Comics
Review: ‘East of West’ # 3
Hickman continues his excellent science fiction, western series in another riveting and massive issue that doesn’t fail to excite. “East of West” really amps up this month, as it finally becomes clear what is happening. Hickman’s story takes some quick developments within the first couple of pages to show us an impending conflict. He also takes some time to allow us to get to know our protagonist better, and still gives us some incredible action beats.
WRITTEN BY: Jonathan Hickman
ART BY: Nick Dragotta
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: June 05, 2013
As with all good pieces of fiction, love now comes into play. Our unlikely hero seems to be on a quest for love, reuniting with his wife, and killing anyone who gets in the way. What results is tight storytelling ripe with characterization. Hickman has spent the last two issues showing us a character who couldn’t possibly feel love, only to negate here.
The slow boil storytelling starts to simmer. Conflict is on the horizon, and for the first time it looks like conflict worthy of our protagonist. Who would have ever thought that a story about the four horsemen of the apocalypse would be about love?
It’s a masterful decision that motivates the entire rest of the issue, and perhaps the series. Without giving too much away, this issue was almost entirely about exposition, but done so miraculously well, I could care less.
Dragotta’s art is still spectacular and doesn’t seem to let up. The relationship Hickman and Dragotta have is probably the book’s biggest strength, because the art supports the story so well, that it often leaves my jaw on the floor. One page early in the issue has Dragotta masterfully placing eleven panels of action without fail. Yes, eleven fucking panels. The man is that good. Not to mention this massive page flows so well, and looks so good, it might be the best in the issue if an amazing splash panel didn’t follow it up. The splash panel is packed with kinetic energy that made me feel as if I was standing on the battlefield beside these warriors.
With a little more time building the world, and some time devoted to the other horsemen, this issue knocked it out of the park. The pacing was incredible and managed to push every small story forward in leaps and bounds. Honestly it makes the other two issues slower paces into a distant memory.
This month Hickman and Dragotta managed to kick things into high gear. I was skeptical that the story was ever going to make coherent sense, or pick up the pace. Yet, I’m happy to report that both of these problems have been solved. Although Hickman could easily slip back into the crawl he was in before, I sincerely doubt it. The groundwork has now been laid, and the series is about to take off and rocket us into somewhere new. I loved this issue, and urge you to pick it up.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jimbus_Christ
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
You must be logged in to post a comment.