THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH

A quartet of young comics creators send their costumed alter egos back to the land of Apocalyptia to face a new and fuzzy threat: Get set for the AWWpocalypse!

Pressured by the success of a competing comic (presented in a monochrome frame story), the Last Kids go for “weirder” and really deliver in this latest series entry. A switch to full-color art kicks off an episode that’s highlighted by exciting developments involving erupting sharkcanoes, donuts, googly eyes, and a team-up with the plushy yet awesomely named Laser Blade Hero Squad. Then there’s the fiendish scheme to subject all the monstrous residents of Apocalyptia to horribly transformative cutie blasts. As in the previous volumes, the action pauses frequently to tout (made-up) merch (with the Savage Beard Marker, you can “draw your very own beard on your very own face! Or somebody else’s very own face!”), and a collection of readers’ letters brings up the end. Through betrayals, sharp banter, and epic battles with adorably button-eyed evildoers, everything goes very wrong. Still, despite having all their superpowers cute-ified, the fearsome foursome can be depended on to leave their foes “glazed and dazed” in the end. Why? Because even though light-skinned barbarian Savage Aloner is the featured superhero this time around, with plenty of personal quests and tests to face, it’s teamwork with his companions and other diversely hued allies that leads to ultimate victory.

A cuddlefest of heroic proportions.