Again, Im not a fan of Westerns, but I can see myself getting hooked into All-Star Western. I might have chosen a different name for this title, but Im not going to complain. Give it a chance, whether you love or hate Westerns, this book might just get you excited about comics. Read Full Review

I'm a big fan of Jonah Hex, but I definitely wasn't expecting this issue to be this good. We are introduced to Hex in the beginning as a wandering bounty hunter who still wears his Civil War uniform because "it's the only one that fits." He has his own brand of justice and if he's paid enough, is happy to do the work some people would rather avoid. The narration of Amadeus Arkham serves to guide the reader through the story and help them understand just what kind of a man Jonah Hex is. What we get is an interesting and entertaining dynamic between two characters. Top that with a collection of murders and you have yourself an edge of your seat mystery that everyone should be reading. The story is brilliant, the art is breathtaking and the characterizations are fantastic. One of the issues I am most looking forward to reading consistently, and one that any new reader will enjoy. Read Full Review

All Star Western is one of those kinds of books that I really wanted to support because it is bringing something different to the table while still working within the existing framework of the larger DC Universe. I love that it can give us some historical context, though you obviously don't want that to be a constant and overriding factor. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray do a bang-up job here of creating the Gotham of the 1880′s and inserting Jonah Hex into it as well as a supporting cast that demands more time be spent with them. It can all easily turn into a soap opera drama of sorts but there's a lot of appeal in that by seeing how Gotham operated all these years ago. Combining that with Moritat's artwork, the extra pages, the lack of double page spreads and a great sense of pacing, All Star Western knocks it out of the park with ease and demands you come back for the second issue as quickly as possible. Worth every penny. Read Full Review

All in all, I have to say that I loved the idea of mixing Jonah into Gotham's past with a pinch of Jack the Ripper. Some might see too many close comparisons to books like From Hell with the secret society angle, but I'm definitely a sucker for this type of thing. So, to answer my opening question – my excitement was paid off in spades! Read Full Review

The story thus far is engaging - Palmiotti and Gray deliver, as Ive come to expect from them. The artwork is impressive. And while I rarely look to see whos responsible for the colouring, Gabriel Bautista deserves a special shout out for his amazing palette choices. For a while I was cursing DC for waiting until the final week to release this book. I finally figured out why: they were saving the best for last. Read Full Review

It's a genius idea that Palmiotti and Gray have stumbled upon, one that has little precedent in fiction as far as I can tell: what would happen if a good ol' American badass like Jonah Hex had been hunting down Jack the Ripper rather than a bunch of yellow belly Brits? All Star Western attempts to answer that question in a different way from the only peer it has that I'm aware of, Eric Powell and Kyle Hotz's Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London. While that story took an actual Western legend and put him up against the actual Jack the Ripper, All Star Western is instead set in late 19th century Gotham, with Hex tracking down a killer nicknamed the Gotham Butcher while the original Dr. Arkham comes along for the ride and takes notes. Read Full Review

All Star Western #1 is reminiscent of many things: Conan the Barbarian, Gangs of New York, The Alienist, From Hell "" but all the elements are blended together well. While it's not strictly set in the Old West, the story still has enough Western DNA to deserve its title. For an extra dollar, you get 8 more pages of story, and those pages are put to good use, giving the issue a roomy, expansive feel. Palmiotti and Gray have been writing Jonah Hex for years now, and this issue is less a relaunch and more the perfect jumping-on point. Four and a half out of five stars. Read Full Review

If you're coming over to All-Star Western #1 from the previous volume of Gray and Palmiotti's Jonah Hex, be mindful that All-Star Western definitely feels different. It might star the same character, but there is a different tone and approach taken to storytelling with this new series -- All-Star Western will use serial storytelling instead of Hex's patented one-and-done tales. However, All-Star Western #1 is still a solid comic that is worth the $3.99 price point. The story established in this first issue should easily grab your attention to have you excited to return to late 1800s Gotham next month. Read Full Review

If you're going to mash pulp and western together, this is the way to do it. Right now, you get mostly Hex being Hex, which is always fun, but later issues have to prove Gotham needs his presence, or this series will be little more than an interesting novelty. Read Full Review

So, when it comes to my wild-card selections from DCs relaunch lineup this month, it seems Im now 1-3. I dont yet know if Im ready to make another long-term commitment to DCs weird western world, but for the duration of this storyline at least, ALl Star Western has grabbed my interest, and reminded me why I had such fondness for Jonah Hex in the first place. Read Full Review

I like the book and I like the new flavor for Hex. I'm just curious about two things " will the back-up stories, beginning next issue, justify a higher-than usual cover price, and if the book will be cheeky enough to call itself "Western" if Hex does, indeed, put down roots in the east coast city of Gotham? Read Full Review

Jonah Hex wasn't selling at the level DC wanted for its New 52 line, so they mixed things up for the new series. But from a storytelling perspective, I don't know if it's the right move for the character. His role in this story could be filled by just about any tough guy, and the self-contained, one-shot story approach from Jonah Hex is clearly being abandoned. Read Full Review

As far as the art goes, I hate it. I hate every last pencil slapped across the page by Moritat. His lines are too thick, and his use of background is so off that it seems as though he drew the foreground characters, cut them out and stuck them on a pre-drawn backdrop. Imagine a comic done in Colorforms and you start to get the idea. I despise how Hex is drawn and everybody else looks unfinished or rushed. All Star Western #1 is a poor artistic start to a classic character's reboot. Read Full Review