Outstanding!
I've never been a reader of Jonah Hex, but I've always liked the western genre... which is exactly why I didn't think I'd like this book. As we can see from the cover, the story takes place in Gotham. My first reaction: why? Why do we need to set this in Gotham? Isn't the west big enough? Does everything have to tie back to Batman?
But I finally got around to reading it - and man, was I impressed. The writing is sharp. The story teams Hex with Amadeus Arkham, as the two investigate a grisly string of prostitute murders (yeah, I knew that cliche was going to be in here going in... and you know what? I still liked it). And by having that Victorian gentleman narrate the book, we get a whole new perspective on the 'western' - rather than the city-slicker in the west, we get the western drifter in the city. And Justin Gray pulls it off with aplomb.
The art too is great - simplified, with a heavy inking style, it almost suggests wood cuts or tooled leather - which wouldn't work for most comics, but is just perfect here. Mauritat's art, and Gabriel Bautista's colors evoke Victorian artists like Arthur Rackham and Aubrey Beardsley.
And then there are the unspoken details. The historical accuracy of Jonah's firearms. Arkham's penchant for what is obviously absinthe. And, the title page appearing 8 pages in, and the story title not appearing until 18 pages in, really serves to draw you in.
This story is a feast, not a comic that's over in 10 minutes. Read it on a stormy night with classical music on the stereo. You'll be glad you did.
