It’s the good, the bad, and the bwahaha as a surprise appearance by a certain fan favorite character, masquerading as the new sheriff in town, causes a whole lot of trouble for Mr. Hex.
This review contains spoilers for the gatefold cover reveal
Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Illustrated by Moritat and Staz Johnson• What type of gold means certain death for Jonah Hex?
That’s quite a riddle the solicitation text for “All-Star Western” #19 poses. The answer of course, has nothing to do with a mineral but a person. Booster Gold, time-traveling sometimes hero from the 25th century, has found himself stranded in the late 1800’s. For you continuity nuts, this is the first time the character has been seen since his mysterious disappearance in last year’s “Justice League International” Annual #1.
The issue begins in media res, with Booster having just found Jonah Hex panning for, well, gold, next to three dead bodies. While the evidence isn’t stacked in Hex’s favor, blame is quickly shifted to one “Clem Hootkins Gang,” which begins a rabbit tailing series of oddly disjointed story vignettes.
The first section showcases the Hootkins gang as they attempt a bank robbery that brings the entire town to its knees. Hootkin’s group is a ghastly one, and the terror they wreak on the poor town is depicted in visceral detail. As it turns out, this town is the one Booster presides over, and the story jumps abruptly to his and Hex’s arrival at the ruined town. This leads to the second vignette, the story of Booster’s arrival in Red River Junction and possession of the mantle of sheriff, told over a long night of drinking. This story is as equally tragic as the towns destruction, but is lightened by Booster’s comical presence. The next morning, the issue abruptly ends as Hex and a hung over Booster set out on a course of vengeance.
The core concept behind this issue, Booster meets Hex, is a strong one. However, the plot never gathers steam, due to the start and stop nature afforded by the interspersing stories. Also, while the pairing is without a doubt inspired and intriguing, the insertion of the goofy Booster Gold into Hex’s grim and gritty wild west leads to some cognitive dissonance for the reader, further adding to the story’s disjointed and haphazard structure.
After writing Jonah Hex for nearly seven years, Gray and Palmiotti have proven to have Hex’s character down to a science. Their portrayal of Booster, while not egregiously unfaithful, feels a little off. Perhaps this is an affectation of the New 52, but it seems odd for Booster to arrive on scene making exclamations like “What happened to this man? He’s bleeding profusely!” Also, although he’s from the future, Booster has never been a character possessing great historical knowledge, unless it is immediately relevant to his prosperity. This makes his detailed knowledge of Hex’s life hard to swallow. Again, this could be a consequence of the New 52 version of the character lacking his essential side-kick Skeets, who normally handles that sort of thing.
Even if Booster’s character seems slightly off, his presence brings exactly what you would expect, a tone of Giffen/DeMatteis-esque “bwahaha.” Whether it’s seeing Booster wearing a trechcoat and cowboy hat over his costume, or Hex heckling him for not holding his liquor, you can almost hear a laugh track accompanying the issue.
Along with the jumps between plots, Moritat’s art shifts subtly throughout the issue, at times bearsing resemblance to the heavy line based pencils of Joe Kubert, only to switch to a smoother style reminiscent of Kevin Maguire. However, the shift doesn’t appear to be influenced by the story, further fragmenting this issue. That’s not to say that his work isn’t good, as Moritat goes a long way toward making a wonderfully realized DC Universe western.
The backup feature starring the Stormwatch of the 19th century continues, with this installment focusing on Cody Barrows, the Master Gunfighter. Unfortunately, the plot is as generic as the protagonist’s chosen moniker. This highly derivative tale involving things that go bump in the night limps through its allotted 10 pages, resting on a terribly cliched cliffhanger ending. At the very least, Staz Johnson does an admirable job depicting the battle against lupine fiends, with guns blazing and flames roaring. While the concept of Stormwatch throughout the ages is one worth exploring, this backup’s inclusion hardly justifies the $3.99 price tag.
As far as April’s “WTF” moments go, “All-Star Western’s” surprise hook is one of the best, presenting a team up between two eclectic DC heroes. Unfortunately, the abrupt and oddly paced story structure deflates keeps Palmiotti and Gray from striking gold.
Final Verdict: 6.3 – Browse. Excusing the flawed execution, this inspired pairing of past and future is worth a glance.
