I'm going to begin and end this review the exact same way – by saying, “All Star Western” is a perfect example of what a great comic should be.

For starters, it's accessible. I somehow missed issue 9, but Gray and Palmiotti so effortlessly and naturally weave all the main plot points from issue 9 into the first few pages of issue 10 that I almost immediately knew what was going on. And that's the thing with “All-Star Western” – you can jump on at any time and, within a few pages, know what's going on.

Next, the writing is great. The story flows well, and the characters are both interesting and well-written. As a side note, I believe this is the first issue I've read in which Hex didn't kill a single man, or get in any fights – and yet the issue was a lot of fun. A lot happened that promised future violence, and the interplay between between characters – especially Arkham and Tallulah – is so entertaining that I wished it could have gone on longer. And that's another thing: Palmiotti and Gray are great at showing restraint – they do something fun, but pull back before it gets stale.

“All Star Western” also has something for everybody. Not into westerns? More into superheroes? How does Gotham City of the late 1800s sound? Glimpse the Wayne ancestors, read about the exploits of Dr. Arkham before he builds his infamous Arkham Asylum, witness the Court of Owls over 100 years before Batman faces off against them. Not into superheroes? How about well-written stories with great characterization? No? Well there's just no pleasing you then...

Finally, while I don't tend to spend much time talking about artwork, Moritat is amazing. I wasn't sure how long he'd be drawing “All Star Western”, so I've tried not to become too attached, but I have to say he's my favourite Jonah Hex artist to date – and there have been A LOT of great artists to lend their talents to Hex.

I'm going to sum up this review by saying if you enjoy great comics, or if you aspire to write comics, then you should be picking up “All Star Western”, because “All Star Western” is a perfect example of what a great comic should be.

9/10
Rating: 9/10

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