Graphic Novel Review - Justin Grey - All Star Western - War Of Lords And Owls

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DC Comics 2013 – Spoiler alerts Part of DC’s glossy New 52 reboot series featuring many of their classic heroes, the All Star Western series centres on renegade cowboy anti-hero, Jonah Hex. Though lacking any super-powers, Hex, badly disfigured, is a crack-shot, ace bare-knuckle fighter, and his costume is that of a Confederate soldier despite the Civil War being over, but he does fight against injustice. He mainly protects the growing city of Gotham, a hundred and sixty years before Batman would become its new protector (some time travel stories unite the heroes). Hex is assisted by Amadeus Arkham, the eventual architect of Arkham Asylum, and for this adventure, the early Gotham vigilantes Cinnamon and Nighthawk help them out too. The story pits the heroes into a territorial war between two deadly secret societies, the Crime Bible Lords and the Court Of Owls, the latter of who are major villains in the Batman stories too, the first great new villains since Raz Al Ghul. Violent, sexy, thrilling and fun, this is a great western, very much in the Serge Leone style, but with some elaborate steampunk killing machinery and a dark sexy sense of humour too. Sadly a film about the adventures of Jonah Hex from 2010 failed spectacularly at the box office. The comic character deserves so much better. Arthur Chappell