Graphic Novel Review – East of West, Vol 3: There is No Us by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Teen+
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Length: 144 pages
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1632151148
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd volume in East of West
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“ This is the world. It is not the one we wanted, but it is the one we deserved. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse roam the Earth, signaling the End Times for humanity, and our best hope for life, lies in DEATH!”
Series Info/Source: This is the third volume in the East of West series. I borrowed this from the library.
Story (4/5): I enjoyed this, it is well done and continues an epic story set in a pre-apocalyptic western/sci-fi style fantasy Earth. In this volume we finally meet the powerful Hidden Nation and see the world fall into war. We also spend more time with Death’s son and learn if he is truly the Beast everyone suspects he is.
Characters (4/5): The characters are really intriguing. They are all drawn in very distinctive ways, so despite the huge cast of characters it’s pretty easy to keep track of who is who. We spend more time with all of the nations and with Death and Death’s son.
Setting (4/5): I love the world here, this apocalyptic western type of alternate history fantasy setting is always something I enjoy. The idea of the United States being split into different kingdoms is well done and gives this epic scope.
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The story does jump around a lot and at times it can be a bit hard to follow who is who (although characters are very distinctive looking so this helps). The changes between scenes/locations are fairly abrupt and it would have been nice to have a note at the top of the page to let us know we had changed scenes. The artwork is well done, using lots of details and rich color.
My Summary (4/5): Overall if you can get around some of the jumping back and forth and get your head wrapped around all the characters and nations involved, this is very well done. I love the setting and enjoy all of the intriguing characters. I plan on continuing with the series.
