All-Star Western (Volume 3) Issue 5

"Gotham Underground"
With Amadeus Arkham at gunpoint, Jonah Hex appears to be at a standstill with the head of the group of criminals who have been kidnapping and enslaving children in a mine under Gotham City. However, Hex's allegiances to Arkham are few, and he dares the thug to pull the trigger. Instead, they tear down the platform on which Hex is hiding, and he finds himself surrounded by gunmen amid the debris. The leader pilfers Hex's hat before throwing both men into a subterranean river with the expectation that they will not survive.

As they sink into the cold water, Arkham regrets never having learned to swim, and struggles to hang on to Hex's arm. Eventually, the sensation of drowning is replaced with that of falling, and they realize that they've gone over a waterfall. Jonah Hex manages to use his hatchet to grasp onto an outcropping, and after some encouragement, he convinces the doctor to climb up his body and onto the flat rock.

The darkness is all consuming, and Arkham begins to panic when Hex realizes that there is little chance for them to get out of this place. Suddenly, the sound of strange tribal screams comes from overhead, and they are startled by the presence of what appears to be a primitive tribe of subterranean natives. Arkham surmises that they are the lost tribe of the Miagani. The tribe proves to be hostile, and Jonah Hex is forced into violence once more, grumpily complaining of the doctor's uselessness in a fight.

Fortunately, the two manage to overcome their attackers, and acquire some torches. Following a nearby staircase, hewn into the rock, the pair find themselves before a forbidding sheer rock face with holes carved into it. Arkham follows Hex's lead, using the holes as hand and footholds until they reach the top. There, they hear a frightening screech, and they brace themselves for another attack by the Miagani. Instead, they are horrified by the sight of a giant bat. Seeing this, Hex exclaims that he hates Gotham.

"The Barbary Ghost, Part 2"
Having attempted to use a diplomatic approach with the crime lord Bo Long, Wei Tsen was killed, and his body thrown through his family's shop's window. Angrily, one of his many sons had attempted to get revenge, and though he managed to kill one of Bo Long's men, he was shot through the head.

From that point, the Tsen family was embroiled in a cycle of vengeance that claimed five of Wei Tsen's sons and eight of Bo Long's men. This imbalance prompted Bo Long to make an example of the family until all that remained was Grandfather Tsen, his daughter, and his granddaughter Yanmei. Wei's widow came to her father one night and begged him to leave with her so that they could escape Bo Long.

The next morning, Grandfather and Yanmei were packed into a cart, but his daughter remained behind, to follow later. Bo Long's men came in the night, and she was killed and the house destroyed. Yanmei and her grandfather returned in time to see the smouldering ashes of their home, and she swore vengeance, despite her grandfather's wish to keep her safe. However, he had a plan that would help them.

The next day, Yanmei went to Bo Long's home and challenged him from the street outside. He sent his men in pursuit, and as she ran into the cellar of an abandoned building, it exploded in a bright flash. For all appearances, they were killed in the blast, and Bo Long thought his work was done for him. However, Grandfather Tsen had used his knowledge of explosives to rig the building to blow while he and Yanmei escaped.

Now, under the guise of the Barbary Ghost, Yanmei searches for Bo Long and will not rest until she has justice.

Individuals

 * Jonah Hex
 * Amadeus Arkham
 * Miagani
 * Slavers

Locations

 * 1880's
 * Gotham City

Individuals

 * Barbary Ghost
 * Grandfather (Narrator)
 * Wei Tsen (Dies in flashback)
 * Bo Long
 * Tsen Family

Locations

 * 1878
 * California
 * San Francisco
 * Barbary Coast

Links

 * http://www.dccomics.com/comics/all-star-western-2011/all-star-western-5
 * http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/All-Star_Western_Vol_3_5
 * http://www.comicvine.com/all-star-western-gotham-underground/37-312639/