Eh. The premise is kind of great, being about the four horsemen and and all, but with death being a grown-up, and the rest being kids, and Death being...married? to a Chinese lady? Who is very strong? It's out of sync. And distracting, and not well-told enough to distract from that. It's visually grotesque and sharp and satisfying in that regard -- a neat dystopia. But I think at it's heart it might just be some sort of political fable? And I'm not sure I'm gonna stick around to find out. Wha? What is this? Is this Hickman that I actually enjoy? It almost seems kind of like a response to Vaughan's Saga with the star crossed love set in the future. But there are many differences. First, one of the Four Horseman, Death, no longer has his love returned from this tough human woman. Second, like all Hickman, it is high concept. Four Horseman of the Apocalypse trying to take over minus the lovesick (if Clint Eastwood could be lovesick) Death. They are trying to manipulate him back in the fold while various factions with their own political agendas manipulate the scene. As always with this writer, you have to take a deep breath and realize that things will not make sense right away. They will be revealed slowly in time. But we have interesting characters (finally!) to play with, so it is much easier to sit tight and follow their story for once. Dragotta's art is a pastel revelation. In some ways, it reminds me of Casaday's though it is just a bit more detailed without being overdrawn. I'm not much for Westerns, but that with post-apocalyptic sci-fi mixed with great art and just enough character development make for the tastiest Hickman in forever.
What do You think about Este Del Oeste Vol. 1 (2014)?
I'm not entirely sure what's going on yet, but I know that it's beautiful and I love it.
—yurib
Did I love it? Does Death ride a headless, mechanical horse? Yes. Yes, he does.
—martha
I am a huge fan of Hickman, and he delivers with this apocalyptic western.
—mindyk1001
