Comic Review - Last Born #1

Julia is a person out of time and out of luck. What will John Collins make of Patrick Meaney's debut?...

Writer:
Patrick Meaney
Artist:
Eric Zawadski
Publisher:
Black Mask

Usually before I begin reading a story, I always like to read a short synopsis of the plot, just to know what I’m about to invest in. I chose to avert my usual mini investigation in order to see whether a story could captivate me and if by the end I would know exactly the plot and characters. Thankfully, through a well-constructed plot, I was immediately hooked by the end of the first issue of Last Born and it left me wanting more.

While the title may be slightly unoriginal, we quickly delve into the world of Last Born through the eyes and thoughts of our protagonist, Julia. Like any great sci-fi drama, the plot is divided into two categories. First we explore the character driven drama of Julia who is a modern girl and a woman with ambition and dreams in a time before it became fashionable, with society telling her to marry the man she doesn’t love. However, the fantastical element comes in when she delves into a mysterious cave, one that has major significance to her family, and is transported to a time in the future which no human would want to see.

Firstly, I am so pleased that the writer Patrick Meaney has given us a female character as the sci-fi genre lacks great female centred series. She is a strong character who feels trapped, a feeling potentially relatable to with many readers. The story itself has great promise but gives very little away, it has a good structure and a story-arc that can be explored. Along with Meaney’s brilliant writing, Eric Zawadzk’s artwork is both captivating and colourful and almost creates a cinematic quality. If this were a TV pilot, it would hit the mark perfectly. I do hope that further editions live up to this debut.

Personally, I have high hopes for this series. With an intriguing debut issue and a plot which has many strings to its bow, I cannot wait for further editions and to explore this incredible world.

9/10