The Last God #6: Join Me Now in the Shade

In what feels like a conclusion to the first arc, The Last God #6 pulls readers into an epic battle with deadly consequences to usher in revelations that give both direction and importance to what lies just ahead. The Age of Tyrgolad rightfully takes up much of the focus in this issue, but the past and future of Cain Anuun remain in question.

The search for the Fey might have been the eventual goal of this issue, but it doesn’t take long to see it’s the battle against King Tyr after the fall of The Guild Eldritch’s plans that takes the spotlight. It’s a brutal and devastating battle that rages on for most of the duration of the issue. After so many issues of rather dense narrative weight, it’s honestly a nice break to fall into some high fantasy horrific action.

Now that we are halfway through the series, motivations, betrayals and significant deaths will be playing a much more prominent role in pushing the story forward. The actions from the Fellowship during the Age of Olvargolad will surely play a critical role in how to stop the plague in the present, but for this issue, we don’t really learn all that much outside of the dramatic cliffhanger ending. The real star, and eventual nightmare fuel, of The Last God #6 is Veikko Al Mun. After their plans to prevent the plague using corpses at the Guild were destroyed, Veikko takes it upon herself to confront King Tyr and despite almost besting him, she succumbs to the plague with a final dire warning to stay away from the Black Stairs. It’s a dramatic and gory moment that even somehow tugs at your heart. The overt violence really brings home the horror influence in this series that has honestly sometimes taken a backseat to the epic high fantasy world building.

The artwork for The Last God has been something special that I’ve raved about since the first issue. However, the action-packed spectacle nature of this issue allowed the creative team to just show off. It’s a powerhouse of intense visuals from incredible dragon-beasts to eye-popping landscapes, all colored to perfection. Even letterer Tom Napolitano shines with terrifyingly gross additions that make take this comic to an entirely new level. I’m not sure how else to put it other than this is the most visually pleasing fantasy comic available right now.

The Last God #6 is easily one of the most important issues of the series and proves that this complex story has a definitive direction that can manage the different timelines with relative ease. Losing Veikko will undoubtedly prove to be a pivotal moment for the Fellowship, but the cliffhanger introducing Haakon is sure to kick off the final six issues with even more intrigue and intensity. If you can manage, sit down and binge all six issues in one sitting for a comics experience you simply won’t find anywhere else.