East of West

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East of West
East of West.jpg
Cover of East of West 1, art by Nick Dragotta
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Format Ongoing series
Publication dateMarch 2013 – December 2019
No. of issues45
Creative team
Created byJonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Artist(s)Nick Dragotta
Letterer(s) Rus Wooton
Colorist(s) Frank Martin

East of West is a monthly comic book series published by Image Comics which debuted in March 2013 and was concluded in December 2019. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta, the book is a science fiction Western set in a dystopian version of the United States whose fate rests with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Contents

Publication history

At the 2012 New York Comic Con, Image Comics announced East of West as one of the publisher's new titles in 2013. [1] [2] The series reunited writer Jonathan Hickman and illustrator Nick Dragotta, who had previously collaborated on Fantastic Four for Marvel Comics. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Dragotta recalled: "I remember a few email exchanges where we said we should work together again sometime, maybe do a creator-owned book. That was kind of it. It gestated for a little while when we worked on FF and our relationship grew tighter. We met at the last Image Expo and sat down for lunch. He told me he had this great idea for a Western, and I said I wanted to draw science fiction. We merged it into a sci-fi Western, and that's how the idea was born." [3] The first issue of East of West was released on March 27, 2013. [4]

Premise

Hickman told Previews catalogue that the tagline of East of West is "The things that divide us are stronger than the things that unite us." Hickman explained, "The end times are imminent and we all hate each other too much to come together and solve our problems. Our final destination is imminent, and it is the Apocalypse. And then, in the face of all that despair and gloom, somehow there is still hope." [5] The series, a science-fiction Western set in a dystopian America, casts the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as heroes. Of these four characters, Hickman describes Death – a "Clint Eastwood-y" man wearing a suit, cowboy hat and skull bolo tie – as someone who feels "betrayed", and the others (War, Famine and Conquest) as feeling "abandoned". [6] [7] The second arc, according to Dragotta, focuses on the Chosen, "a group of elites from the Seven Nations who are working to bring about the end of the world." [8]

Plot

Set in the dystopian 2064 United States, the series explores an alternate timeline where in the past, the Civil War never ended and an extended war continued until a comet hits present-day Kansas in 1908. The six warring parties met at Armistice-the site of the comet's impact-and made a truce. This resulted in the signing of the treaty forming "the Seven Nations of America": the Armistice, The Union, The Confederacy, the Kingdom of New Orleans, the Endless Nation, the Republic of Texas, and the People's Republic of America. On the day of the treaty signing, Elijah Longstreet, a Confederate Army soldier under Stonewall Jackson, and Red Cloud, the chief of chiefs to the Native American tribes of the Endless Nation, simultaneously prophesied what would later become part of The Message. Both immediately collapsed and died after delivering their respective prophecies.

In 1958, Chairman Mao Zedong of the PRA wrote the addendum to his Little Red Book; this addendum was the third piece of the prophecy meant to complete The Message, which foretold the Apocalypse.

Since then, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death, War, Famine, and Conquest) physically manifest and seeks to fulfill the prophecies. Believers of the Message periodically make pilgrimages to the Armistice, only to be slaughtered by the Horsemen on the way. Conquest decided to adopt one of the pilgrim's orphans, named him Ezra Orion, then raised and trained him to be the Keeper of the Message. A structure over Armistice was built to prevent any pilgrimages. Ezra became the first of "the Chosen", a group whose later members are Believers and high-ranking officials representing each Nation. The Chosen members are assigned to help bring about the Apocalypse.

On their path to the Apocalypse, the Horsemen got derailed when Death falls in love with Xiaolian, a daughter of Mao V. In 2054, she and Death had a son together; this urges Death to abandon the Horsemen and their mission. However, this coupling was envisioned by the prophecy, with their son being interpreted as "the Beast of the Apocalypse". Hu, Xiaolian's sister and a member of the Chosen, betrays her sister to the remaining Horsemen. Xiaiolian's son was taken away, and she was kept prisoner by her father, who struck a deal with the three Horsemen to hide Xiaolian from Death. Death's son was kept in a secret facility, where Ezra began raising him to become the Beast.

Death was informed of his family's death by the Horsemen; enraged, he kills them. The Chosen then injured and left Death to die. Death, however, survives due to the intervention of two Endless Nation witches, Crow and Wolf. A decade later, War, Famine, and Conquest are resurrected at Armistice as 10-year-old children when they realize Death's absence. Feeling betrayed, they determine to accomplish their mission without him. Death, on the other hand, seeks revenge on The Chosen for the presumed death of his wife and son. Here begins the story of East of West #1.

Characters

Pro-Apocalypse:

Anti-Apocalypse:

Independent Allegiances:

Reception

The first issue of East of West sold out in the week of its release. [9] Newsarama's David Pepose wrote that knowing where the story is going "can be a challenge", but that "with sharp art and strong dialogue, this first issue has a lot going for it". [10] Greg McElhatton of Comic Book Resources said, "Hickman and Dragotta are clearly telling an epic story, and it feels so rich and textured that it's hard to not want to see more. The comic is off to an extremely strong start". [11] Reviews of the first five issues by IGN have received ratings ranging from 7.0 to 9.0 out of 10. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] J.C. Maçek III of PopMatters said after reading issue #2, "there is enough potential in both substance and style to give East of West a shot… with both barrels." [17] In a review of the fifth issue, The A.V. Club's Oliver Sava said, "this conclusion to the first arc solidifies the emotional stakes of the story while setting a clear path for the future." [18] McElhatton wrote that the eighth issue " is another strong installment in a series that deserves even more attention than it's already received." [19] The first trade paperback collection, The Promise, topped the Diamond Comic Distributors sales charts in September. [20] It was chosen as one of Digital Spy's top ten comics of 2013. [21]

Accolades and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2013Diamond Gem AwardsBest New Comic Book SeriesWon [22]
2014 Eisner Award Best Continuing SeriesNominated [23]

TV series

On April 19, 2018, it was announced that Amazon Studios, Skybound Entertainment, and Hickman would be developing an hour long series based on the property (along with "Transhuman"). [24]

At SDCC in 2019 Hickman revealed East of West is no longer in development at Amazon Prime Video. [25]

Collected editions

TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
East of West, Volume 1: The PromiseEast of West #1–5September 2013 978-1607067702
East of West, Volume 2: We Are All OneEast of West #6–10April 2014 978-1607068556
East of West, Volume 3: There Is No UsEast of West #11–15September 2014 978-1632151148
East of West, Volume 4: Who Wants War?East of West #16–19 + The WorldJune 2015 978-1632153814
East of West: The Apocalypse: Year OneEast of West #1–15 + The World (Part 1)July 2015 978-1632154309
East of West, Volume 5: All These SecretsEast of West #20–24March 2016 978-1632156808
East of West, Volume 6East of West #25–29November 2016 978-1632158796
East of West: The Apocalypse: Year TwoEast of West #16–29 + The World (Part 2)March 2017 978-1534300590
East of West, Volume 7East of West #30–34September 13, 2017 978-1534302143
East of West, Volume 8East of West #35–38August 14, 2018 978-1534305564
East of West, Volume 9East of West #39–42May 28, 2019 978-1534308633
East of West, Volume 10East of West #43–45July 22, 2020 978-1534313422
East of West: The Apocalypse: Year ThreeEast of West #30–45November 2020 978-1534314993

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References

  1. ↑ Armitage, Hugh (October 20, 2012). "NYCC: Jonathan Hickman tackles two new Image Comics titles". Digital Spy . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ Fairbanks, David (October 20, 2012). "NYCC: Image Comics set to take 2013 by storm". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  3. ↑ Keily, Karl (July 5, 2013). "Image Expo 2013: Dragotta Heads 'East of West'". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  4. ↑ Arrant, Chris (February 19, 2013). "Avengers Writer Makes 4 Horsemen 'Heroes' in 'East of West'". Newsarama . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ Mueller, Andy (January 2013). "The Four Horsemen Ride In Hickman's 'East of West'". Diamond Comic Distributors . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  6. ↑ Truitt, Brian (March 26, 2013). "Horsemen ride into a dystopian future in 'East of West'". USA Today . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  7. ↑ Dietsch, TJ (February 26, 2013). "Hickman Points 'East of West' In The Right Direction". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  8. ↑ Hennon, Blake (November 4, 2013). "Nick Dragotta previews 'East of West' 7, talks Death's horse, Howtoons". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ Johnston, Rich (March 25, 2013). "Speculator Alert: 'East Of West' #1". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ Pepose, David (March 26, 2013). "Best Shots Advance: 'East of West', 'Green Hornet', 'Skullkickers'". Newsarama. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  11. ↑ McElhatton, Greg (March 27, 2013). "Review: 'East of West' #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  12. ↑ Yehl, Joshua (March 27, 2013). "'East of West' #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  13. ↑ Grey, Melissa (April 24, 2013). "'East of West' #2 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  14. ↑ Grey, Melissa (June 5, 2013). "'East of West' #3 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  15. ↑ Grey, Melissa (July 10, 2013). "'East of West' #4 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  16. ↑ "'East of West' #5 Review". IGN. August 18, 2013. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  17. ↑ Maçek III, J.C. (April 24, 2013). "Staying on 'Message': 'East of West' #2". PopMatters . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  18. ↑ Sava, Oliver (August 16, 2013). "'East Of West' #5 combines romance and apocalypse with spectacular results". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  19. ↑ McElhatton, Greg (December 18, 2013). "Review: 'East of West' #8". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  20. ↑ Mayo, John (October 8, 2013). "Sales Report: Crime Pays for DC Comics in September, 'East of West' Rides High". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  21. ↑ Armitage, Hugh (December 27, 2013). "Digital Spy's top ten comics of 2013". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  22. ↑ Graeme Mcmillan (2014-01-24). "Image Comics Named 'Publisher of the Year' by Comic Book Retailers". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  23. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (2014-04-15). "The 2014 Eisner Nominees Are Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  24. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (19 April 2018). "Amazon Developing "Transhuman" & "East Of West" Genre Series From Comic Book Creator Jonathan Hickman & Skybound". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  25. ↑ Arrant, Chris. "EAST OF WEST Exits AMAZON TV Deal". Newsarama . Future plc . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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