Joshua Hale Fialkov has taken readers on some pretty twisted journeys over the past few years, but The Last of the Greats may be his most sinister and sordid tale yet. If you think you know why Oprah parted ways with her beloved talk show, you may want to sit down before checking out issue #3.
The Last of the Greats recalls the deranged Superman concept of Irredeemable and A God Somewhere, with a pinch of Morrison’s Hyperclan league of despotic messiahs. But when it comes to truly tainted demigods, The Last may be the most despicable of them all. So named because he is the last living member in a brood of all-powerful beings known as the Greats, the Last is the last hope for a weary and reluctant humanity. A group of men and women formerly bonded to his late brothers and sisters journey to his Arctic lair to seek his mercy. While this youngest of the Greats remained in solitude, his brethren worked for the betterment of human civilization, ending wars and leveling the playing field for all nations. Despite the benevolence of these omnipotent beings, the world turned on them, destroying the towering “arks” that served as their power source. Now a fleet of alien invaders has descended upon the planet. All is at the mercy of the Last. But is he willing to protect the race that murdered his family?
Short answer: Maybe. But at a price.
The Last of the Greats centers on the iron will of a brutish titan and the human who serves as his liaison. The relationship is complicated to say the least, as this man–now the post powerful human on the planet–once loved one of the Greats. Just not this one. It’s a story about unchecked power and corruption. And it goes in some pretty messy directions. But then, that’s what power does.
Check out a preview of Last of the Greats #1 right now, then catch up on the rest in time for #4 tomorrow!
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I like this series, and I hope more people pick it up since it seems like it will be going on hiatus soon to see how the trade does, but I can’t help getting the Irredeemable feel here. Everything that happens in this book could happen with the Plutonian and nothing would really be different. The tone and structure feels very much like it, but I do look forward to see how it progresses. The art is really nice too.
I think where it veers incredibly from Irredeemable was the twist at the end of last issue. I cant wait for #4 to see how The Last plays that to his advantage and uses it against his liason and therefore against all of humanity.
Although others may disagree, I actually feel like the two books have pretty different feels. At this point, I want to say that The Last of the Greats is a (very) dark comedy, while Irredeemable always felt like a more traditional superhero drama.
I was not aware of the ‘hiatus’ thing you mentioned but sure enough…that makes me sad…this is an awesome series BUT people simply need to buy the trade and we will be back in business…soooooo..BUY THE TRADE!!!! :)…thus concludes my Last of the Greats PSA…
Yeah, it would really be unfair if this book was canceled, especially since Image series have been doing very good lately, and I haven’t heard of any being canceled in a while. Although this seems to be Fialkov’s decision as opposed to Image’s.
This feels more like The Mighty to me. But that’s a good thing. I’m a sucker for these evil Superman stories. I hope more people pick this up and it sticks around.