ComicBookMovie.com weighs in on 'All-Star Western' #5

ComicBookMovie.com reviews All-Star Western #5, and that assessment can be read here.

Cape Town Community cites 'All-Star Western' #5 as "Book of the Week"

All-Star Western scores another bullseye as Cape Town Community names it "book of the week." This review is also notable for shining a portion of its quite favorable spotlight on the backup feature, The Barbary Ghost, written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, and gorgeously illustrated by Phil (Wonder Woman: Amazonia) Winslade.

The Barbary Ghost, as brought to evocative visual life by Phil Winslade.

(A word to the wise from the Buncheman: If you're the type who usually skips backup features, in the case of The Barbary Ghost, you'll be missing a brutal western tale of revenge told from the Chinese immigrant point of view. Trust me, it's a damned good read, and believe me when I state that I'm a total bitch when it comes to my appraisals of the comics I read.)

Cape Town Community's review can be read here.

'All-Star Western" #5 recieves the "buy" recommendation from ScienceFiction.com

There is perhaps no more simple and eloquent form of critical appraisal that that of "buy," and that is exactly what ScienceFiction.com recommends you do in regard to All-Star Western #5, which they also declare a "sleeper hit." The review in question is found here.

A look back: Gray and Palmiotti's 'Daughters of the Dragon'

(art by Khari Evans)

I'm sure there are those of you out there who share the experience of growing up with the Marvel Comics of the 1970's, an era admittedly marked by the company's grasping at the disparate straws of pop culture trends and trying to spin those fads into four-color gold. Short of the Pet Rock, virtually no fad escaped the re-purposing engines of Marvel's writers and artists, and one of the '70's-era's most popular (and surprisingly brief) cultural explosions was the kung fu movie boom, a spark lit by the release of the Shaw Brothers Studios classic Five Fingers of Death in 1972 and truly kicked into high-gear with the advent of Bruce Lee and Enter the Dragon in 1973. (Note: Bruce Lee had already been around for a few years, putting foot to ass in Hong Kong flicks before us Yankee mouth-breathers got wind of his still-unmatched awesomeness.) Also bolstered by the unexpected embracing of the television series Kung Fu (1972-1975, which was originally developed as vehicle for Bruce Lee), the immediately-popular martial arts sub-genre was somewhat-derogatorily dubbed "chopsocky" by media wags, but the public could not have cared less what sobriquet was bestowed upon this new (to Westerners, anyway), visceral, and unabashedly violent entertainment flavor. Kung fu — and karate and what have you — was "in," and the floodgates were officially opened.

So, having already scored a hit (of sorts) by mining the "blaxploitation" genre to come up with street-level super-brutha Luke Cage (aka Power-Man), Marvel wasted little time in cribbing its own chopsocky thrills into the ever-burgeoning ongoing tapestry that is the Marvel Universe, first with the blatantly Bruce Lee-modeled Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, who was soon joined by the likes of Iron Fist (a character whose abilities were shamelessly "influenced" by Five Fingers of Death)and the Sons of the Tiger. Fun and ground-breaking though that stuff was, Marvel had pretty much glossed over one of the most important elements of the martial arts genre, and that missing aspect was that of the female badass, a storytelling trope that goes back for centuries in Asian legends, literature, and (more recently, obviously) film. That oversight was remedied with the introduction of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, known in tandem as the Daughters of the Dragon.

As previously stated, Marvel paid careful scrutiny to what was going on in pop culture, so it could not have escaped their notice that the blaxploitation genre — still going strong at the time of the chopsocky boom's emergence — began to gene-splice martial arts into its funkified goings-on, so the Daughters of the Dragon took a modernized version of the female samurai slayer archetype, Colleen Wing, and paired her with a tough-as-nails, sassy, big-assed-gun-wielding black chick with a planet-sized Afro who was unmistakably modeled upon the indelible Pam Grier (a figure as synonymous with blaxploitation as Bruce Lee is with the kung fu genre), one Misty Knight by name. Moreso than any of Marvel's other attempts to nail the exact flavor of what they were trying to ape (with the notable exception Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, when it was firing on all cylinders in its Moech-Gulacy years), the Daughters of the Dragon, most frequently seen as regular characters in Iron Fist's monthly book (and in the subsequent Power Man and Iron Fist series), absolutely got it right and proved to be a real crowd-pleaser of a pairing. Unfortunately, the solo stories featuring the characters were often wildly-varying in effect and were often a sad waste of great potential. Case in point: the sole "classic-era" D.O.D. story that everyone remembers and points to was the highly memorable Chris Claremont-Marshall Rogers black-and-white two-parter that ran in the Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu magazine in 1977. After that story, a work of more than enough kickass content to warrant the green-lighting of an ongoing series, little of note was done with the badassed babes for the better part of the next three decades.

Anyway, all of the aforementioned was an admittedly long-winded way of giving you some background before bringing things up to a more contemporary period and focusing on the efforts of Paperfilms' own Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti in the handling of the Daughters of the Dragon.


Aided and abetted by the dynamic artwork of Khari Evans, the six-issue Daughters of the Dragon mini-series, collected under the title Samurai Bullets, is packed to the rafters with non-stop action and characterization, liberally seasoned with the kind of humor once common in fused genre of chopsocky and blaxploitation. If you groove on old school badassery with that distinctly East-meets-West wakka-jawaka flavor, this series is for you (and it can be had via Amazon). But why take just my word for it? There's a very good review of the series over at Comic Book Resources, so click here for a well-informed second opinion.

A very special review of 'All Star Western' #5 at Mulitiversity Comics

Every now and the a review comes along that looks at a particular subject of appraisal and goes above and beyond the call of criticism to provide the reader with all they will ever need to know about exactly what makes said series worthy of their attention, time and money. Such a review is found here, over at Multiversity Comics. Seriously, they tackle not only the merits of the latest issue of All Star Western, they also address the whole appeal of Jonah Hex as one of the last holdouts in what used to be a popular media landscape replete with westerns. A more heartfelt review has seldom been seen in the annals of Internet comics geekery, and such an effort is to be both heartily recommended and commended.

Justin & Jimmy discuss their take on 'Unknown Soldier' at The Source

The Source, DC Comics' own blog, is currently featuring what Unknown Soldier scripters Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have to say on their revamp of the character for the upcoming G.I. Combat anthology, and you can read those insights when you follow this link.

And speaking of 'G.I. Combat'...

Crave Online is currently running a preview of the upcoming G.I. Combat's Gray & Palmiotti-scripted Unknown Soldier that shows off artist Dan Panosion's efforts with some impressively large scans, so head here to get a serious eyeful!

ComicBook.com spotlights Gray & Palmiotti's 'Unknown Soldier' feature in the upcoming 'G.I. Combat'

As the all-new iteration of G.I. Combat looms, anticipation for the war anthology's Unknown Soldier — co-written by Paperfilms' Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with art by Dan Panosion — runs high. Follow this link to ComicBook.com's two cent's worth on this upcoming project.

IGN weighs in on 'All Star Western' #5

IGN has reviewed All Star Western #5, and that critical appraisal can be read here.

4 out of 5 stars for 'All-Star Western' #5 at Comic Vine

"Another beautiful issue," says Comic Vine in regard to All-Star Western #5, so follow this link to read the particulars.

'All-Star Western" #5 reviewed at A Comic Book Blog

A Comic Book Blog reviews the latest issue of All-Star Western here and notes the current installment's descent into "more weird territory" than usual. "Weird Western," anyone?

'All-Star Western' #5 previewed at Comicosity

Comicosity is hosting a six-page preview of All-Star Western #5 and you can see it for yourself here. And wait until you see the splash page!

'All-Star Western' #5 hits tomorrow and MTV Geek has an exclusive preview

All-Star Western #5 hits the shops tomorrow and MTV Geek has an exclusive preview of what's in store. Head on over here and check it out!

The Pro crosses over into our reality

As encountered at the 2009 San Diego Comicon.

'Unknown Soldier' - Page 1

Here's the Page 1 of Dan Panosian's handsome artwork from the Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti-scripted Unknown Soldier feature in DC Comics' upcoming G.I. Combat anthology series. The series kicks off in May, but be sure to keep checking in here at the Paperfilms Blog for more previews and info as things continue to develop!

Newsarama takes a first look at Gray & Palmiotti's upcoming 'Unkown Soldier'

(art by Dan Panosian)

With the second wave of the New 52 getting underway, DC Comics unveils the war anthology G.I. Combat this May, which will feature an updated version of the venerable Unknown Soldier, a character/series that has undergone a number of incarnations since its debut forty-six years ago. Scripted by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with art by Dan Panosian, the series is given an early spotlight over at Newsarama, where its co-scribes expound on what they plan to bring to this newest interpretation. Go here to get the full intel.

The new 'Listen to Jimmy' is up

The latest installment of Jimmy Palmiotti's webcast is up and it features such diverse topics of discussion as:

-More Twitter questions!
-Larry Hama on M*A*S*H*
-Lobo pitch
-Collecting Art
-Samsung Smart Window
-Makin'Bacon
-Sports!
-Not watching the Golden Globes
-Green Arrow TV
-New DC Logo?

So go here to get connected and listen to the latest, straight from the horse's mouth (so to speak).

What Culture! spotlights 5 Great Comic Moments from DC's New 52 in 2011...and 'All-Star Western' is among them

What Culture! has posted a fun look at what they deem to be the "top 5 really great moments" from the first wave of DC's New 52 books, and All-Star Western made the grade. The whole list is quite interesting, so follow this link to judge for yourself.

'All-Star Western' makes it onto another 'best of the New 52" list

The latest site to nominate All-Star Western as one of the gems among DC Comics' New 52 titles is Independent Collegian, who welcome it for providing "an intriguing, entertaining alternative" to the superhero books that unsurprisingly dominated the company's relaunch. Click here to peruse the whole list of the honored titles.

'The Ray' #4 solicitation listing

Wow! Talk about ending on a high note...

As the 4-issue mini-series of The Ray wraps up, artist Jamal Igle — already critically acclaimed for his work on this project (and other stuff) — pulls out all the stops and crafts a totally kickass cover. And here are the particulars:

THE RAY #4
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by JAMAL IGLE and RICH PERROTTA
Cover by JAMAL IGLE
On sale MARCH 14 • 32 pg, FC, 4 of 4, $2.99 US • RATED T
The final conflict between The Ray and the evil maestro who has been behind all his woes comes to a conclusion. Lucien will need to take his powers to an all-new level to defeat the evil Director and his reality warping abilities.

'All-Star Western' named #5 among the Top 10 New 52 comics at Playback: stl

All-Star Western's wave of acclaim marches on as it's cited by Playback:stl as #5 on their list of the Top 10 New 52 titles. That sterling roster can be read in full here.

Jimmy and Justin discuss 'All-Star Western,' its link to the world of Batman, and The Barbary Ghost at Newsarama

Readers of the critically acclaimed All-Star Western are already aware of the series' current setting in the Gotham City of yore, which allows readers a look at just how sordid the burg was long before a certain Dark Knight decided to give the place a proper sorting-out. For those who have not been following the series — and shame upon you if you haven't — co-scribes Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray discuss the book's ties to Batman and how it illuminates aspects of his city's unsavory past over at Newsarama. Also under discussion is the new backup series, The Barbary Ghost, so click here to check it out.

To our readers: An apology

Dear Paperfilms followers-

I, your humble blog administrator, have been unintentionally lax in getting you some of the latest info on the doings of the Paperfilms crew and what they've got coming up. That has been due to a number of factors going on in my world outside of the Internet that I will not bore you with (coupled with my own self-admitted absent-mindedness with keeping the posts on monthly solicitations current) but I'm writing this to assure you that the level of diligence around here will now be back up to snuff.

I thank you for your kind patience.

-sincerely,

Buncheman (entertainment ronin)

'The Ray' #3 solicitation listing

Here's the skinny on what's coming up for The Ray in February:

THE RAY #3
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by JAMAL IGLE and RICH PEROTTA
Cover by JAMAL IGLE
On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 32 pg, FC, 3 of 4, $2.99 US • RATED T
Lucien can rescue Chanti from the clutches of the Isopods, but can he save his relationship with her? More important, can he save her family from the evil Director, who wants to destroy everything for his art?

'All-Star Western' #8 solicitation listing

Here's what's a-comin' in April for our favorite butt-ugly bounty hunter:

ALL-STAR WESTERN #8
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by MORITAT, PATRICK SCHERBERGER and DAN GREEN
Cover by LADRONN
On sale APRIL 25 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+
Amadeus Arkham has been arrested in a New Orleans opium den! Jonah Hex has joined an anarchist group called the August 7! Nighthawk and Cinnamon are nowhere to be found, and they’re the ones who dragged Hex and Arkham into this conflict in the first place! But someone must have a plan, right? Right??
Plus: Being trained by a samurai in the desert might have been a strange beginning for a cowgirl vigilante, but Nighthawk and Cinnamon are in for an even stranger twist as they search for a way out of this trap!

'All-Star Western' #7 solicitation listing

In the world of All-Star Western, "March madness" has a whole different meaning! Here's what's coming:

ALL-STAR WESTERN #7
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by MORITAT, PATRICK SCHERBERGER and DAN GREEN
Cover by LADRONN
On sale MARCH 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+
Jonah Hex tracks the kidnapper Thurston Moody to New Orleans in pursuit of his bounty. But he and Amadeus Arkham find New Orleans under attack by the August 7, a group of anti-immigrant, steampunk terrorists. Only the renowned Nighthawk and Cinnamon stand between the terrorists and the immigrant workforce of this city. Hex consents to put the bounty aside (for the moment) to help his friends and finds himself in a battle to the death! Plus: Some of the best love stories are tempered with revenge, especially in the case of Nighthawk and Cinnamon.

'All-Star Western' #6 solicitation listing

Watch out, Jonah! It'll get in your hair!!! ...er... Here's what's coming up in February:

ALL-STAR WESTERN #6
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by MORITAT and PHIL WINSLADE
Cover by LADRONN
On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US RATED T+
Jonah Hex fights a giant bat to the death! But even with his winged foe slain, will he and Amadeus Arkham survive being trapped in a cave with the lost tribe of Miagani Indians? Hex and Arkham must enlist help – including some familiar faces and some surprising saviors – if they’re going to make it out of this death trap and bring justice to the enslaver of Gotham’s underprivileged children.
Plus: The Barbary Ghost proves that a girl can be a gang boss’s worst nightmare when she has vengeance on her mind.

'The Ray' #2 is declared "a riot" at Comicosity

The avalanche of love for The Ray continues unabated as Comicosity weighs in, giving kudos to Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti for their breezy scripting while quite rightly citing Jamal Igle's artwork as "positively radiant. This issue can be respected for it’s art alone, as it is fantastic." Click on the pretty red letters to read the review.

read/RANT enthusiastically weighs in on 'The Ray' #2

Describing The Ray #2 as "a solid, goofy adventure story," read/RANT steers readers toward what they consider "a rock-solid combination of light-hearted adventure and relationship drama that hearkens back to classic Spider-Man, but with a more mature point of view." Click here to get the whole skinny.

ScienceFiction.com names 'The Ray' #2 "as a sheer delight"

Looks like folks are really digging The Ray! Issue #2 is reviewed at ScienceFiction.com and among other expressions of enthusiasm, the book is described as "just fun with a capital F-U-N!" Hey, who are we to argue?

Comic Book Resources raves about 'The Ray' #2

The Ray #2 is shown considerable love from Comic Book Resources, so if you needed any convincing on that particular series, head here to receive a very heartfelt and concise rundown on exactly what makes this series a must-read.

COMING SOON!

Here's a wee sneak peek at what's coming up in 2o12:
What you see here is a page from an upcoming story with art by Sam Lofti but other than that, details are hush-hush. Wanna know more? Stay tuned...

Wave 2 of DC's New 52 looms, with Gray and Palmiotti heading to war

When DC Comics rebooted their entire line with the much-ballyhooed "New 52," it was inevitable that not every one of the fifty-two new titles would take, and now that the first casualties have occurred, new books are in place to fill in the gaps. Among the new offerings is the anthology series G.I. Combat, that features a number of stories including a revival of The Unknown Soldier, co-scribed by Paperfilms' own Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. Major details are currently hush-hush, but what's currently open to the public can be read over at USA Today.

Justin Gray speaks out over at InvestComics

As you most likely know, Paperfilms is a company comprised of a number of comics-crafting notables — Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner being perhaps the most media-prominent of the lot — but what about scripter Justin Gray? Frequently collaborating with Jimmy on any number of projects, including the critically acclaimed All-Star Western and The Ray for DC Comics, Justin is seldom seen in the interview spotlight, so his appearance in a Q&A session over at InvestComics is a rare opportunity to see what's going on in his talented brain. Head on over here to read what Justin's layin' down.

'The Tattered Man' cited as the Year's best One-Shot by Comic Bastards

Among many of the interesting choices to be found in Comic Bastards' roundup of 2011's highs and lows in comics, Jimmy and Justin's The Tattered Man lands on The Highest of the High list as the Year's Best One-Shot. The full run-down can be perused here.

Amanda's visual magic translated into 3 very solid dimensions

Blogger Jason Dorough gushingly reviews the latest in the Women of DC collection of sculpted busts at his website, and the item in question is an impressive Zatanna designed by our Amanda Conner. Dorough even goes so far as to state that he prefers this version to the earlier Zatanna sculpture, one designed by no less than fan-favorite Adam Hughes, so what does that tell you? Go here to read Dorough's review and peruse images of the piece as seen from several angles.

Sweet nothings for "All-Star Western' #4 over at Nerdy Nothings

The enthusiasm shown for All-Star Western #4 over at Nerdy Nothings is quite heartfelt and charming, so head on over here to bask in the unashamed love-fest.

ScienceFiction.com rates 'All-Star Western' #4 a must-buy

What does it tell you when a site ostensibly devoted to all matter science-fictional turns its spotlight from extra-terrestrials, artificially-intelligent automatons, genetic engineering gone awry, and other such concerns to enthusiastically focus on the exploits of a hideously scarred gunslinger in the 1800's? Head on over to ScienceFiction.com to find out!

4.5 stars for 'All-Star Western' #4 at Major Spoilers

Check out the love shown to All-Star Western #4 here. They even include a section where the graphic violence in the main feature and the backup have their respective visceral merits weighed!

'All-Star Western' declared one of the best new series of 2011 by Comic Booked.com

As you are no doubt aware by now, All-Star Western has become rather a surprise hit and one of the most critically and popularly acclaimed of the series shaken loose in the "New 52" initiative. That status is now honored at Comic Booked.com with the book being cited at the top of the list of the year's best new series, and you can read all about it here.

Weekly Comic Book Review has its say on 'All-Star Western' #4

Weekly Comic Book Review offers its two cents-worth on All-StarWestern #4, citing the dynamic between scarred bounty hunter Jonah Hex and psychiatrist Dr. Arkham, and the new backup feature, The Barbary Ghost, as being noteworthy to comics readers. You can check it all out here.