Artist Nick Dragotta is on a hot streak right now, thanks to the best-selling Absolute Batman. But if you want to check out one of his earlier works, East of West from Image Comics is getting a massive new paperback compendium edition, collecting the whole series. And oh yeah, it’s written by Jonathan Hickman.
Originally launched in 2013 and stretching over 10 volumes, the series per PR from Image, is “a Dystopian, speculative history story—similar in approach to Phillip K. Dick’s The Man in High Castle—but imagines a future United States in 2064 that follows an alternate timeline wherein the Civil War never ended. In it, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse roam the Earth, signaling the End Times for humanity, and the best hope for life, lies in Death.”
Sure, that’s the simple way of putting it. Thanks to wild visuals from Dragotta and intricate world-building from Hickman, East of West is a sweeping, jaw-dropping book that goes from widescreen battles to intimate scenes of loss and heartache.
“I knew from the first time I worked with Nick that we were creatively simpatico, but as East of West unfolded, I think we both were surprised and delighted at just how magical the book became,” said Hickman. “The bones of the story are pure nostalgia, but its themes are timeless and its view of the world is prescient and more relevant than ever. We’ve both done some pretty work, but this just might be our best.”
Added Dragotta, “Working with Jonathan Hickman on East of West was complete freedom and where I found myself as an artist. Collected together for the first time I can see the evolution of my own work, along with my partners in design; Jon, Frank Martin Jr. and Rus Wooton. It’s a story that’s as relevant as when we told it and still looks cool as hell.”
East of West: The End Times compendium collects all 45 issues of the series, and features a new cover from Dragotta. It will hit comic book stores on February 19, 2025, and bookstores on March 5, 2025. You can check out a preview, below.
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