Oliver Davis reviews East of West #12…
“THE NIGHT BEFORE” A last ditch effort is undertaken to avoid a war between the nations by the most unlikely person on the planet. The remains of the Chosen reassemble.”
Everything in East of West is ‘The’ something; THE Four Horsemen, THE Message, THE Meatball Marinara Footlong with Extra Cheese. The definitive article is an effective technique for giving something instant importance. But when pretty much every concept, character and location in a story is ‘THE’ this or that, the impact is dulled.
Issue 12 kicks off with THE definitive line drawn in THE definitive sand, made by THE PRA’s Emperor Xiaolian at a meeting between THE great nations. Not surprisingly, the two distinct groups made by Xiaolian’s declaration of war receive the ‘THE’ treatment, too: THE Chosen against THE Righteous.
The entire issue is centred on this discussion between the heads of nation, and whether or not they will join Xiaolian’s Righteous coalition. Much of the first half is confined to small, uniform panels, dividing the page three by three. They recall the neat boxes of Steve Ditko, and when the pace finally shifts after a tense opening, the full page spread explodes with energy. East of West has many faults, but pacing the reader through its scenes and pages is not one of them.
But how about we talk about two of those many faults?
Jonathan Hickman clearly loves language and dialect, and he writes both with an acute ear. His writing talent, however, is often a hindrance in East of West. In a similar way to the worst aspect of Scott Snyder’s otherwise terrific Batman run, dialogue smothers the page, obscuring the art and bogging the read in frustration. Each character seems permanently on the cusp of a self-indulgent monologue. Imagine how Geoff Johns – the master of the succinct – would write the same scenes. The word count would be cut in half.
An expanding cast of characters matches this indulgence in dialogue. The meeting of nations has brought with it not only a few more personalities, but also the entire civilisations they represent. Like George R.R. Martin’s later books in his ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ saga, the story has become bloated and overly complex.
After a thrilling recent issue, East of West has found itself in the quagmire once again. No mutant child, none of the Three Horsemen, not even the book’s best character, Death, make appearances. And, set entirely around a conference table in a single room, the wordiness is painful. 12 Angry Men this is not.
Oliver Davis is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors. You can follow him on Twitter (@OliDavis).
Originally published May 23, 2014. Updated November 28, 2022.
