East of West Volume 1: The Promise

Foundational myths, twist and steampunk’d

East of West, Volume 1 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta (Image Comics, $9.99)

If Jonathan Hickman—whose name elicits “ooohs” of delight from comic book nerds—had been trying, he couldn’t have tailor-made a graphic novel/comic series any better for me. The Old West, alternate history centering on the Civil War, a cultic religious belief (“Have you heard the Message?”) and the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse, all set on a far-future Earth that looks suspiciously steampunk?

Good grief. Talk about high concept.

The best thing, though, is that it works. In this timeline (for those of us who accept the many-universes theory as something more than a Star Trek plot twist), the American war of fratricide was disrupted by a nuclear blast. Or a comet. Or something big that left a mighty fine American-sized hole.

That led to some big changes: The Union and the Confederacy are still standing, the Plains tribes maintained their autonomy, and China colonized the former Spanish colony on the West Coast.

In the crater of the disaster, four pods sit, busily glowing. Three of them are still full; they contain War, Plague and Famine, who will emerge as children and grow to their full size. Death? He lit out early,and he’s on a quest across the country to avenge the death of his beloved. Yes, a woman tamed Death—and then died. Or so he thinks. But you know what happens at the end of the apocalypse, right? “Then Death shall be no more.”

This is powerful stuff, this messing about with foundational myths, and Hickman does it really, really well. Add this to your list of apocalyptic must-haves.