For those who have not been reading some of the other DCU Spotlight articles on the site, we at TBU have been making a pretty big case for Bat-fans to be reading All-Star Western. Set in the late 1800's in historic Gotham City, the series is unraveling some of the history that sets up the existence of Gotham City and essentially Batman. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti talked with Newsarama about how exactly the series connects to whats happening in The Batman Universe and if we will see a connection in the pages of the comics.
Newsarama: Jimmy and Justin, you've been writing the character of Jonah Hex for awhile now, but this new title has offered you the chance to really immerse him in the past of the DCU, and particularly Gotham City. What's it been like to explore the history of the Batman universe? Did you guys do a lot of research into what's been written about Gotham's past as you put these early issues together, and are you working with the current writers?
Jimmy Palmiotti: We are always researching and talking to the editors and other writers of the Batman books to see what's going on and how we can interact and plant seeds in the past to make the whole picture make more sense. Currently, you'll be seeing things in All-Star that have everything to do with what's happening in the Batman titles right now.
Justin Gray: The good thing about it is that we’re working with the idea that Gotham existed long before Batman and it has a rich history to be developed and explored. Like Jimmy said, we’ve been working with Mike Marts and Scott on making sure there are elements from the past that tie directly it to Batman’s time.
Newsarama: What made you pick these elements of that history in particular, like the Crime Bible and Amadeus Arkham?
Justin Gray: The Crime Bible was an obvious and instinctive choice because it allows us to show that crime is a cellular part of Gotham City. When you look back at Chicago and New York, you’ll see the gangs and criminal empires helped shape those cities.
Jimmy Palmiotti: With All-Star, we all decided to make Gotham’s history and historical characters part of the overall stories and Amadeus seemed the perfect odd couple pairing to stick Jonah Hex with, since they represent totally different perspectives of crime and criminal activity. The crime bible just seems like a good natural choice as well. Trust me when I tell you we have a lot more super cool things that will be showing up right away that will make the Batman fans very happy.
Newsarama: Then to finish up, Jimmy and Justin, is there anything else you want to tell fans about All-Star Western?
Jimmy Palmiotti: I will say if you are a fan of the Batman books, you should probably be checking the book out. And if you are a fan of classic comic storytelling by some of the best artists in the field, this book is for you.
Justin Gray: There’s a war coming to Gotham later in 2012 that has huge ties to modern Gotham city and the storyline that is currently taking place in Batman. How’s that for a hint?
For the entire interview, including talk about a upcoming connection with the Bat-Family, head over to Newsarama. All-Star Western #4 is in stores today.
Posted by Dustin Fritschel
