Second Read-through...

East of West is a creative reimagining of the coming of the apocalypse. I think that the separation of Death from his brother and sisters is really unique. The feelings that he has also makes the horsemen more complicated because it creates a fine line between them as sentient beings and tolls of a godly prophecy. I think that Hickman could have introduced the conflict ant characters a little slower, perhaps over two volumes. The amount of characters and territories was a little overwhelming for a first volume and graphic novel. Other than that, the story is very captivating. The twists in the first volume creat a good direction for the story to go towards. The concept of the beast of the apocalypse was new to me. (I don’t know if it’s standard to horseman lore.)

The fact that it is, possibly, Death’s own son, adds depth to the conflict. Xiaolian’s reluctance to go back to Death is really hard hitting and is going to make a good romance plot line. Perhaps enemies to lovers or second chance romance.