Better he'p me... off'n this floor... boy! I-It's... cold. 
DC Special Series #16 is an issue of the series DC Special Series (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1978. It was published on August 15, 1978.
Synopsis for "The Last Bounty Hunter"
1904
An aging bounty hunter, Jonah Hex, gets the drop on the George Barrow Gang. He manages to gun down three of them, and drags their bodies to the town of Cheyenne to collect the bounty. While at the Sheriff's office, he meets an eager historian from Princeton named Michael Wheeler. Wheeler is excited to meet Hex and wants to write the definitive Jonah Hex biography. Hex is reluctant to the idea, but invites Wheeler back to his home and introduces him to his wife Tall Bird. Over the next several days, Jonah regales Wheeler with the story of his life.
A few days later, a man named Lew B. Farnham approaches Hex and asks him become a member of his traveling Wild West review show. He expects him to wear a ridiculous rhinestone studded costume and perform stunts for crowds. Wheeler is offended at the notion and tells Farnham that Jonah is not to be treated like a clown. Hex naturally refuses the offer and returns home with Michael.
When they reach Hex's cabin, they find the place in shambles and Tall Bird is missing. A note is left behind by George Barrow telling Hex where he can find her. Both men track Tall Bird down and rescue her. Wheeler's men flee, but Jonah manages to fire a shot into his shoulder. He curses his failing eyesight and his inability to get a kill-shot.
A short time later, George Barrow tracks Jonah down to a saloon where he finds him in the middle of a poker game. He withdraws a double-barrel shotgun and fires two shots into Jonah's stomach, killing him. Michael runs and finds Sheriff Hank Crawford. Crawford is sickened by the news of Jonah's death and goes to arrest Barrow. Barrow doesn't even attempt to escape justice. He surrenders to the sheriff, but Crawford is so enraged that he guns him down regardless.
Wheeler brings Jonah's body back to Tall Bird. Tall Bird wants to burn the body in accordance with Comanche funerary observations, but suddenly, Lew B. Farnham and his man Simon burst into the cabin and steal Hex's remains. Unable to use a living Jonah Hex for their Wild West Review, they instead have him stuffed and put on display. Over the years, Hex's body is moved from locale to locale.
Appearing in "The Last Bounty Hunter"
Featured Characters:
- Jonah Hex (Flashback and main story) (Dies)
Supporting Characters:
- Hank Crawford (Single appearance)
- Michael Wheeler (Single appearance)
- Tall Bird
Antagonists:
- George Barrow (First appearance; dies)
- Frank, Luke, Pete, Zeke
- L.B. Farnham (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Bill (Single appearance)
- Charlie (Single appearance)
- Ernie (Single appearance)
- Irene (Behind the scenes)
- Simon (Single appearance)
- Timothy (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Colt Revolver
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Bat Lash: "Chinatown"
Bat Lash finds himself in a fight inside of a gambling den in San Francisco, California. A gambler, angry after being accused of cheating, tries to shoot Bat Lash, but Lash outdraws him with a small Derringer secured in a pocket watch. Realizing that he is no longer welcome inside the casino, Bat takes his leave. A Chinese proprietor named Mister Ho steers Bat Lash towards another gambling hall in the Chinatown district. Bat Lash finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between Chinese businessmen and Irish mobsters. He saves a young girl named Pao Ling from a mobster named Flaherty and brings her safely back to the home of her father. Pao Ling explains that her father is a Chinese national who has earned the ire of a rival gang leader named Ho Gan. Ho Gan has been using Irish muscle to enforce his territory. Ho Gan's men kidnap Mister Ling and prepare to kill him. Bat Lash storms Ho Gan's room and saves the elderly Chinese man. He then helps Mister Ling and his daughter onto a ship that will take them back to China.
Appearing in Bat Lash: "Chinatown"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Pao Ling (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Flaherty (Single appearance)
- Ho Gan (Single appearance)
- Shaugnessy (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Chang (Single appearance)
- Mister Pao (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Colt Revolver
Synopsis for Scalphunter: "Rights of Passage"
While Scalphunter observes a slave chain-gang, he reflects upon his own origins and experiences with slavery. Born a white man, Scalphunter was raised by the Kiowa nation where he was given the name Ke-Woh-No-Tay, which means "He Who is Less than Human". Ke-Woh-No-Tay often found himself the subject of ridicule by his Kiowa peers, particularly the warrior Sixteen Hands Horse. Sixteen Hands Horse persistently referred to him as "Squaw Slave" and treated him like a dog. As Ke-Woh-No-Tay came of age, he volunteered to participate in the Sun Dance ritual. After enduring hours of excruciating physical hardship, Ke-Woh-No-Tay emerged from the dance a warrior. He challenged Sixteen Hands Horse to a trial by combat and soundly defeated him. The Kiowa chief told him that he has now earned himself the right to forge his own destiny. Shaking away the memories, Ke-Woh-No-Tay (now known as Scalphunter) leaps from his perch and attacks the Confederate soldiers persecuting the fugitive slaves.
Appearing in Scalphunter: "Rights of Passage"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Silver Running Fawn (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Sixteen Hands Horse (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Jeremiah (Single appearance)
- Kiowa Chief (Single appearance)
- Moses (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- None
Notes
- This issue chronicles the death of Jonah Hex, who was shot in the back by George Barrow in the year 1904. Following this story, Hex's corpse comes into the possession of Lew B. Farnham's Wild West Revue, where it is stuffed and used as a prop. Hex's remains will later become lost for many years until resurfacing again on the set of a Hollywood movie. Jonah Hex's corpse makes its next appearance in Secret Origins (Volume 2) #21.
- Tall Bird appears next as an aged woman in Secret Origins (Volume 2) #21.
- The Scalphunter story in this issue takes place in August of 1872.
- The Bat Lash story in this issue is reprinted in Showcase Presents: Bat Lash Vol. 1.
- Bat Lash appeared last in Bat Lash #7 and appears next in Jonah Hex #49.
Trivia
- The quote at the top of the page are the final words of Jonah Hex.