Everyone's digging for Red Gold.
If East of West and the recently concluded Sixth Gun aren't enough to quench your thirst for supernaturally tinged Wild West comics, perhaps this new creator-owned series from Greg Pak and Mirko Colak will fit the bill. But where both The Sixth Gun and East of West pair high concepts with great characters, Kingsway West still has some work to do in terms of the latter.
Like East of West, Kingsway West unfolds in an alternate America where history took a major left turn in the mid-19th Century. In this world, the discovery of a mythical substance called Red Gold has completely changed the balance of power and pitted the US government, Native American tribes, Mexico and even China against one another in a never-ending battle over this elusive resource. The result is a book that blends counterfactual history, fantasy, and good, old-fashioned Wild West tropes. Pak and Colak have generated a memorable universe, one where dragons and metahumans walk side by side with dusty, sharp-shooting cowboys. And thankfully, Pak doesn't go overboard trying to explain the finer details of this universe right off the bat. Most of the esoteric elements are presented in a very matter-of-fact way, and the script generally avoids plodding exposition or narration.
Colak and colorist Will Quintana are essential in bringing that universe to life. Colak's work isn't overly stylized, If anything, he brings a fairly humble, down-to-earth feel to the book despite the odd sights and moments of deadly violence. The environments and sweeping vistas are the most visually arresting element of the book, which is as it should be. It's also impressive how well the fashion designs and color choices serve to distinguish characters of different factions and backgrounds.
Despite all this, the book has yet to truly stand out in terms of its characters. Lead protagonist Kingsway Law is pretty standard as far as cowboy heroes go. He's lightning quick with a pistol and has a tragic past he's just as soon forget. That's about all there is to Mr. Law so far. It doesn't help that the narrative skips over large chunks of time in this issue, basically robbing readers of the chance to become more familiar with Kingsway and his wife, Sophia. As interesting as this world is, the creators still need to work at populating it with equally interesting players.
The Verdict
Kingsway West #1 serves as a promising debut for this new Wild West fantasy comic. It introduces an eclectic and compelling universe without bombarding readers with unnecessary details right out of the gate. Unfortunately, the bland characters don't measure up to the rich world and attractive visuals just yet. Still, there's plenty of time to address that problem as the series gets underway.
Editors' Choice
→
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire