by Dahl Botterill
Jonathan Hickan - Writer, Nick Dragotta - Artist, Frank Martin - Colourist
"We would tell you to pray, but it wouldn't do any good. You have earned what is coming to you."
Jonathan Hickman's comic book series East of West began as an alternate history of the United States, opening with a story of seven nations rising from the ashes of a long-extended American Civil War. It quickly expanded, incorporating dystopian science fiction, political intrigue, horror, mysticism, and countless other aspects into a genre-bending epic western of prophecy, inhumanity, and the end of the world. The Apocalypse: Year Three concludes the tale, collecting issues 30 through 45 into a deluxe, oversized hardcover format that really gives the art an opportunity to shine.
Hickman's story has tremendous scope, and Nick Dragotta brings it to life with an ability to transform both the best and worst that humanity has to offer into something beautiful. By this third and final year of the story, the world has already been in the grips of the apocalypse for a couple years, and the various plans and machinations of those in power are either coming to fruition or being dashed to pieces. Death, despite having found his son Babylon, is still trying to save him, and the remaining horsemen are seeking the same in their efforts to usher in the end. The Chosen (those leaders that have been working to fulfill the prophetic claims of the Message) are forced to reckon with what they've wrought upon the world and what price they're obligated to pay. The characters are numerous and are all fully realized, as is the alternate future America they inhabit. Every character, from game-shaping protagonist to small but significant minor role, leaves a mark.
Hickman and Dragotta complement each other brilliantly, and the result is a stunning work of both art and literature. It won't be for everybody; it's often dark, violent, and bleak—it is the apocalypse, after all—but if it appeals to you at all, you'll probably love it. "What is the world but the arena in which we are tested?" Well, the end of that world is here, and each of the Seven Nations of America lives and breathes as a world unto itself, resulting in an America that's just as thoroughly realized as the characters. In a similar way, every genre that East of West incorporates brings something unique to the book, and the resulting graphic novel is an expressive and expansive tale that grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the final panel.