The Last Boy #2: Ego Driven

Captain Hook is dead–eaten by his great enemy, the crocodile. Peter Pan is flabbergasted in the The Last Boy #2’s opening pages. But he quickly recovers, flying off at Tinkerbell’s urging, promising to find and confront the crocodile. Ultimately his motives are as much about self aggrandizement as it is finding out what happened to Captain Hook. In service of this goal, Peter flies off in search of the Lost Boys only to discover that they have grown to adults and aren’t up for adventuring anymore. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Wendy confronts the truth that her dying father has at most a few weeks left.

Wendy’s story takes up less space in The Last Boy #2, but it makes a bigger impact. The imminent death of her father adds an emotional punch that doesn’t otherwise exist in the issue (except, perhaps, on the final page). Additionally, whether Panosian intended it or not, Wendy’s life advancing in normal time and suffering tragedies such as her father dying serves as a nice counterpoint to Peter who refuses to grow up.

Coloring once again plays a part in the contrast between Wendy and Peter’s worlds. Wendy lives in a washed out color palette oriented around variations on sepia. But unlike in the first issue, there is never a moment of brightness for Wendy in The Last Boy #2. Given the emotional weight of Wendy’s storyline, it feels appropriate that there isn’t such a moment here. If Peter and Wendy’s stories are on a collision course (certainly that is the presumption), then this contrast will add extra intensity to their eventual meeting.

Peter straddles a line between sympathetic and unlikable in The Last Boy #2. There are moments where he turns introspective, such as in the immediate aftermath of Captain Hook’s death. Was Hook being honest about his trade agreement? For a single panel, Peter actually considers the idea. Panosian’s choice to have Peter second guess himself so early in the issue helps solidify a connection with the reader that will let him function effectively as a main character over the course of the issue. No matter how many times Peter retreats into his own concerns, this moment serves as a reminder that there is another dimension to the character. Having Tinkerbell literally whisper in his ear, prodding him to action, further softens Peter’s worst qualities. It’s easy to direct disapproval at her. Panosian does a good job rehabilitating Peter in real time whenever he drifts toward less endearing behavior.

Avallone draws a borderline manic and almost disturbing Peter Pan. Every time he comes up with a task to take his mind off what he did to Hook or to otherwise service his ego, he brandishes a huge smile beneath wide eyes. The expression emphasizes his youth, certainly. But it also plays into all his worst qualities as developed by Panosian.

That youthful look is further accentuated by a relative lack of detail on his face. His emotions are more broad, conveyed primarily by how Avallone draws his eyes. This applies to the fairies as well. They seem to have the same perpetual youth as Peter. It’s a striking contrast to every other character whose faces feature more detailed linework. Even Wendy has a few extra lines around her eyes and to highlight a furrowed brow. Just as the color scheme speaks to both Peter and Wendy’s situation by contrasting their worlds, Avallone’s level of detail for characters’ physical appearance functions as a contrast to Peter’s stasis in age and attitude with everyone else’s advancement in life.

Eckleberry’s lettering is fairly straightforward. His only real flourish is using bold fonts for emphasis. He does so liberally, perhaps overly so. But mostly the text is well organized and out of the way of the art.