins = $1,230
491 82 $20 coins = $1,350,250 1 82 $5 coin = $1,000 4 82 $1 coin = $960 2 82 50 coins = $1,270
491 83 $20 coins = $1,301,150 1 83 $5 coin = $1,750 4 83 $1 coin = $960 2 83 50 coins = $1,300
491 84 $20 coins = $1,276,600 1 84 $5 coin = $1,250 4 84 $1 coin = $960 2 84 50 coins = $1,350
491 85 $20 coins = $2,823,250 1 85 $5 coin = $385 4 85 $1 coin = $960 2 85 50 coins = $1,330
491 86 $20 coins = $13,011,500 1 86 $5 coin = $385 4 86 $1 coin = $960 2 86 50 coins = $1,450
491 87 $20 coins = $748,775 1 87 $5 coin = $385 4 87 $1 coin = $960 2 87 50 coins = $1,470
491 88 $20 coins = $748,775 1 88 $5 coin = $390 4 88 $1 coin = $960 2 88 50 coins = $1,380
491 89 $20 coins = $1,399,350 1 89 $5 coin = $575 4 89 $1 coin = $960 2 89 50 coins = $1,310
491 90 $20 coins = $1,350,250 1 90 $5 coin = $850 4 90 $1 coin = $520 2 90 50 coins = $1,250
491 91 $20 coins = $3,928,000 1 91 $5 coin = $800 4 91 $1 coin = $580 2 91 50 coins = $310
491 92 $20 coins = $1,399,350 1 92 $5 coin = $790 4 92 $1 coin = $1,240 2 92 50 coins = $1,220
493 93 $20 coins = $1,473,000 1 93 $5 coin = $850 4 93 $1 coin = $2,920 2 93 50 coins = $1,480
491 94 $20 coins = $748,775 1 94 $5 coin = $515 4 94 $1 coin = $460 2 94 50 coins = $370
491 95 $20 coins = $748,775 1 95 $5 coin = $500 4 95 $1 coin = $3,400 2 95 50 coins = $470
491 96 $20 coins = $748,775 1 96 $5 coin = $490 4 96 $1 coin = $300 2 96 50 coins = $1,040
491 97 $20 coins = $748,775 1 97 $5 coin = $415 4 97 $1 coin = $152 2 97 50 coins = $1,300
491 98 $20 coins = $748,775 1 98 $5 coin = $385 4 98 $1 coin = $180 2 98 50 coins = $370
491 99 $20 coins = $748,775 1 99 $5 coin = $385 4 99 $1 coin = $180 2 99 50 coins = $340
491 00 $20 coins = $748,775 1 00 $5 coin = $385 4 00 $1 coin = $180 2 00 50 coins = $250
491 01 $20 coins = $748,775 1 01 $5 coin = $385 4 01 $1 coin = $200 2 01 50 coins = $1,050
491 02 $20 coins = $748,775 1 02 $5 coin = $385 4 02 $1 coin = $640 2 02 50 coins = $400
491 03 $20 coins = $748,775 1 03 $5 coin = $385 4 03 $1 coin = $760 2 03 50 coins = $300
491 04 $20 coins = $748,775 1 04 $5 coin = $425 4 04 $1 coin = $400 2 04 50 coins = $2,450
+
$173,482,575 $72,055 $55,472 $65,700
Other Totals
Okay, so thats a lot. That $749,866.45 turns into $281,066,933.50 in todays money.
That has to be the final balance, right? Not just yet. Hex also received other valuables as
payment for his services instead of cash. Things like rare pesos, claims to land out in Utah and
New Mexico, an antique pocket watch, and 30% of a Wayne casino. He also had spent some
money when he was out in modern day, so that will have to be subtracted from the final total as
well. For totals like the peso, I simply used the NCG database once more[21]. But for things like
the soames, the land claims, and the trinkets, I had to look for more detailed sources[28-31].
Now let's talk about the casino, In All Star Western Vol. 3 #18, Jonah Hex is rewarded
30% of the Wayne Casino by Alan Wayne himself for recovering his wife from the hands of
Vandal Savage in a plague ridden part of Gotham City. Since Gotham is often stated to be in
New Jersey, its safe to assume that the casino would be comparable to the casinos in Atlantic
City. Looking at the Most recent revenue reports of the Atlantic City casinos[32], I picked the most
successful one, The Borgata. (Cause its a Wayne casino, of course its gonna be the most
successful.) Today, the Borgata has a net worth of over 2 billion! We take 30% of it for todays
balance, bring it through the inflation calculator[16] for the 1800s balance, and combine it all with
the other totals, and you have...
Pesos Total Balance: $100,000, $4,500,000 with inflation.
Soames Total Balance: Chemical tablets for purifying water. Value in todays market is
$1.40 $12,953, $18,134.20 today.
Land Claims Total Balance: $1,000, $1,004,720 with inflation.
Trinkets Total Balance: $25, $25,500 with inflation.
Casino Balance: $2 8,973,129.80, $784,966,500 with inflation
Modern Balance: $3,915.59, $7,397 with inflation. To be subtracted from final balance.
With these other totals figured out, we have all we need to get the final balance!
Final Balance
So now all thats left is to is to add it all up, and see what we get! A couple words before
that though. First Off, this total was always going to be a ballpark number, we truly dont know
how much of the total balance is is coins or cash. There is also no way to know the individual
prices of things like hotels, drinks, and other supplies throughout every fictional town in the
west. Not to mention there may just be things I missed that could add or subtract from the total
in and of itself. Now, lets stop stalling, and see that final number! Our final balance is
Final Balance
$744,368.45 $277,044,860.00
$100,000.00 $4,500,000.00
$1,000.00 $1,004,270.00
$7,798.00 $211,254.95
$25.00 $25,500.00
$12,953.00 $18,134.20
+
$866,144.45 $282,804,019.15
$3,915.59 $7,397.00
-
$862,228.86 $282,796,622.15
$28,973,129.80 $784,966,500.00
+
$29,835,358.66 $1,067,763,122.15
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