New series alert, G-Marters. Jonathan Hickman's new ongoing book East of West comes out tomorrow and we have an advance review of the first issue. So what's it all about? In an interview with Previews World, Hickman said..."East of West is a story about that feeling we're experiencing collectively right now, as a society, that the world is in a bit of a spiral. You know, the end times are imminent and we all hate each other too much to come together and solve our problems.... And then, in the face of all that despair and gloom, somehow there is still hope. That's East of West."
Seems pretty straightforward, right? Well, keep in mind that this is a story coming from the mind of Jonathan Hickman--Marvel's lead architect and scribe of the highly rated indie Manhattan Projects--so he's not going to let you off that easy. East of West is an apocalyptic story set in a divided future America in which the Civil War didn't really end. This is definitely Hickman's most palatable outing, eschewing his affinity for reviving Renaissance natural philosophy in favor of a more straightforward fantasy narrative in landscapes inspired by Star Wars, Blade Runner, and The Dark Tower.
If you've read any other Hickman originals like Pax Romana, Red Mass for Mars or Manhattan Projects, then you know what you're getting into. These are cosmic stories with aspirations higher than your average comic book. No fan of the "slow first issue," Hickman wastes no time setting up new worlds, delivering only the bare minimum of exposition to help you get your bearings while keeping you wondering what's next with teasing dialogue. No matter how carefully you read, there's always something just over your head that's just a little too hard to comprehend, but at the same time, one gets the sense that every detail is there for a reason--that there's an unexplored world behind the pages, and each frame is just one of many possible windows into it. Don't expect any handholding, here. Hickman doesn't explain his worlds, he just acclimates you to them. Throughout there is the persistent sense that whatever is happening, it's really damned important, and well worth getting to the bottom of.
This way of writing is either a lot of fun (S.H.I.E.L.D.) or slightly frustrating (Red Mass for Mars). His lofty themes don't detract in the least from his excellent dialogue and framing as his latest work on Avengers and New Avengers shows. Hickman hits the right balance between fun and opacity when he's working on a long series. When you have the time to get to know them, you realize that Hickman's characters do have souls and distinct personalities as evidenced in his work on Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors. Hickman likes to peel back the layers of his characters' facades over many issues, never showing you everything all at once or hitting anything too on-the-nose. Fortunately, East of West is listed as a new ongoing series, so it looks as if we'll have a good amount of time to settle into an exciting new world from one of the comic biz's first rate minds.
-Alex W.
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