DC Entertainment might have saved the best for last in its ambitious revamping of its entire line of superhero comics -- and it's a book that doesn't have a single superhero.

"All-Star Western" No. 1 arrived Sept. 28, taking the place of "Jonah Hex" on the schedule but still starring the lethal Wild West bounty hunter. The first story varies immediately from its predecessor by being set in the Wild East of the 19th century, Gotham City, a place that will host a certain other man hunter in the 21st century.

If you think Batman has his hands full in the present, wait until you see his filthy, gritty, crime-ridden hometown in the 1880s. Adding to Gotham's Dickensian misery is a serial killer -- dubbed the Gotham Ripper for his grisly work -- who's eviscerating prostitutes. A police force at the end of its rope asks psychiatrist Amadeus Arkham (whose descendant will build the famous asylum) to help, and he promptly hires Hex. That's really all the setup you need -- that, and the first page showing Gotham in all its seedy glory, as flawlessly rendered by new one-name artist Moritat ("The Spirit").

The writers haven't changed. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti wrote 70 issues of "Jonah Hex" (plus one graphic novel), all as done-in-one morality tales. In "All-Star Western," however, they're expanding to multi-issue stories. The new freedom shows in issue No. 1, which takes its sweet time familiarizing new readers with Hex and Gotham, while amusing those who already know the score.

"It is a slightly different animal in that we're structuring episodes on a larger scale," Gray said. "But to be honest, it is fun to have so much more room in a story using a character we're intimately familiar with."

Palmiotti agreed: "Telling a story in 22 pages can be difficult at times, and there were many circumstances in the past that we wish we had extra pages to build up scenes and characters a bit more. With 'All-Star Western,' we get to do just that ... and in a spectacular way."

Of course, a series with that title will have more than one star. Other western characters will get the spotlight in backup stories, starting with El Diablo in issue No. 2, which will be drawn by "Hex" alumnus Jordi Bernet ("The Torpedo").

While characters such as Bat Lash and Nighthawk have been mentioned, no details have been confirmed. Gray said they want to "keep a measure of secrecy to help bolster surprises down the road." Of the other backup characters, Gray said, "So far they only have the 19th century in common."

Palmiotti, too, resists giving anything away -- even location.

"We will be experimenting with not only the characters," he said, "but we will be looking at other places and cities to have some fun with established and new characters."