All Star Western, Vol. 6: End of the Trail by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Staz Johnson (Illustrations)

All Star Western, Vol. 6: End of the Trail by Jimmy Palmiotti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm going to miss this series like crazy! I never thought I'd get so sucked into Jonah Hex, but there you have it. Hex is back from the future with his companion Gina, and they end up in a proverbial hornet's nest. Things don't go to well for either of them. Along the way, Hex meets up with a boon companion, Tallulah Black, and they are on the trail of a Jonah Hex imposter who is killing and rampaging across the west. Hex isn't going to take his name getting tarnished lightly.

This is violent western action. Those who are squeamish might want to pass it by. But I submit that it's too good not to read if you like Westerns and antiheroes. Jonah Hex is an honery cuss, but he's the guy you want backing you up again the scum that populated the Old West. The artist is different than the other volumes, but the artwork is just as good. I'm studying perspective in my drawing class, and this book was an excellent example of perspective done right, and how crisp a background it makes in a picture. My teacher said he learned perspective from comic books and I can see what he means. It helped the lightbulb to come on for me.

So all together, I love so much about this series. I will sincerely miss it. We don't get enough Old Western fiction nowadays, so having a good graphic novel series to turn to was a bonus. I hope that sometime soon we see more of Jonah Hex and the other DC Old West characters that have shown up in this series again in the near future.

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All Star Western, Volume 5: Man out of Time by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray , Moritat (Illustrations)

All Star Western, Vol. 5: Man out of Time by Jimmy Palmiotti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy the heck out of the All Star Western/Jonah Hex graphic novels. Hex is such a character. Not at all a Boy Scout, but he dives into to the fray to defend those who need defending. It sure was interesting to see Hex as a fish out of water in the present. He's not a man to fall in with authority just because, which becomes, well, problematic. However, Hex gets on his feet fast, with the help with a young woman with a taste for older rough and tumble bad boys.

The sex and violence are pretty prominent, but it's not as skeevy as one might think. I also liked how not one story is alike in this volume, but the story arcs have plenty of surprises and twists and turns. I was not expecting what happens in the last story at all. There are lots of cool cameos in this. I never thought I'd see Hex and The Man of Steel in the same comic, but I did!

I am hoping this isn't the last volume.

What will I do if it is? Noooooooooo!!!!

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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 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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All Star Western, Volume 3: The War of the Lords and Owls by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Moritat

All Star Western, Vol. 2: The War of Lords and Owls by Justin Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This volume of All Star Western continues with the high octane western action. Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham have tracked their missing fugitive to New Orleans, where they encounter vice to rival that of Gotham, and a conspiracy to murder immigrants ran by a group of white supremacists. Jonah goes undercover in the fight ring and captures the interest of a beautiful fighter who also works for the xenophobic group. They team up with a pair of vigilantes and lovers called Nighthawk and Cinnamon, whose back story is also very interesting. When the trail leads back to Gotham, following a mysterious assassin called Talon, Hex and Arkham encounter the creepy Court of Owls, and are placed in the rocky situation of standing between the Court of Owls and the cult of the Crime Bible (Lords of Crime). To round out the collection, there is short vignette about the rascal Bat Lash. He's about as rascally as you can be, but he's also possesses considerable detective skills, and uses them to get himself out of a very tight fix.

This book is full of action and thrills, catered for the fans of westerns. The Owls are just as creepy as they were in the Batman book I read earlier this month. The Lords are fascinating in their dedication to wrongdoing. I am kind of glad we had some heroes to take both groups on.

Need I say that I'm really enjoying this series, or is that obvious?



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