The last comics on Earth by Max Braillier & Joshua Pruett

Chapter 1, distinctively monochromatic, is described as the comic within the comic book and here we see avid comic readers Jack, Quint, June and Dirk reading their favourite comic book whose hero is Z-Man. When these last kids on Earth go their local comic store they find that they have read the very last Z-Man issue even though their hero, protector of Apocalyptica, is left falling off a cliff, a real cliffhanger ending. Preferring the comic apocalypse to the real thing they decide to write their own, casting themselves as the superheroes. The kids choose their characters, referring to the backstories and origin stories of the comics they have read, with lots of puns and wordplay. By chapter two we have the full colour comic “The Legacy of Z-Man” starring the kids’ alter egos Doc Baker; Super inventorist dude, Moonstar; The quasar warrior, fantabular lord of space, Boy Lightening; The boy with the superpowered brainstorms and The Savage Aloner. The comic is set in Apocalyptica, the nexus of all apocalypses, a city where the remnants of every apocalypse converged to form the ultimate megapocalypse. Filled with absorbing fun detail and awful jokes the colourful comic is action packed, always poking fun at the comic genre. Not only are there are evil villains, superpowered crystals and superhero gadgets there are also adverts and merchandising pages to add to the humour. What the kids struggle with however is the ability to work together as a team and until they do the evil villains will not be vanquished. Following on from the highly successful Last Kids on Earth books which have been made into a Netflix series and a video game, readers will love this addition and at the end is the promise of more. This book does successfully stand alone, celebrating the Kids’ resilience, courage and tolerance of difference and the importance of working together. New readers will want to access the whole series.

Themes: Superheroes, Comics, Adventure.

Sue Speck