Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death #1 by Michael Walsh (writes and draws) arrives Wednesday, October 7, 2026 as a DC Next Level series, according to Bleeding Cool’s lettered-preview coverage. Issue #1 is $3.99 / 32 pages (variant $4.99 card stock) and is solicited as 1 of 6.
Pitch: Hex in the quiet town of Ashecott notices otherworldly entities and a child with mysterious abilities — a chance at redemption against something older and darker than ordinary outlaws. Walsh (Exquisite Corpses) leans into horror-tinged Western tone. The series was confirmed at DC’s Next Level SDCC panel; this window’s news is the lettered interior look ahead of next week’s on-sale.
For US Direct Market readers, October 7 is a hard on-sale reminder with preview pages — useful FOC follow-through for shops that already ordered the Next Level Hex. Treat it as a dated next-week beat even if the solicit itself is older.
It lands the same early-October DC window as mobile/webcomics event coverage already on RCG: DC GO! Runway to Ruin Crossover Starts Oct. 1. Different imprint and tone (horror Hex vs GO! comedy crossover), same publisher calendar cluster.
Retailers and Absolute/Next Level readers should treat October 7 as the order-and-pull day for Walsh’s Hex, with the lettered Ashecott preview as the spoiler-light sales tool already circulating. The $3.99 main and $4.99 card-stock variant give shops the usual two-cover mix. Framing as 1-of-6 means this is a short horror-Western run, not an open-ended ongoing — useful for readers who want a complete Walsh package without a years-long commitment.
What we are not saying: we are not spoiling the full six-issue arc, inventing creative teams for later issues beyond Walsh on #1, or claiming Absolute Universe crossovers. Report #1 on sale October 7, 2026 at $3.99 as DC/Bleeding Cool framed it.
