Freeze Frame 5/26/2017
Tag Archives: East of West
This Week’s Finest: East of West #33
“First I’ll build a sword
Get some words to explain
It’s a plan, brother, at least
And I’ll pretend that everybody here wants peace”
By Jonathan Hickman, Nock Dragotta & Frank Martin
With nearly three dozen issues published, it is instructive to glance over the pacing of Jonathan Hickman’s creator owned series, East of West. The first two arcs were densely plotted, bursting with exposition yet simultaneously possessing a full-throttle forward momentum. Character beats would explode into bristling action set-pieces viscerally rendered by co-creator Nick Dragotta. Then Hickman reined in the violence a little, shifting focus to the various political machinations of key players. The series did not grow tamer as much as take a breather while various characters gathered their strength. At the same time, Hickman sowed plots and divisions amidst the parties, steadily ramping the tension back up again. In recent issues the simmering pot approached full boil as several conflicts come to a head, resulting in this week’s rampant carnage. Yet, in the midst of this hectic activity (stunningly illustrated as always by Dragotta) Hickman delivers a thoughtful script which continues elaborating on the themes of his story.
Freeze Frame 3/17/2017
The Haul: March 2017
Looking back on last month’s article, I came to the realization that I tend to add more books to a list than I’m actually able to read and, in may cases, afford. There are only so many hours left at the end of the day to tackle my pull list, and, while they are a passion, comic books are not my only hobby. On top of that, I’ve been reading a lot more “older” stuff lately. This list will be more realistic, conservative towards what I think I’ll actually read. If I get to more, great! I’d love to read every good book out there.
Freeze Frame 2/10/2017
This Week’s Finest: East Of West #31
by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin
“This is how you die well…” Continue reading This Week’s Finest: East Of West #31
The Haul: February 2017
After an almost three year hiatus (the last post came out on 4/30/14), I’ve decided to bring back my column “The Haul.” At its inception, I vowed to write something once a week. Not only did that not happen then, but I will not even pretend to make that claim again today. However, what I can promise is to pop in at least once a month for this new endeavor. When “The Haul” first debuted, it was meant as a place where I could talk about whatever was on my mind that week in the world of comics. Having that freedom was nice, but this next iteration will have better specified boundaries. By dropping a lens over this column, I can provide a clearer focus on what it is readers can expect.
Podcast Episode Forty Five
Better late then never, the guys are back talking Saga, Moon Knight, Batman, East of West, Doctor Aphra, Locke & Key, The NFL Playoffs & more.
East of Westworld
HBO’s latest Sci-Fi smash hit Westworld proves that the network continues to offer engrossing programs to watch, while also melding the tricky territory of science fiction and western genres. While the finale was light on actual payoff, season one was 10+ hours of free will vs programming, destiny vs determinism, right vs wrong; basically a decent primer for the Image series East of West by Johnathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta… Continue reading East of Westworld
Freeze Frame 1/6/2017
