Kingsway West #1 Review: A Welcome Western

The Wild West is considered to be one the most important periods in American history. This is the period where Americans traveled west and settled in the western states. No to mention cowboys. Of course, westerns aren’t anything new; westerns with magic, on the other hand, is something not done much. Greg Pak has done that with his new comic “Kingsway West” and the first issue is a strong start.

In an alternate Wild West America, the Chinese have created the Golden Mountain Empire and the Mexicans have the Republica de Los Californios (“Republic of the Californias.”) All this because red gold was found in California. Kingsway Law is an outlaw from the Golden Mountain Empire and is wanted by its queen. Now he must survive the wild by avoiding the queen’s soldiers.

The concept of magic in the Wild West is something that’s not always used (Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series and the “Wild Arms” video game series come to mind) and here it’s rather interesting. Yes, an evil empire and a renegade fighting them have been done to death, but Pak has made the story interesting. That way is Law. A strong main lead is a key to a strong story, and Law is a strong character.

The art by Mirko Colak has plenty to like. The characters have nice designs, the backdrops are nicely colored and some are even nicely drawn. However, there are some backdrops that look way too basic and just blend into each other. Also, some of the animals are hard to look at for too long.

“Kingsway West” is the newest addition to a genre that is barely used and the first issue makes it a welcome one. The story and world are well thought out despite the overdone premise and the art is a lot going for it. This comic does the job of making you want to read the next issues.