ALL STAR WESTERN #1

Review by: TheNextChampion

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Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art and cover by MORITAT

Size: 32 pages
Price: 3.99

Yes I am one of many people who did not read Jonah Hex in issue form. So many people praised the series for so long, I wondered why I never delved into DC’s Old West before. A year ago I started buying the Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray series in trade and I am so glad I did. Each issue of Jonah Hex is filled with so many intriguing stories, characters, and a wealth of artists that it feels like every issue was it’s own separate comic. Now with the new DCU, DC is still willing to give the Old West a try (even with low sales from before) with All-Star Western. Old, lovable Jonah Hex is along for the ride too. But shockingly, he’s going to be taken to a place we would never expect: Gotham City.

With this new run on Jonah Hex, the boys have decided to move Hex East to Old Gotham. Even before Batman existed this was pretty much a hell-hole with a ton of criminals and lowlifes populating the streets. I think Palimotti and Gray did more then enough to prove that with endless amounts of bar fights and alleyway scenes to show it. I think the guys also did a good job, at first anyways, using Amadeus Arkham as the central narrator for the piece. It would’ve been simple to just use an omnipresent narrator like before, but it’s clear the guys have big plans for Arkham. While it was a great issue all around, it did feel like the guys had TOO MUCH to work with on the first issue. It was interesting that they advertised back-up stories for the series yet there is none to speak of here. Maybe the guys felt they needed to explain the plot with all the pages available. But after a while it did get overbearing, it must be said. We didn’t need that many narration boxes to explain why Hex is who he is. We could have gotten just as much information for new readers without saying much.

Now we have a completely new artist taking the reigns for a Hex book with Moritat. He has been loved for ages with Elephantmen and recently with The Spirit (that I want to read) but this is the first time I’m seeing his art. It’s a weird style that I can’t quite pin down. It’s certainly has a cartoony style to it, but not too cartoony to make it stand out. If there is anything I can really say about the style is that it is a mix of Chris Bachalo with Rafa Garres. (With the case for Garres it’s not as ugly as his style but it’s similar. I particularly love the coloring in this which sets the tone right off with the first page. Normally a book filled with mostly browns wouldn’t look good. But it fits with the 19th Century setting of Old Gotham, which looks remarkably like Old England of the same century. (Heck people in Gotham talk like the British too) I do like some of the nice touches throughout the book. Like how the Police Chief slowly turns red as he gets angrier. Overall it’s an interesting style that takes some getting used too but it’s a solid start for the title.

So it is safe to say with me that I am now going to read a Jonah Hex monthly. Palmiotti and Gray do a great job reintroducing Jonah Hex while also starting a political murder mystery in the process. Sometimes the narration goes a bit overboard towards the end, but at the end it’s not a deal breaker. The art by Moritat does take some getting used to but it’s a style I grew to love. It’s dirty, but really beautiful at the same time (if that makes sense). I do want to see the backup stories come into play next time though, which we should get with Jordi Bernet next month!

Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 5 - Excellent

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