Sequel Sunday!

Today, I am going to check in with the latest entries in a couple of promising series to see how they are progressing and if they are living up to the great expectations I had reading the first volumes. I think both series feature examples of exceptional world-building and strong character work.

The Chase is the third book in the Last Man series (my first two reviews are here), what has so far been a tale set in a small fictional town, focusing on a fighting tournament. All of those provincial matters from the Valley of the Kings get left way behind here. Mom Marianne has taken her son Adrian out of town to track down his former fighting partner, the scalawag Richard Aldana, who has skipped town with the trophy. Amazingly, she has a badass motorcycle, a map to strange lands, and hitherto unknown ability to summon powerful spells.

The emergence of Marianne's secrets is just one of the surprises this book holds. There are also a massive trek through a wasteland, a battle with corrupt policemen, a surprise rescue from some quite remarkable firemen, a visit to a crazed city, some duck and covering in a brothel, and a trial that is part professional wrestling, part kangaroo court. A lot of the reviews I have read compare it to Mad Max, and there definitely are similar insane energy and situations at play here. There is so much that goes on that it is sort of hard to believe this is the same series as before, but the action is frenetic and breathtaking. And I continue to be won over by the winning characters. They are so much fun to read about and see in action.

Don't mess with Mama, dude...

The artwork is as excellent and expressive as ever, a great mix of European and manga comics conventions. I have not been able to find many reviews of it as of yet, but the ones I have read have been positive. Matthew Garcia called it "engrossing, gripping, and a lot of fun." Comic Bastards called it "another really impressive addition to the Last Man series and a bright spot in the dull year that 2015 has been for comics."

A lot of the action in this book is set in a whorehouse and there are a few threats of sexual violence, so I wonder how kid-friendly this book is. But at the same time I can't help but think that the fast-paced action and broad humor cannot help but win readers over. I'd recommend it for older young adult readers.

Verdict: I am still hooked on reading what will happen for two reasons: 1) to see what awesome and insane venues this adventure will lead, and 2) to see what other surprising twists and turns lay out there for these endearing characters.

Battling Boy was one of my favorite books of 2013, and I was very impressed by the dark turn and  truly scary tone of its follow-up The Rise of Aurora West. Fall of the House of West very much continues in the same vein, and in this book we learn more about the plans and intentions of the monsters. And more importantly we learn the full story about the death of Rosetta West, Aurora's mother. There are a great many revelations in this book, and I have to say that the narrative is very well thought out and quite heartbreaking. It is also quite impressive how all three book's narratives fit together and compliment each other in suspenseful and satisfying manner.

I know that many people are down on the fact that Paul Pope is not drawing this book, but I have to say that I don't miss his artwork because David Rubin's artwork is simply stunning. It is simultaneously realistic, cartoonishly animated, and monstrously frightening. The layouts and storytelling are masterful. He really takes all of the nuances and affordances of sequential and uses them to his advantage here. Even in the smaller paperback format, his art pops and really sells the book.

In his hands, even a moth can be menacing...

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been strongly praising. Dustin Cabeal impressively called this series "the best superhero stories being told in comics to date. Nothing is even remotely close to being as good." Tobias Carroll concluded simply that it was "a terrific ride." Lindsey Morris summed it up as  "Recommended reading for any comics fan."

The monsters and family issues in this book are quite horrible and harrowing, so I don't think this book is quite for younger elementary school students, but I think it would be a great for grades 4 and up, especially if they can handle scary stories.

Verdict: I am very eager to see what the next follow-up in the Battling Boy series will be. It has been a fantastic series full of action and a surprising amount of heart.


Both books were published by First Second. They provide previews and much more information for The Chase here and for Fall of the House of West here.

Last Man, Book 2: The Royal Cup

The first volume of this series ended with a cliffhanger, which is resolved here in dramatic and exciting fashion. The formerly overmatched Adrian finds the strength and ability to hold his own in the competition, and the motley duo finds themselves a measure of fame from their tournament exploits. I don't want to give too much away, but a lot happens in this book: success gives us some insight into these characters, a flirtation blossoms into some romantic episodes, and we learn a lot more about Richard Saldana and what a jerk he might actually be.

As you can see from the excerpt above, the action sequences are great, giving a clear sequence of events and also building up suspense and mystery. This artwork is emblematic of the story in this book as well. The plot is breath-takingly fast, with multiple revelations, mysteries uncovered, and other mysteries created. I don't know exactly where this series is going, but I am definitely along for the ride.

Like I noted in my review of book one, the three creators behind this book all come from different field: Balak is a noted animator who also does some digital comics work. Michaël Sanlaville is a video game designer, and Bastien Vivès is an award winning comics artist. All three creators speak more about this volume and where this series might be going in this series of interviews.

I have not seen many reviews of this book of yet, but the ones I have read are very positive. I find so much to agree with in Seth T. Hahne's take on the book, that it follows "in one of my favourite manga traditions by decimating what I had imagined was status quo. By the end of the volume, we realize that the last two volumes are mere prologue for what should prove to be a much larger, more satisfying story. And I am blisteringly excited to watch it unfold." Caro called the artwork "opulence given form."

The Royal Cup was published in the US by First Second, and they have a preview and much more here. Because there are more sexual situations in this book than the first, I would recommend it for older adolescents or readers mature enough to handle them.

Last Man: The Blog Tour!

The second volume of the Last Man series, The Royal Cup debuted in the US two days ago, and I am proud and fortunate enough to have conducted an e-interview with the books' creators after reading their first book. I hope that you enjoy our exchange below:

1.       I have read a little bit about how you plot out the book in a pretty informal way, but what comes first, the visuals or the words for the story? Does it change depending on the situation?
Haha, sounds like you're interviewing Bob Dylan or Nicky Minaj. "What comes first, the lyrics or the melody?" It's kind of a strange mix. We have the story landmarks settled, the big twists and where the characters have to be, but in between we let ourselves go: it can drawn by the will to suggest a particular scene, an emotion, a feeling, or the inspiration to draw a certain landscape... We pitch the idea or the scene at each other, like if we're telling ourselves stories by the campfire, trying to reach that "this is cool/scary/funny" reaction in the two guys in front of us. This is the cool thing when you've got three authors on this.  When you're on point, you knows this right away, it's a collective gut reaction. And then we just go with a loose description: Balak is shaping the scene and dialogue at the same time he is making the storyboard. The drawing, and actually the storytelling, how panels are flowing, calls for the writing, in the end. And when we have the final drawings, we go back to shape the dialogue some more. That's NOT how this is supposed to be, but that's how we do it, it keeps things fresh and exciting to us, and hopefully the reader.

2.       Are we going to learn more about Mr. Jansen? The guy is a mess!
Jansen is a good example of what we just talked about. In the very beginning, he was meant to be just “Adrian's teacher.” But then, when the scene was developed and drawn, he took a life on his own. Bastien decided: "let's make him madly in love with Marianne." He’s a big loser, the absolute counterpoint of Richard Aldana. And then he became much more than this in later books. It's like when they initially wrote Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was not supposed to be that big of a character, but when they saw James Masters on screen, they decided to give him more screen time, to eventually become everyone's favorite. In the end, the short answer is yes, you will learn more about Jansen. We love that character!

3.       Why does Richard Aldana seem smart about some things and clueless about others? Such as, why does he not remember the rules of the Games?
Richard is not lying when he is saying is not from the neighborhood. He's not from king valley, but  he know about king's valley... all this will be revealed in later books as well as in the TV animated series we're currently doing.

4.       After seeing the video game preview, I wonder will we see more tournament fights later in the series where the opponents are not all magic users?
The video game is a bit special, he is tied to Richard's past. We will see in book four a video game, and this is that video game you can play. Can't say too much without spoiling anything!

5.       What American comics are popular in France, if any?
You have lots of super heroes magazines translated in French, DC and Marvel, in every press shop. But the latest huge success is the Walking Dead comic books, it's a best-seller here. French are big fans of Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, too, it's bigger than Peanuts here. You are very fortunate to live in France when you love comics, bande dessinée and manga. We have a lot of comic shops, selling comics from all around the world. That's not the case in all the other European countries.

And thus concludes our interview. Thank you so much, Gina, for setting this up, and also to the creators for their wonderful responses!

You can follow the blog tour by visiting this link.

Balak

Michaël Sanlaville

Bastien Vivès

My review of volume 2 will be out soon. The next installment in this exciting series comes out in October!

Last Man, Book 1: The Stranger

Last Man is a combination of European and Japanese comics sensibilities. The art style is a combination of highly detailed and also sketchy, spare imagery. Just check out this gorgeous splash page that opens the book:

And then look at the scene below as a teacher talks to his student in the fighting school.

There is much detail in the backgrounds and settings, but the characters themselves are depicting in simple, elegant lines. I enjoyed the economy used with the figures, as it makes them more open and accessible. Also, even though they appear rather like simple types, they convey lots of different emotions and feelings. And as you can see below, depending on the scene, the artwork also uses manga conventions where the backgrounds suddenly become unnecessary in telling the story:

I think this is a beautifully rendered book, easily accessible for many readers. The story was exactly like that for me as well. The basic plot follows a young boy named Adrian who is finally old enough to compete in the Games, an annual gladiatorial tournament. He is not that skilled a fighter, but he has spirit. In order to compete, each fighter must have a partner, and when Adrian's has to bow out it leaves him unable to register. Coincidentally, a large, rough and tumble guy named Richard Aldana has rolled into town to also compete, and a very unlikely partnership is cast.

Adrian and Richard are very different. Adrian is young and rather innocent, and he wants nothing more than to make life better for him and his single mother, Marianne. Richard is a brute who drinks hard, smokes a lot, and carouses rather than trains. Still, his confrontational fighting style appears to work well in this tournament where all the other fighters use fighting magic to compete.

Aside from the tournament and fighting, both of which I found very engaging and entertaining, there are also a good number of intriguing elements at work here. There is a romantic triangle where Aldana is drawn to Adrian's mom, but Adrian's teacher Mr. Jensen seems to have her attention. There is also the local lord who has a keen interest in the tournament and spies on the players of interest. And not to mention all of the strong personalities of the fighters themselves, as they try to psyche their opponents out as much as physically defeat them.

There is just enough information about the characters, setting, and plot that the story hums along and works cohesively. But what I ended up liking more when I was finished with the book was being able to wonder about a good many interesting questions yet to be answered: What's the point behind the Games? Where is Adrian's father? Where is Richard Aldana from? Why is he so familiar yet unfamiliar with how the Games work? What is Lord Ignacio Cudna's angle on everything?

The three creators behind this book all come from different fields. Balak is a noted animator who also does some digital comics work. Michaël Sanlaville is a video game designer, and Bastien Vivès is an award winning comics artist. All three creators speak about making this book in this interview and also tease about where the series might be heading.

Last Man is already pretty celebrated overseas, awarded the Prix de la Serie at Angoulême this past year. All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Publishers Weekly called this volume "swift and addictive." Jess Costello found some faults within the book but concluded that "for anyone looking for an entertaining book with a vibrant cast and unique outlook on fantasy, this book is an excellent start, and builds the promise that the entire series will follow." Seth T. Hahne added that it is "a vibrant beginning to what I hope will continue to be a vibrant series."

The Stranger is the first in a proposed series of 12 books, 6 of which have already been published in France. The next installment will be out in the US this June. There is also a video game in development to accompany this series that should be out in September.

Because of the situations and very rare strong language (nothing you could not find in a typical YA book) I would recommend this book for upper elementary or middle school readers at the youngest. But I can also say as an adult, I loved reading it, and I am eager for the next in the series.

A preview and much more is available here from Last Man's publisher, First Second.