Last Man, tomo 1

Last Man #1

by Bastien Vivès, Yves Bigerel, Michaël Sanlaville

El joven Adrian Velba es feliz. Después de haberse preparado durante todo el año en la escuela de combate del Maestro Jansen, por fin va a poder participar por primera vez en su vida en el gran torneo anual patrocinado por el rey Virgil y la reina Efira. Ni siquiera su compañero, el canijo Vlad, es capaz de apagar su entusiasmo.

Desgraciadamente, pocas horas antes de que termine el plazo de inscripción, Vlad resulta descalificado por estar enfermo. La decepción que sufre Adrian es enorme, ya que es imprescindible tener compañero de equipo para inscribirse al torneo. ¿Será este el final de su carrera? Parece que no, porque en el último momento aparece un tipo que nunca nadie había visto antes en la ciudad: Richard Aldana...

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Bande Dessinée, Manga, Young Adult, France

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Bastien Vivès is a Parisian who has drawn or collaborated on more than a dozen graphic novels since his published debut in 2006, including most recently The Butchery (Fantagraphics, 2021). The Angouleme Comics Festival granted Vivès the “Revelation” Award in 2009 and the prize for best series in 2015.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Man is a French comic series set in medieval times. The Stranger is the first volume of the series, that I read because Seth T. wrote a rave review of it. It is the joint production of three superstars artists, Bastien Vivès, getting the main credit for the writing, and artists Michaël Sanlaville, and Balak,though I understand it is pretty collaborative. The series is very popular in France, and deserves some attention, in my opinion, elsewhere. In my house, let's say. It's pretty entertaining: It has fighting, magic, romance and has something of the Karate Kid about it. Mentoring and martial arts.

A mother and her wannabe kid fighter son are two central characters. The mother is single and lithe, blonde, lovely: The Beauty. Her young son wants to fight in the Big Tournament, which is basically martial arts but in which one can also employ magic. Tag team competition. With vague rules, but that's okay. The young man's partner gets sick, so it looks like they are out of luck, but in town breezes Richard Aldana, a Mysterious Stranger who is tough, dark, hairy, muscular, smokes, drinks, ogles women: The Beast, who agrees to partner with the boy for the tournament. Mom of course as the refined Young Lady she is, does not like Aldana, who is rough and crude, so of course we anticipate they will fall in love at some point. She hates him, but you know where that will lead, in stories such as these.

I am really not interested in battle comics, really. I typically force myself to read quickly through those parts (it's like Quidditch matches in Harry Potter: I tend to skim them). I am not a big magic person, either, where everyone is casting spells as they fight, but I liked the airy art and action of this, and the romance. There's another guy who falls crazy in love with the boy's mother and in that crazy guy way, scares her with his violently obsessive hysteria about her. Men are mostly jerks in this so far. But it's all pretty entertaining. I'll read on.

[First Second Books]

This book is so fun!

It feels like it's Hikaru No Go or Prince of Tennis . . . one of those Japanese sports manga where you're just like, when can I have the next one? You have to know who wins the match!

Book two as soon as possible, please!

[Seth T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Man, I want massive thick eyebrows to come back into style so bad.]

In early 2007, entirely at a loss as to why, I discovered myself to be transfixed by the fighting tournament that had been unfolding across the pages of Negima! Magister Magi Negi . As the series (to my gratefulness) began to evolve away from its rather ecchi beginnings, it settled into a good fistful of volumes focused on the drama and ingenuity of the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament, a magic-infused kind of Bloodsport. To rights, I should have abandoned the series at this point—as it moved from one thing I disliked and onto another.

My interest in personal combat was (and still is) small enough to be unmeasurable. My interest in athletic competition stories was (and is) similarly stunted. I’m not even particularly interested in violence for the sake of the excitement of violence (idealistically, I’m a bit of a pacifist, even if not entirely in practice). That I should be on seat’s edge waiting for the next volume of what amounted to over-powered magic fighters fighting against magically over-powered fighters was baffling. The narrative tricks were obvious and I rather find the concept of combat for entertainment repulsive. Still, and strangely enough, I was all in.


[*sigh* Magic users, it’s like they’re legitimizing cheating.]

I picked up volume 1 of Last Man on the strength of Vivès’ name. I’ve already reviewed Taste of Chlorine and Polina and if you’re at all familiar, it’s clear that I’m in love with Vivès as an illustrator. I didn’t even know what the book was. It had a Vivès credit on the cover—I was invested. Then, maybe a week before I sat down to read Last Man, I was glancing through Zainab Akhtar’s 20 most anticipated comics for 2015 and saw an entry describing it as an homage to shounen manga. The back of the book mentions prominently a gladiatorial competition. The two combined and I thought: Oh no.

Fortunately, my next thought was: But, c’mon. Bastien Vivès. So obviously, I dove right in.


[Adrian, you’re to young to understand, but I want to make your mom a mom.
If you get my meaning. Nudge nudge wink wink?]

This first volume of Last Man (“The Stranger”) captures everything I loved about the fantasy combat tournament of Negima while excising all the excesses that kept me wondering what I was doing wasting my time on the series in 2007. The team of Balak, Sanlaville, and Vivès craft a fantastic homage to the Japanese subgenre—one that fires on all cylinders and is reverential to the genre it cribs from while establishing itself as something unique on the playing field. It’s a thrilling introduction to what looks to be one of the best series currently being published. With only a single volume it’s obviously still a bit early, but the confidence, talent, and storytelling on display are somewhat awestriking. I am, flatly, in love with what’s going on here.


[Adrian is so freakin’ guileless in that top row. I want to hug him.]

The book’s illustrations (forged in a mysterious concert between the three creators, with I believe Balak mainly responsible for storyboards and Sanlaville and Vivès combining somehow for the final illustrations) are consistent with Vivès’ usual penchant for fluidity, which is fantastic for a fight comic. But even better than that—and if you can imagine for a minute the essentiality of fluid combat choreography for this kind of story and then consider that this is better than that—the illustrators hold utter mastery of the characters’ expressions. Their faces are simple but convey a wealth of intents and meanings. Child protagonist Adrian shifts from guileless to guarded to curious to excited to determined to overjoyed, and the purpose behind his countenance is never in doubt. Richard Aldana also modulates between a host of feelings and moods and interests. There is, at all times, the overt story being told through dialogue and action, but simultaneously there is another story told across the faces of this book’s participants, a narrative born in looks and in eyes and in mouths and in shoulders and in the space of physical proximity, one character from another. This is a rich tapestry and this trio of creators demonstrates mastery of all the elements of their stage.


[Honey badgers, right?]

The best part of the fights in Negima was that they were informed and given context and import because of the relationships between and amongst the combatants and spectators. The same holds true here, only many of these relationships are created in the quiet spaces that linger between dialogue balloons. When Elorna (one of Adrian’s fellow students at his fighting school) does well in one of her matches, we sense the value of the win through Aldana’s observation of her during the fight, from Adrian’s reaction from the stands, and later by her partner Gregorio’s response to her performance. Much of the book is a beautiful collection of subtleties that twine together to weave a narrative with more clarity than the most exposition-laden books that glut the market every week.


[This is the face of frustration.]

One of the odd charms of Last Man is that the rules for judging fights are never actually explained and so the reader is left with the same hazy sense of things as foreign fighter Aldana. We don’t yet understand what is foul and what is fair. It’s a mysterious world and its authors are not in any hurry yet to remove either its lures or its veils.


[I don’t understand either, Richard. Let’s just punch some people.]

Last Man is a series that I can’t imagine anyone actively not liking (kind of like Cross Game ). It’s filled with charm and romance and mystery. I don’t know where it’s going to evolve over its twelve projected volumes, but this first volume at least is themed and grounded on the problem of Hope. It’s filled with characters whose dilemmas and desires are on the cusp of fulfillment. Nothing comes of those dreams by volume’s end, but why would we expect them to? Instead we get complications and hints of complications. It’s a vibrant beginning to what I hope will continue to be a vibrant series.

_______

[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad.]

[Otz Gimz · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adoré la serie TV diffusée sur France 4 et je ne pouvais apprécier davantage ce tome. IL ME FAUT LA SUITE VIIITE. Merci G. Balak JTM même quand tu fais peepoodoo <3

[Timothy Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Second Books has opened my eyes to new forms of story telling in their graphic novels, first with Ben Hatke and his Zita the Spacegirl stories, and now with these Last Man comics. I’m not well-versed in this genre, with my closest comparison being Dragon Ball Z, but I was impressed with many elements and the delivery in Last Man‘s story.

Our tale begins with a boy, Adrian, training, and getting his butt kicked by his classmates. His struggle and strong desire to succeed, combined with his relationship with his mother make him an endearing character to follow. The tournament is about to start in their village and Adrian can’t find a partner. A skilled stranger comes to town, becomes Adrian’s unlikely partner, and the games begin.

The back and forth of wins and losses combined with the engaging magic system of their fighting styles delivered an exciting story. The side story of Adrian’s mother and the two men with romantic interest in her was funny, even when it was over the top silly. By the end of this edition, I was eager to continue the tournament and see what new revelations we’ll see of the fighting style the stranger brings to town. For anyone remotely interested in this genre, I recommend picking it up. It’s funny and has a depth to the story and fighting system I didn’t expect.

Last Man #2, The Royal Cup is out now, and Last Man #3, The Chase is out this fall. I’m excited to see where the story goes!

A review copy was sent by the publisher. Review posted at timothycward.com

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

ehhhhhh ha sido sorprendentemente guay??? Muy, muy contenta de haberme topado con este libro (tengo que dar gracias a una alumna jeje), ha sido diferente y muy interesante, aunque jo, demasiado introductorio. Necesito continuar ahora, a ver qué es realmente lo que ocurre, porque estoy perdidísima

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

French manga? Why not.

A fighting tournament, a mysterious stranger, a weirdo with a mustache, and a boy who must overcome the twin obstacles of being a crappy fighter and having a supremely hot mom.

Fighting tournaments have to be one of the most popular fictional settings/story catalysts, no? I feel like you can hardly read or watch or play a thing without running into a fighting tournament, and yet I feel like there are so few...perhaps none of this type in real life. Fighting tournaments where there are no weight classes or style restrictions, no rules about what you can and can't do, all that stuff.

Examples:

Street Fighter: Fight your way around the globe. Fight a Japanese Sumo. Fight a brash American soldier. Fight and Indian...who wears skulls around his neck and blows fire. Fight a South American abomination with electricity powers. And then fight a Major who I don't think is actually aligned with a country but just made his own military and made himself a Major.

Mortal Kombat: Basically Street Fighter, but with murder. Murder you see, anyway. I can't imagine that you can be consumed by flame and concussed by a sumo flying at you with full force and not suffer some adverse effects. You know, I always admired how, in Street Fighter, if someone got hit just right, they puked, and then kept right on fighting. That's someone who knows how to rally.

Best of the Best: Actually, I'm mostly thinking of BOTB2 because that's the one they showed on TV all the time. Tournament fighting, but with a twist because the ring announcer is Wayne Fucking Newton.

Killer Instinct: Want to push 3 buttons and hit someone 800 times? I've got your Huckleberry.

Timekillers: Not super notable except that characters had cutting weapons and could cut each other's arms and legs off without ending the fight. Also, you could be a chainsaw-wielding punk named Rancid who was straight out of The Lost Boys.

Primal Rage: Because we all wanted to be a giant ape that beats people up with farts.

After that sentence, I'm cashing in my chips here.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The U.S. publicist for this book described it to me as a cross between Dragon Ball Z and Avatar: The Last Airbender, and although I haven't read those titles -- seen some of the anime, though -- I can see where she was coming from. I liked this first book in the series, and it sets up effectively what promises to follow. It's for YA readers, I think, but certainly enjoyable for older readers, as well. I want to go on and read the rest in the series as they come out. And maybe my manga-loving daughter Zoe will want to read it.

[Bob Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great and addictive Manga series or is it a Bande Dessinée !?

Watch my top 15 Bastien Vivès here:
https://youtu.be/yzqUv-k79Mk

[Thea de Klerk · Rating 5 out of 5]

English: If there is any saga of books, graphic novel or otherwise, that you should read, it's Lastman. A story laced with multiple genres overtime, from medieval magic and 90s style boxing campaigns, to apocalyptic Mad Max style desert towns and Bladerunner-esque cyberpunk cities, there is no end to what Bastien Vivès and his team brings to the table. How they fuse them all together is simply astounding, along with the characters who are all immensely different but each have their own individual strengths and weaknesses. I am especially impressed by the design, where a few haphazard lines create a unique beauty found nowhere outside of European graphic novels, and I have a particular fondness for the heroines who range from busty and ambitious, to muscular, strong and emotionally complex. I LOVE the protagonist Richard Aldana who is as much an arrogant chauvinist as he is a sensitive sage, and it's refreshing to see a multi-faceted character who makes bad calls and doesn't necessarily strive to 'be the best'. More people need Lastman on their bookshelves.

French: S'il y a une saga de livres, de bande dessinées ou autres, que vous devriez lire, c'est Lastman. Une histoire mêlant plusieurs genres, de la magie médiévale aux campagnes de boxe des années 90, en passant par les villes désertes apocalyptiques de Mad Max et les villes cyberpunk de Bladerunner, il n'y a pas de fin à ce que Bastien Vivès et son équipe apportent à la table. La façon dont ils se fondent tous ensemble est tout simplement stupéfiante, avec les personnages qui sont tous extrêmement différents mais chacun a ses propres forces et faiblesses. Je suis particulièrement impressionné par le design, où quelques lignes hasardeuses créent une beauté unique nulle part en dehors des romans graphiques européens, et j'ai un penchant particulier pour les héroïnes qui vont du plantureux et ambitieux, au musclée, forte et émotionnellement complexe. J'ADORE le protagoniste Richard Aldana qui est un chauviniste arrogant autant qu'un sage sensible, et c'est rafraîchissant de voir un personnage aux multiples facettes qui fait de mauvais appels et ne cherche pas forcément à être le meilleur. Plus de gens ont besoin de Lastman sur leurs étagères.

[Iago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado de principio a fin. Muy fresco como dice otra opinión. Y aunque lo del tema combate ya está más que visto y hay algunos clichés que son muy manidos, el dibujo de Vives, y los ramalazos de toques modernos que parecen una china en el zapato continuamente hacen de este primer tomo una opción muy sabrosa que echarse al diente un domingo por la tarde.
Esta es la edición de Utopía que supuestamente es calcada a la de Diábolo en España.
Cinco estrellas porque se redondea con unas notas de apuntes al final muy cachondas de Balak y con unos stickers.
Buen hype para el segundo tomo

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed out loud. The art is not the prettiest, I don't really like it, but it's funny!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fighter fantasy tournament premise. It was fine, but I don't think I'm going to be continuing.

[Romain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lorsque l'on regarde de près le travail de la star montante de la BD, Bastien Vivès, on se rend compte que c'est une question de génération. Récemment primé pour sa Grande Odalisque il reprend du service en mode collaboratif, mais en embarquant avec lui de nouveaux camarades de jeu. Si on peut raisonnablement considérer que sa précédente création était inspirée du dessin animé diffusé sur FR3 le dimanche soir Cat's Eyes, on peut également se poser la question des sources d'inspiration pour ce Last Man. Et elles sont potentiellement nombreuses : de la moins avouable référence au grand acteur belge Jean-Claude Van Damme dans Bloodsport à celle bien plus consensuelle de Dragon Ball Z en passant par une partie de Street Fighter II — j'ai reconnu le masque de Vega, l'un des boss du jeu — sur borne d'arcade ou sur Super Nintendo et en finissant par la lecture d'un Naruto dans les toilettes — pour ça le petit clin d'œil façon manga à la fin du volume nous aide bien. Les frères Bogdanov ont aussi manifestement été une source d'inspiration, mais ça n'a rien à voir. Bastien Vivès n'est pas étranger à tout ça car il ne s'est pas occupé que des couleurs (présentes uniquement sur les premières pages) comme le mentionne la page de garde, mais a construit le scenario et dessine en tandem avec Michaël Sanlaville. Ceci explique pourquoi on retrouve du Vivès dans les dessins sans que ce soit totalement du Vivès (dessins schématiques mais expressifs, aplats de noir, son style quoi).

Le point central du livre, qui est aussi le point commun de toutes les références — hautement culturelles — que je viens de citer, est le tournoi. Ici il est organisé au sein d'un village et a la particularité d'opposer des équipes de deux combattants — comme dans certains matchs de catch. Le duo que nous allons suivre est hétéroclite puisqu'il est composé d'un frêle petit garçon et d'un grand étranger plutôt balaise.

Contrairement aux références citées précédemment, l'accent n'est pas mis sur le détail des combats qui sont assez courts. Ce choix est judicieux car l'observation clinique des techniques de chaque combattant peut se révéler rapidement assez ennuyeuse. Le dynamisme du découpage et celui insufflé par les dessins participent à cette impression favorable en rendant les phases de combats fluides et agréables à suivre.

Si le tournoi est bien le point de convergence du récit, nous venons de voir qu'il ne prend pas tout l'espace. Il est occupé par tout ce qu'il y a autour pour mieux tenir le lecteur en haleine. Comme dans les mangas, le passé des personnages n'est révélé qu'au fil de la trame principale de la narration. Ces révélations au compte-goutte enrichissent le récit et crées de l'attente chez le lecteur.

L'objectif est atteint, on suit ce tournoi et on découvre les personnages avec un réel plaisir. Heureusement, le deuxième tome vient de paraître — et, a priori, ce ne sera pas le dernier. http://www.aubonroman.com/2013/07/las...

[Javier Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last man es una colección de manga europeo, no hay otra forma de llamarlo, los autores cogen prestados clichés, técnicas y estilos narrativos propios del manga para crear un cómic muy divertido y que se lee sin darse uno cuenta.

Adrian Velva es un chaval preadolescente que está muy feliz porque va a participar en el torneo de artes marciales del rey Virgil y la reina Efira, el problema es que es un campeonato por parejas y su compañero se siente indispuesto en el último momento, por fortuna llega justo a tiempo Richard Aldana, un extranjero desconocido y misterioso que ha llegado con el objetivo de competir, así Adrian y Aldana formarán una extraña pareja con el objetivo de ganar el torneo.

Puede parecer que la trama es demasiado simple y que suena a repetido mil veces... correcto, pero el caso es que el cómic es muy divertido, tremendamente adictivo y da la sensación de que habrá muchas sorpresas en los siguientes tomos. El estilo de dibujo es muy particular, la corrección anatómica ni está ni se la espera, el dibujo en general es bastante feo en la mayoría de las ocasiones, y bastante esquemático además... pero según vas pasando las páginas te das cuenta que esto es un no parar, te olvidas del dibujo y simplemente te zambulles en la historia, según avanzas vas dándote cuenta de que en realidad el dibujo tiene mucho detalle cuando es necesario, y antes de que te percates has terminado el tomo y estás corriendo a la tienda a por el siguiente.

En resumen, para los que sean muy exigentes con el dibujo en el sentido artístico no se lo recomendaría, pero si lo que te gusta es el cómic esto es un acierto seguro.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable! French manga! Here we have a story that is typical of the martial arts battle shounen manga, such as Dragonball. I loved the two main characters, one a coddled young boy who wants to be a great fighter but has little skill, the other a mysterious stranger about the age of the mother who is an excellent fighter when it comes to strength and skill but he has no magic like the majority of the others in this kingdom he has "landed" in. The mystery surrounding this man is intriguing. I find myself wondering if he may not only be from a far off land but perhaps an entirely different planet. So far it would appear to be your usual manga but it's not. The art style is my least favourite aspect of this book. I do love French art but this tries to add a Japanese flair to it without really succeeding in my opinion. The deeper understanding of the plot, interactions between characters and the general tone of the story though do not try to imitate manga-style and the book's European/French style shines. I really liked this little world and fell right into it. Very much looking forward to picking up Vol. 2.

[Carlos Beltrán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esto es practicamente un manga shonen escrito por un francés. Tiene todos los elementos: un torneo, artes marciales mágicas y un niño que se irá superando con ayuda de un excéntrico maestro.

Las dos diferencias más notorias, y que creo yo vienen principalmente de la diferencias de culturas, es 1) su tratamiento de la sexualidad como una parte más integral de la historia pero también como algo bastante normal, a diferencia de las historias japonesas que siempre meten elementos sexuales con personajes "pervertidos" o con comedia ridícula.

Y 2) el dibujo. Y esto es lo que baja la historia de 4 a 3 estrella porque aunque el artista es claramente muy bueno (especialmente con las escenas de acción y los diseños de personajes) muchos de los paneles parece que los dejó a medias.

Pero en general muy divertido.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très bon, prenant et intrigant avec un univers décalé et original. J'aurais juste aimé que le dessin soit plus soigné et que le sport de combat et le tournois soient présentés, pour le moment ça reste très abstrait.
Cela étant, une belle découverte.

[Jason]

Ah, refreshing! Well-written characters with palpable tension between a number of them. Who is Richard Aldana? Will Adrian get his chance to shine? Volume 2, here I come!

[Marina Vidal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Te engancha poco a poco, se entrevé un worldbuilding interesante y el dibujo sencillo tiene mucho flow. Una grata sorpresa!

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Inminente edición argentina a cargo de Utopía Editorial.

[Jousef W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Man is a nice little story about this martial arts student, who is constantly falling on his face. He's small, he's weak, but he's brave and has nothing to lose. It's tournament time and a stranger joins the young boy to fight against the big guys.

First I want to mention the good things about this book. It's super cute, adorable, charming, and funny. I was smiling almost the whole time I was reading it. The art is very minimalistic and clean but also very unique, which I like a lot. When I first had the book in my hands and skimmed through it, I immediately thought it's looking a lot like a manga. Not only the art but the form and thickness of the book and the feel of the paper. The characters are all likable and the "villains" seem to be relatable as well, if you can call them villains at all. For now it seems a lot like Dragon Ball when Son Goku didn't have any rivalries but just the challenge to beat everyone participating in the tournament. It's the same with little Adrian. We don't know exactly who this stranger is, what he wants, or if he's telling the truth about himself. I like that he is this mysterious guy but also a cool badass bro dude.

I don't know how but the fact that this village the tournament is happening in is completely shut off from the world that the stranger is coming from, it's weird. Some people don't understand the way the stranger speaks, they definitely don't like his fighting style. That's what I want to know more about and maybe the reason why I want to continue reading this.

But that's all there is to it really. There's nothing I dislike but it's not really giving me any "wows" or "ohs". Almost everything seems very predictable. But again, it's not bad.

It seems that Dragon Ball was a heavy influence for writer Bastien Vivès, which is not a bad point, but Dragon Ball is also a very old story already (80s bruh) and we know these types of stories. All in all, good book, could be better.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was originally confused upon being handed Last Man, as if receiving a knockoff version of Brian K. Vaughn's post-apocalyptic gender struggle series. What I got instead is less Vaughn, and more Avatar: The Last Airbender, having a martial arts focused story with the "Stranger comes to town" design (as the subtitle clearly denotes).

A tournament style story isn't new to manga or visual fiction; Dragon Ball (Z) was doing it decades ago, so it should come as no surprise when newcomer Richard Aldana comes in to clean house, and he does. He's a beefier, meaner version of Naruto's Rock Lee, in that he matches the magic of others with his own physical brutality, and that's how much of this first volume is spent. There are a few side stories, but the majority are tied to this fierce newcomer.

There's little to the lore that feels like it isn't expected, but it isn't insulting either. Last Man moves swiftly, and ends this volume on a cliffhanger that was more or less on the way. This world seems small in scope, but the tournament provides a decent number of thrills, more or less.

The Stranger stands as a solid, if unremarkable entry into the magical, pseudo-martial arts genre. It doesn't hit as hard as those that came before it, but it is swinging.

[Kate Atherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely did not expect to like this story as much as I did. I am not usually one for martial arts tournament stories set in made up lands but...damned if I wasn't enthralled by this. Enough so that I ordered the next five books of this series! I want to see what happens to Adrian, the small but mighty protagonist, who teams up with unlikely team member Richard, a Han Solo-esque shoot before asking questions character. Adrian's mom is beautiful and beloved by the town (and by his Karate teacher), his love interest is a fellow fighter, he has a honey badger as a pet....This all sounds ridiculous on paper but, the style of drawing, a sort of paired down Manga style with tiny intricate strokes AND blobby large ink strokes combined is VERY appealing (it reminds me of artist K.L. Ricks). This installment was a very digestible length and an exciting, quick read, if not a little TOO young adult and exposition-y. I recommend this series (maybe prematurely, as I haven't read 5/6 of it). I look forward to seeing what happens!

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello if you are reading this that means you must be interested in the book me too when I first laid eyes on it but I am the type to have principles and standards on what I read I wish I did not read this book I will not get fixated on it but it was okay I have read better but I could have played a different role but again I am the reader so it's my own opinion but I still believe that this is a very bright um book For purposes only I will classify it like that Many will hate but again who is right at the end nobody and I guess I am over conceited like if I could do better still could go to my preferred liking guess I got to get out there multi worker, huh but hey this went to seven books that are a fire acomp bro like that fire.

[Sarah Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, it's probably not fair for me even to give this a rating or review. My sister handed me the first volume in French and said, " Here, read this and tell me if I should give it to the French teacher, or if there is inappropriate content." So I read it, having exactly zero idea what it was. I am still slightly befuddled. And yes, it ends with a cliffhanger, as I now note all of them do. I didn't know it was a series. It's sort of a "wait, what?" ending. Worse than the Empire Strikes Back. (Although I loved that movie.) While I would be mildly interested to know what happens next and would read the next one if it were placed in my hands, I am not planning to hurry to my local library website to search for it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to explain this? The story isn't very complex at all. Two strangers enter a tournament as partner when the younger fighter (Adrian) loses his original partner to eating bad seafood (that is, he's sick, he's not dead). I've read one other book by Bastien Vives about a ballerina (Polina) and he continues to impress in a very different genre with his deft use of simple gesture and facial expression. The execution of the story...I liken it to if you described the basic story (minus all the many pages of exposition) of a battle shonen to a Frenchmen, they might come up with something like this. It's quite entertaining.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uno degli ultimi volumi a firma Vives (anche se solo come colorista) è completamente diverso dalla usuale produzione del talento francese: trattasi di un picchiaduro a incontri che mostra notevoli influenze manga, pochissimo sporcate di qualche sprazzo dell'intimismo alla francese. Il risultato è un fumetto che si legge molto velocemente e che sa al contempo essere interessante. La sensazione, comunque, è che non si sappia ancora perfettamente dove la storia vuole andare a parare. E forse il contesto è stato preparato poco e ci si è buttati troppo velocemente nel torneo. Comunque carino.

[Yongyoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice romp. I had first heard of Lastman from Lastfight, a spin-off game loosely based on the comics. Lastman starts off slow, introducing the characters, Adrian, a spritely, prepub boy and Richard, the Frenchman. It goes through all the tropes of Richard being unacquainted with this medievalesque fantasy world, but the fight scenes that follow make up for it. With a mix of The Last Airbender and arena-fighting anime shows, it excels at providing action with the subtlest artwork. It's worth reading, but there is room for more improvement.

[NoID · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ça poutre, les références côtoient les caricatures et les blagounettes, le scénario se distord dans les brèches et les vallées, les mondes se mélangent et les frontières se fissurent malgré les murs et les gardes du Roi.

C’est haletant, le dessin est très personnel et pourtant tout à fait Manga.

Impatient de connaître enfin la fin avec le numéro 12 !

https://www.noid.ch/last-man/