Review: All Star Western Vol. 6- End of the Trail

Quick Summary

Pros: The individual adventures, at the start of the book, are a great representation of western comic book fun. The conclusion to the series as a whole is well executed and feels very satisfying. The art in the book’s final chapter is beautiful.

Cons: The transitions between stories aren’t always handled well. The backup story is rather lackluster. The artwork misses the tone of the story in some places.

Overall: The final volume in the All Star Western series returns to the comics delightfully charming roots and also gives a satisfactory farewell to a tremendous cast of characters. It has fun action, neat twists, and a conclusion that suits the comic as a whole. There are a few problems here and there but nothing significant enough to take away from the comic’s overall appeal. Any readers who have enjoyed this series or any interested in seeing how Jonah Hex’s current story ends should read this volume.

Story

All Star Western Vol. 6: End of the Trail, by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, tells a couple of exciting adventures and gives a satisfying end to this Jonah Hex saga. It put Jonah Hex back in the past, where he contends with deception from random thieves, problems in the bounty hunting industry, and even a villain who has stolen his identity. The resulting series of adventures is fun all the way through and leads to a conclusion that works well in a number of different ways. The only problems here come from some poor transitions between adventures and a lackluster backup story, though even these problems can easily be overlooked in the light of the book’s positives. In the end, this is a solid farewell to this series that I’m sure most fans will enjoy.

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End of the Trail starts out with some fun individual adventures that feel similar to the past few volumes. Jonah is forced to deal with returning to a hostile world, hunts down a bounty, and even contends with betrayal from a small town. Each of these individual encounters is fun but my favorite may have been when he tricks a team of criminals by convincing them to smoke his secretly hallucinogenic “tobacco”.

Even better than the individual adventures, is the way in which this comic wraps up the All Star Western series as a whole. It reunites Jonah and Tallulah, wraps up a plot thread regarding Jonah’s death, and ends on an unexpectedly happy note for a series that has mostly has its characters facing hardships. The entire experience here is satisfying and feels like a worthy conclusion to Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti’s long stretch on writing Jonah Hex-centric comic books.

The problems in End of the Trail come from the transitions that take place over the course of the larger narrative. The previous volume set up Gina as a unique character who is ready to add to this series. This volume has her die from a single gunshot within a few pages, despite numerous other characters surviving a similar encounter.

In addition, the backup story here is pretty lackluster. It starts out rather interesting, as it deals with a woman in the old west who has been transported to a different dimension. However, the entire story ends up feeling like the first chapter in a larger adventure that never comes. None of the mystery is resolved and the whole situation is left pretty up in the air. Out of all the backup stories in the All Star Western series, this is the most disappointing.

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Art

End of the Trail sees Moritat’s departure from the series and has Staz Johnson take over illustration. This change in artists creates a pretty dramatic change in the visual identity of this comic. Johnson’s work is also more gruff and gritty than the series has been thus far, allowing it to closer resemble what one would expect from the western genre. It also is still well structured and detailed in a way that allows it to look beautiful.

Unfortunately, this stylistic shift doesn’t quite match the tone of this series. Before, Moritat’s stylized take on the characters allowed Jonah Hex’s over-the-top antics to seem a bit comical, even if they were pretty violent. In End of the Trail, these same antics seem more brutal and, thus, lose a bit of their comedic appeal.

Luckily, the final chapter, illustrated by Darwyn Cooke, is one of the best looking chapters in the entire All Star Western series. Cooke’s work is gorgeous and his take on Jonah and Tallulah is a wonderful representation of them as individuals and of their relationship. I was incredibly satisfied with Cooke’s contributions to this comic and thought it was a great note to go out on.

Continuity

All Star Western Vol. 6: End of the Trail continues the story from All Star Western Vol. 5: Man Out of Time (Review).

The All Star Western series ends with this volume and, as of now, does not continue in any other comic.