WARNING: this review contains spoilers for the first two volumes of “Last Man,” by Balak, Bastien Vivès, and Michaël Sanlaville and released in English by First Second. But you really ought to check out this entire series if you haven’t already: it’s an absolute blast and this third volume is no exception.
Written and Illustrated by Balak, Michaël Sanlaville, and Bastien Vivès
Richard Aldana, the mysterious stranger who entered the Games in the first volume of Last Man, continues to defeat all of his competitors, despite his outlandish refusal to use any magic, and to rely solely on martial arts. With young Adrian fighting at his side, he’s beginning to look like a likely contender for the Royal Cup. But in a breathtaking twist, everything changes: this world is not what you thought it was, and Richard Aldana is certainly not who he claimed.
In a profile interview with The Comics Journal, Bastien Vivès said that he felt the manga-inspired French comic series, “Last Man” was, at its core, about a boy and his mother. That’s none more apparent than in the third volume (of a proposed twelve; seven of which have already been released in France), “The Chase.” Following their tournament victory, young Adrian Velba’s mysterious partner, Richard Aldana, has snatched away their trophy, The Royal Cup, and disappeared. Not about to put up with that, Adrian’s mother, Marianne, reveals a motorcycle hidden in their basement, straps a helmet on Adrian’s head, and sets off in pursuit.
“The Chase” picks up a few miles from where “The Royal Cup” left off. Marianna and Adrian have reached The Rift — in true fantasy fashion, a bridge that shrouds their home from the wider world. Creative team Balak, Bastien Vivès, and Michaël Sanlaville trade-in the Legend of Korra pro-bending element battles for a more Mad Max inspired insanity and chaos. Marianne and Adrian dodge bike gangs, corrupt government judiciary systems, and whorehouse raids in their efforts to track down the mysterious Richard Aldana.
Like the previous two tomes, “The Chase” is fast paced, exciting, and kinetic. Balak, Vivès, and Sanlaville have a strong confidence in their story and an exuberance for the material, which radiates through on every page. “Last Man: The Chase” is an all-ages book, and this creative team have approached it as an all-ages book, but it also kind of isn’t? Like the previous two volumes, they are sort of confused about how to approach sexuality. If this series has shown one major issue, it’s been its confusion about its sexual tone. We can make all the jokes about how the French are more generally comfortable with their bodies and sexuality and whatever, but I don’t think that’s the issue here so much as the inconsistency in the depiction of sexuality.
The violence is mostly cartoony and fun, yes, but the sexual tone is all over the place. Sometimes there’s an innocence to it, like the scene with Adrian in the brothel. He has no idea what’s going on or why all these women are wandering around scantily clad, but he has this curious observational expression the whole time. It’s sweet, even. Cute. But then there are times where the tone veers off into a completely other direction. There’s this scene where Marianne and Adrian are cornered in the desert and these bandits, calling themselves police officers, declaring that it’s time to inflict justice by raping the two of them. Obviously they escape, beat the hell out of those guys, and nothing happens, but the scene doesn’t play out as anything but uncomfortable. Not narratively uncomfortable but genuinely uncomfortable.
But look at what the book does so well! “Last Man” has some of the most fluid and dynamic action sequences in comics right now. The panels cut across the page, filled with exciting and kinetic images, and featuring characters with great expressions. Balak, Vivès, and Sanlaville know what to show and the exact moment when to show it, making the whole thing play out so cool.
A total collaborative process, the three of them develop the story together before Vivès goes off to write the working script. Balak then lays out the book (in a process he calls “storyboarding”) before Vivès and Sanlaville complete the finished art. The four of them literally sit in a circle in their studio and draw all day, constantly throwing out new ideas and letting the story evolve as it wants. That raw energy carries through every page of the comic, and it’s infectious.
Continued below“The Chase” also shows the strong control this team has over their mythology. Too often, a fantasy series will get bogged down by its own backstory, and become sort of tedious to get through. Or the main story won’t be nearly as interesting as its mythology. While there are some expository dumps in this volume, Balak, Vivès, and Sanlaville mostly convey this history through a book they give Adrian. It helps maintain the forward momentum while further building the intrigue.
The real star of “The Chase,” though, is Marianne. A new side of her comes to light in this volume (traits we realize she was exhibiting all along, but it’s only now they’ve really come to the forefront), and watching her work, negotiate, navigate the terrain, and take charge of a situation is just as exciting and interesting as the action sequences. Her compassion for her son and their situation is super on point, and it’s clear Balak, Vivès, and Sanlaville doubled down on establishing her character. Again, much of this is conveyed through Adrian’s point-of-view, and we’re right there with him as he goes from not only loving and trusting his mother, but also realizing what she’s capable of and respecting her as something bigger than “a mother.” Of course, more questions about her origins come up — why did she go to the Valley of the Kings in the first place? where did she get that motorcycle? what is she hiding? — and I think if Balak, Vivès, and Sanlaville addresses these with the same enthusiasm, I know I’ll continue to be on board for what happens next.
Fast paced, cleverly written, and energetically drawn, “Last Man Volume 3: The Chase” continues expanding the world and developing its mysteries. The series still needs to figure out how it wants to approach sex, but its action and character work more than make up for that. It’s engrossing, gripping, and a lot of fun.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – another strong installment of an entertaining series.
