In THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ #1, available from Vault Comics on July 28th, 2021, Olivia Kade’s book is taking the world by storm, but her book tour takes a dark turn when everyone who reads her book starts turning into vicious, feral killers.
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The Details
- Written By: Cullen Bunn
- Art By: Leila Leiz
- Colors By: Giada Marchisio
- Letters By: Jim Campbell
- Cover Art By: Leila Leiz, Giada Marchisio (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: July 28, 2021
Was It Good?
It’s different and yet familiar at the same time.
I like the idea of a writer creating a book that drives people to psychotic madness, albeit unintentionally so. Writing is our bread and butter here, so the prospect of writing something so profoundly influential is both fascinating and terrifying. Please, don’t kill anyone after reading our reviews. Thanks!
But if this story sounds familiar to our horror fans, we feel the same. It bears a striking resemblance to the John Carpenter film In The Mouth Of Madness. In the film, author Sutter Cane writes books that drive the readers to madness.
To be fair, we’re not suggesting Bunn’s comic is a ripoff of the earlier work, but there are some striking similarities. If it’s an homage, it’s a welcome one. If it’s a coincidence, so be it.
Putting aside any similarities to other works, this comic has a lot to like for horror fans. In particular, Bunn captures a building sense of paranoia and panic as the fabric of society unravels with each passing day. The scenes around each character are small in execution but they fit together to make you feel the story is bigger than what you see in each panel.
The world Bunn’s built feels like our own, and it’s being dragged toward a breaking point. Good stuff!
The art is generally good with one notable high point. Leiz makes great use of off-kilter panel angles during the violent scenes to emphasize a feeling of imbalance and disorientation. When people go crazy, the visuals twist and turn to match the insanity of the situation. Assuming it was an intentional design choice, it’s a nice touch.
In all, it’s a great concept (albeit slightly familiar) with solid execution in the writing and the art.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Polite society is starting to crack. A mild-mannered man on the subway gets chased down by thugs after he leaves his train, only to turn the tables and rip them to shreds. Neighbors attack neighbors. Spouse attacks spouse. It all happens with nail-scratching teeth-biting speed and ferocity.
Olivia Kade is the author of Satyr, a book about the slipping mask of polite society. When the mask slips, the feral predator covered up for so long comes out to hunt. Kade’s book appears to be riping the mask off anyone who reads it and people are starting to notice. Soon, Kade gets attacked during a book signing and she can’t continue her book tour without increased security.
Kade seeks out a personal security detail and is assigned a bodyguard, Connor Wilson. Kade begins her tour, agreeing to bring Wilson along under one condition… he must never read her book.
Final Thoughts
THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ #1 is an excellent view of a society coming apart at the seams when giving just the right push. The art is strong. The writing is stronger. And I’m keenly interested to learn more about the secret of the book.
Score: 8.5/10
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