All-Star Western #22 Review

Have Gun will Time Travel

Jonah Hex traveled to present day Gotham in the last issue and now he is a resident of Arkham Asylum.  Dr Jeremiah Arkham is interviewing him and is disturbed by Jonah's claims of knowing his Great-Great-Grandfather, Amadeus Arkham.  It seems that the one person who can verify Jonah's claim is Bruce Wayne.

This issue was really fun.  The dialogue between Jonah and Jeremiah Arkham was the highlight for me.  The revelation that this crazy man could actually be a time traveler with ties to his family's past is played out so well with Jeremiah's expressions and actions that you can't help but get excited yourself.  As an added bonus, Jonah mentions his connections with the Wayne Family, which brings Bruce into the mix.  The issue ends with a shoot out with the mutants from The Dark Knight Returns on the Gotham Bridge.  Missile launchers, machine guns and Jonah Hex.  Awesome. 

Though the issue uses a few "man out of time" cliches, it never over does it.  It is used to show how Gotham has not changed (or gotten worse) from Jonah's time.

The art is good, mixing a cartoony feel with some grisly images.  Moritat pays particular attention to Jonah's facial scars which are cringe worthy.  I really like the look of his modern Gotham.  It's good to see him get a chance to show he is more than dusty plains and one horse towns.

Like I said, this was a really fun read.  You get intrigue, an escape, a huge gun fight and Batman.  I was wary about Jonah Hex in modern Gotham, but so far it's been a hell of a ride.  I can't wait to see what happens next.

9/10