They have taken the old west character of Hex and put him in Gotham.  Since the title is All Star Western and not Jonah Hex, there is bound to be other old DC western characters.  So far Hex has shown up in Gotham in time to see a serial killer.  He is working with Dr. Arkham (of Arkham Asylum fame) to solve the mystery.

It has all the things you want in a western.  Gun fights, drinkin’, and bar fights. It is written by the team of Gray and Palmiotti. They have a flair for this time period and love to use the old west phrases like ‘rekin’ and over used phrases like that. Most of the time the character has a special appeal as mean guy who does good, but sometimes I got tired of him. I hope the other western characters show up soon.  I think a little Hex goes a long way.

The art is solid, but the coloring is off-putting.  It was given a brown wash over everything.  I guess this is to add a sepia-tone ‘old movie’ vibe. Like when they bleach film in order to make it look old.  But we don’t need the art to look old.  We get it, it is set in the old west.  We can tell by the buildings  and the clothes.  I hope they ditch that look quick.

An interesting concept that is different from the norm. B-      Don

The Jonah Hex comic has been consistently good to great, so if starting the series over as “All-Star Western” gets more attention for the book or at least gives them another excuse to bring in some of DC’s other western characters, I’m all for it.

That said, this book, while good, isn’t quite indicative of the best of the Jonah Hex series. There are a few tropes that constantly show up in Hex’s book, and seeing them all over again in a new series feels a little repetitive. Life is cheap in the West? Check. Prostitutes getting killed? Check. Someone makes a comment about Hex’s face? Check.

Still, when it’s a solid book, the same old thing all over again isn’t a bad thing.

B  —- Ed