• Comics

by LargeMarge67 on 01.17.12

Holy Lord! What can I say? I’m just…I’m…

Let me reset. Okay…good. Really, Josh? REALLY?! Never mind…Brent? Are you there? It’s me…remember me? I’m the guy who raved about your work with HE-WHO-SHALL-NOT-BE-NAMED-AGAIN, in previous issues of this book, and I know – I KNOW! – that you are the voice of reason in this twisted relationship. The murder of many innocent people was implied but not shown. When it came time to drop the kid in the drink, you drew it tastefully (from a distance) and without any viscera or child chunks bursting on the page. The point was made, in a powerful way, while maintaining subtlety at all times. Then I read this issue and the last few pages contain some of the most graphic panels in the history of comic books ever, ever, ever, ever…and ever! What happened to “Less is More”, Brent?

Never mind, let’s get to it…

The revelation that Charles conceived a daughter with one of The Greats (in Issue 3) was a major one, granted, but we learn something even more interesting in this one. The last surviving Great may not be as powerful as previously thought and the daughter may be the key to everything that transpires from here on out. There is an interesting subplot developing that has a New versus Old Testament vibe, which just adds another layer to an already dense narrative.

Peeples’ artwork continues to be superb and although the final few panels are horrifying, the ending makes it worth all the bile that accumulated in my throat while reading it.

Should you continue to read this book? Two words; HELL and YES! Rarely have I found a title that continues to up the stakes and shock the reader without resorting to contrived plot points or deus-ex-machina-type theatrics. All of my babbling in the opening diatribe aside, The Last of the Greats continues to be one of the best books on the market today. Great story, great characters and great art all come together in a tour-de-force that will leave your page-flipping fingers blistered. Fialkov pulls no punches, as usual, and I truly have no idea how everything will play out in the end. For me, that is rarely the case and one of the reasons I keep reading The Last of the Greats. If you are still not onboard, you need to drop that videogame controller, 20-sided die or whatever nerdy distraction is preventing you from doing so and fall in!

Buy it. Read it. Love it. (Those first two are not optional. The third is…unavoidable.)

‘Nuff said…