Advance Review: Love Rules In ‘Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World’ Vol. 1
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
Don’t judge this first volume of a planned trilogy by the implausible conclusion. Instead focus on the journey getting there – and where the series will continue from here. The writing is, at times, excellent. And the artwork excels when it deals with the hellish landscape in the post-apocalyptic world.
Overall
8.5/10As unlikely as it may seem, the apocalypse is apparently the perfect place to set a love story. Or at the very least, it’s an interesting and underexplored setting.
How the Earth went to pot isn’t on writer Jason Aaron’s agenda – at least not yet. Instead, he tells how our heroes Maceo and Mezzy meet in this post-apocalyptic mess.
The two could not be more different, but hey, opposites attract, right? Mezzy is adept at killing and adapting to the ever-changing landscape as she is exploring. She meets reclusive Maceo, who is holed up with his parents in a protective tower that is stocked full of food and water. Maceo wants to tag along with Mezzy, but the girl isn’t so sure. Eventually, though, his annoyingly positive attitude and his commitment to Mezzy win her over.
This volume, which comprises the series’ initial five issues, tells the first part of a trilogy of story arcs. This one chronicles how the pair met and eventually fell for each other. The second part of the trilogy kicked off recently with a time jump. And readers get a glimpse of the much older characters at the end of volume 1. The artist is different for each arc, with Alexandre Tefenkgi doing the lion’s share of the work in the beginning.
Tefenkgi’s illustrations, along with Lee Loughridge’s colors, shine when depicting the hellscape the Earth has become. Vines choking cars on a one-busy highway. Pot-marked skyscrapers against a blackened sky. And, of course, the horrific creatures that now inhabit the dying planet.
The volume wraps with an unlikely contest and an even unlikelier ending before another flash forward. The story’s resolution strains credibility, leaving an unpleasant taste in readers’ mouths after a strong lead up.
Once Upon a Time at the End of the World Vol. 1 will be available for purchase on June 13, 2023.
