Saturday, May 4, 2013

Westward #2-4

by Ken Krekeler

I read the first issue of Westward a while ago, and because I couldn't find any subsequent issues, I did something I almost never do, and ordered these three comics on-line.  Ken Krekeler's series, and his unique voice, caught my attention, and I wanted to find out more about this story.

Westward is about Victor West, a spoiled rich kid and son of an industrialist in a steampunk future.  In the first issue, it appeared that Victor had been in a coma for a number of years, but in fact, he is an android, or a 'manifold', with the original Victor's thought-patterns, but none of his memories.  The shock of seeing Victor up and around caused his father to have a heart attack, and now his sister runs the company.

This series is about a number of things.  On the one hand, it's the story of Victor's quest to better understand himself and the abilities that his body holds, and of his attempts to return to normal family life.  It's also about CLAW, an anti-corporate group that is responsible for increasingly violent attacks.

Krekeler's writing is pretty nuanced.  His characters are very believable, and it's clear that he's pacing this story to last a while.  Each of these issues introduces some new story elements, without ever overwhelming the reader.  Krekeler's art is a little rough, but quite serviceable for the story.

The first trade, which collects the first three issues, just became available this week.  I suggest it's well worth a look.

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