All-Star Western #27
DC Comics 2011
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art by Moritat
Colours by Michael Atiyeh
There are a couple of things this issue that were more noticeable than ever before. One is that Moritat’s artwork was brighter, cleaner and more focused than usual, possibly to the bright shiny Metropolis setting. The other is Jonah’s personality and brains. His reaction to meeting a person like Superman was priceless and in perfect cohesion to a man from his time era. I mean really flying and catching bullets are things they haven’t seen before. Still the boys characterization and dialogue are just incredibly outstanding proving they’ve got more facets of this man to explore and introduce us to.
I also have to admit something here i absolutely adored Superman’s reaction to meeting the legendary Jonah Hex. There wasn’t any snide remarks about him or disbelief that he’s been time traveling just a very friendly hello nice to meet ya and let’s get to know a little about each other. It’s the whole Kansas upbringing at play here showing the manners and curiosity necessary to win over this gruff man. But all that was to no avail as Jonah while not sure he can trust an alien also thinks he does not do enough to actually help the world he lives in.
The social commentary here is beyond fascinating. I mean c’mon, are we really anymore civilized than they were in Jonah’s day? They had better manners and a more clear cut definition of right and wrong and how to deal with it. These days, we coddle everyone and are more secluded from human contact than ever before so is this really progress? A nice tidy social commentary tied into one hell of a good story written by two fellas who are maniacal geniuses in their own rights.
The real surprise came from Gina when she took Jonah to the Museum. Even I wondered what she was up to and her surprise really does well I want to say backfire but it really is unsettling to see. Here is a museum in Metropolis that has a whole display dedicated to Jonah Hex. He sees his past and future and has to see through the eyes of a tour guide as well. I would be upset too if someone showed me about myself and I could not understand why i was mad at them. Gina really screwed the pooch as it were and causes this issues cliffhanger ending.
Which of course wants you to come back even more than you already do. Lets face it, this book has consistently been one of the best books DC put out since the first issue in terms of writing and art. Nothing wavers it’s incredibly consistent and its notoriously interesting. How his time spent in the modern day will shape what happens to him when he goes back remains to be seen but be sure these gentlemen will handle it perfectly.
