DC COMICS
WRITERS: Peter Brandvold, Sergio Aragones
ARTIST: John Severin
COVER: Walter Simonson

The evil rancher and the corrupt sheriff attack the ranch of Bat Lash's family. And they've got a small army and a big gatling gun with them.

If earlier issues of this miniseries seemed like an old American western, this latest issue takes on the flavour of an Italian spaghetti western-- and not just because of the higher body count. The emotional conflicts between the main characters also become sharper and the stakes also become higher with all sides now ready to kill.

The art by veteran, John Severin, is quite good as it captures all the details of the one-sided gunbattle, letting us see the big picture rather than just the key scenes where the characters bite the big one.

The story does give a sense of danger and menace and leaves us feeling for the wronged innocents. But at the same time, it also offers no surprises. Haven't we seen this "evil-rancher-versus-small-homesteader" storyline a dozen times before? The Romeo-and-Juliet subplot isn't too fresh either. And having "good Indians" siding with the hero against the big, white, bad guy seems like a concession to political correctness.

It is disappointing that they had to resort to some old standards to tell the story of Bat Lash. Additionally, this just doesn't seem like a Bat Lash origin. Isn't the character of Bat Lash suppose to be upbeat, light-hearted and peace-loving? Not a coward, but not a guy who started fights either? That made him stand out from DC's stable of Western hard-azz killers like Jonah Hex, Scalphunter or El Diablo. It would be nice if DC Comics could have at least one character who isn't a dark, obsessed figure.