Scan barcode
A review by nharkins
East of West: The Apocalypse Year One by Jonathan Hickman
4.0
East of West has me thinking "WTF?", constantly. I suppose it's an alternate history sci-fi opus, with heavy dose of biblical supernatural, cowboy western, and political intrigue (e.g. Game of Thrones, Lazarus).
I tend to require a really tight and cohesive overall plot to continue with a series, and Hickman's macro world-building wasn't really doing it for me. After reading the first issue, I was unlikely to continue, but Finn lent me this collection, and recommended it highly, so I kept giving it chances...
...and now I'm hooked. There's a LOT going on here. Each scene completely draws you in with immediately visually enigmatic characters (e.g. Crow!) and setting flavor, while enticing you with backstory context that slowly comes out in flashbacks. So, I suspended my usual judgement/requirements, and am now just letting each issue wash over me.
I definitely see some Akira (another WTF story) influences at play here. I first noticed it in the art style of the "present"/young incarnation of the 3 horsemen, and then the last few pages of this collection seem to indicate some parts of the story will go there also.
This collection also includes a "CIA World Factbook"-like appendix of the political entities and a timeline (nice touch, also used in several of Hickman's other projects), which helps, a little.
I tend to require a really tight and cohesive overall plot to continue with a series, and Hickman's macro world-building wasn't really doing it for me. After reading the first issue, I was unlikely to continue, but Finn lent me this collection, and recommended it highly, so I kept giving it chances...
...and now I'm hooked. There's a LOT going on here. Each scene completely draws you in with immediately visually enigmatic characters (e.g. Crow!) and setting flavor, while enticing you with backstory context that slowly comes out in flashbacks. So, I suspended my usual judgement/requirements, and am now just letting each issue wash over me.
I definitely see some Akira (another WTF story) influences at play here. I first noticed it in the art style of the "present"/young incarnation of the 3 horsemen, and then the last few pages of this collection seem to indicate some parts of the story will go there also.
This collection also includes a "CIA World Factbook"-like appendix of the political entities and a timeline (nice touch, also used in several of Hickman's other projects), which helps, a little.