Sunday, September 07, 2014

All Star Western, Volume 3: The Black Diamond Probability by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray (Goodreads Author), Moritat (Illustrations)

All Star Western, Vol. 3: The Black Diamond ProbabilityAll Star Western, Vol. 3: The Black Diamond Probability by Jimmy Palmiotti

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This volume doesn't feel as cohesive as previous volumes (and I'm not merely speaking of the variety of stories). The Jonah Hex narrative doesn't seem to go as well together, although I do appreciate getting Hex's backstory. I can see why he's so grumpy. However, I still liked this a lot.  Tons of rip-roaring action, and it has a nice Gothic twist as a certain Mr. Hyde arrives in Gotham to wreak havoc. There's even a nice shoutout to Jane Eyre that made this fan smile. I have a feeling the writer had a lot of fun with these stories, although they are really quite dark, moreso than previous volumes, in my opinion. As usual, I really enjoy the artwork in this series. It's interesting how the male faces tend towards rugged to sometimes ugly, but the females look like dolls. Not an insult. I like the way the artist draws women. They look very pretty, even Tallulah Black, with all her facial scars and eyepatch. (since my interest is drawing/painting women, that stands out for me).  The historical fiction story about the Native American freedom fighter, Tomahawk made me sad.  One of the darker moments of American history (along with slavery and centuries of institutionalized racism against black Americans), and one that we need to be reminded of, although it's never pleasant to consider the systematic extermination of the Native peoples. Tomahawk is an angry man, and I can see why he's angry.  While it was well-written, its inclusion doesn't fit the rest of the book very well at all.

This series never fails to appeal to the western action lover in me!



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