All-Star Western 3 (January 2012)

There’s something missing from this issue. There’s lots of Western action–including a great scene of a gatling gun taking out Hex’s associates on a Gotham street–and the atmosphere is amazing. So it’s not that part of it… it’s the rest.

There’s no story.

Gray and Palmiotti resolve their lame cliffhanger in a page, so fast I didn’t even realize what happened, and then things race along. There are a bunch of conversations, an action scene, and the revelation Hex has something else to do in Gotham.

All the conspiracy stuff and character development are gone. But the issue’s so fun… I didn’t realize it until I had finished reading.

Moritat is getting a little loose, but he still delivers.

The El Diablo back-up is weak, except for Jordi Bernet’s art. It’s really talky and Gray and Palmiotti seem to be going for an ominous finish. They fail.

CREDITS

No News Is Good; artist, Moritat; colorist, Gabriel Bautista. El Diablo; artist, Jordi Bernet; colorist, Rob Schwager. Writers, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Kate Stewart and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.

All-Star Western 2 (December 2011)

First off, this comic is good.

I don’t plan on getting too negative sounding, but in case I do… I wanted to open saying it’s good. Gray and Palmiotti have found their niche with Jonah Hex.

And this issue has an El Diablo backup, which is extra nice because it provides a great example of what I wanted to talk about. The cliffhanger on the Hex story is terrible. He’s in danger. A giant is about to pop his head off.

Now, I do not believe for one moment Hex is going to die. It’s a waste of a page. The El Diablo backup, on the other hand, has a rousing soft cliffhanger—El Diablo is about to kick ass.

It’s strange to have both in the same issue, by the same writers.

The puzzling cliffhanger problem aside, it’s great stuff.

Moritat opens the Hex story with a fantastic shootout.

CREDITS

Showdown at House Arkham; artist, Moritat; colorist, Gabriel Bautista. El Diablo; writers, Gray and Palmiotti; artist, Jordi Bernet; colorist, Rob Schwager. Writers, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Kate Stewart and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.

All-Star Western 1 (November 2011)

Probably foolishly, I always ignored Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti’s Jonah Hex. They relaunch the title here, in All-Star Western and it’s one of the best DC relaunch books.

Maybe because Gray and Palmiotti aren’t really relaunching anything.

The issue takes Hex to Gotham City as it’s being founded and gets him involved in a mystery with Professor Arkham. Or Doctor Arkham. I can’t remember. Arkham narrates to great effect, spinning his wheels about Hex’s psychology while laying out the developments in their investigation too.

It’s really… neat. Gray and Palmiotti sort of embrace the idea of being a DC fan. There’s all sorts of mentions of ancestors to familiar cast members–Mayor Cobblepot, a Wayne, maybe something else. It feels more like a DC limited series from the nineties, Jonah Hex travels through DC’s history, and it works really well.

Of course, having Moritat’s excellent artwork doesn’t hurt.

CREDITS

Writers, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; artist, Moritat; colorist, Gabriel Bautista; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Kate Stewart and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.