Adrian Velba has trained to fight in the upcoming tournament only to have his dreams dashed when his partner drops out, but the mysterious new arrival Richard Aldana may be the answer he needs. Lastman: Book One collects volumes one and two of the 2013 French classic. Lastman: Book One is written by Bastien Vivès and Yves ‘Balak’ Bigerel, with art by Vivès and Michaël Sanlaville.
The Details
- Written by Bastien Vivès and Yves ‘Balak’ Bigerel
- Art by Bastien Vivès and Michaël Sanlaville
Lastman: Book One is being published by Skybound Entertainment, and is available at comic shops and on digital platforms from November 9, 2022 and everywhere books are sold from November 15, 2022.
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Lastman: Book One Story
I knew effectively nothing about Lastman before I read Book One for this review, and after reading it the only reason I’m happy I didn’t is because I get to experience it now. It is such a fun story that was incredibly difficult for me to stop reading, and only did so because I had other responsibilities to get to at the time.
When I first started reading I kept having the thought ‘oh, this really reminds me of an anime or manga’. Originally I’d planned to omit that from my review, as I felt it was a little bit insulting to the comic to reduce it in such a way. I felt it would take away from what it is and how it stands on its own. Then I did a bit of research before starting to write this and found that it is indeed referred to as ‘French-style manga’ and the animated series that acts as a prequel is noted as at least being in the style of anime (since persists can get quite specific about the term).
It makes sense to me, since that’s a bit how it feels. But I won’t dwell on that point any more, largely because I find it difficult to quantify the specifics of ‘why’ without spending the entire review doing so.
Lastman: Book One is an absolute masterclass in pacing. I said I had difficulty in getting myself to stop reading, and this is a big part of why. It flows so smoothly from scene-to-scene or panel-to-panel or any way you want to break it down. At no point do you hit a jarring stop or does it lose the momentum it has, which in itself is amazing to see.
Whether the story is in a fight or sitting in a conversation it manages to keep essentially the same momentum. Points that you would expect a story to slow Lastman simply doesn’t, and yet they also feel like distinct moments with their own beats. I’m honestly in awe of what is achieved here.
The characters all feel quite real, which is strange given how eccentric they can be. We meet some truly strange characters, yet they feel like they belong. I chalk that up to a mixture of how the world is built but also how human the main cast are written. You believe in the more absurd characters because they clearly exist within the same world as our protagonists. They never feel separate from, even if Aldana does actively speak to the absurdity of them.
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On the, characters, Aldana is very much the ‘fish out of water’ in the story, this man who appears almost out of nowhere in this fantasy land to take part in a tournament, all the while not understanding their customs and speaking in anachronisms. He is very much the character who shows up and has a profound impact on the other characters because of how unlike them he is.
He’s the kind of character I typically don’t like too much, a brutish kind of individual. But there is a real charm to him and the way he tackles the challenges in front of him, especially in that he is willing to recognise where he was wrong and change tactics.
Adrian is the exact opposite. A young boy who grew up in the world, who understands the rules and culture even if he isn’t particularly skilled enough to truly fit in. It’s actually interesting to me that Adrian is our eyes into the world, given that Aldana is, in many ways, the far more relatable character for most readers. Doing so makes Aldana this kind of mystery, even when parts of his story become clear.
We see things from Adrian’s view because it isn’t the world itself that’s important to learn about, it’s the characters. We learn things about them as he does and in turn he learns more about them and also who he is.
Lastman: Book One Art
The art of Vivès and Sanlaville is so deceptively simple. At first glance there is very little detail, and in many ways there is. This is definitely a strength rather than a weakness, however. The relative simplicity of the art allows for greater focus on the characters, their actions, and their individuality. The characters are the focal point in every image. They are what is important so that is where we should always be putting our attention.
The character designs are another point where I had thoughts of anime/manga (to go back to that point briefly). The art style certainly helps this, as it has a similar look in terms of character design, but also the specifics of the characters themselves. Many characters, notably the opponents in the tournament, have these exaggerated features or looks that make them very distinct against the other background characters. Not that this is unique to anime/manga, simply that it feels similar given the style of the art.
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This isn’t to say that the background or the world itself is neglected, not at all. Even with panels where the background is blank to put greater focus on the characters, the world itself is still crafted lovingly. The fact it lacks an abundance of lines actually makes it clearer, makes it feel like an actual world rather than something that was crafted. It helps make the characters pop rather than blend in, and that is the point.
Only the first few pages of each volume contained within Book One are coloured, with the rest in black and white. I honestly find the black and white works so well with this style and this story. I certainly appreciated the coloured pages to help give me a reference for things such as hair colour, but I was not at all bothered by the transition out.
The colour that is there is quite simple, usually just two tones on a single surface if there is some shadow, and more often a single tone without shadow. This simple approach to the colour not only helps keep the focus on character, but also assists in the transition into the black and white by making it less jarring.
Check Out Lastman: Book One
If you want to get into this new translation of the French classic then make sure you grab Book One when it releases. Lastman: Book One will be available at comic shops and on digital platforms from November 9, 2022 and everywhere books are sold from November 15, 2022.
