THE LAST AMERICAN

Possibly having anticipated the present state of American politics, 2000 AD are reprinting this gloomy, bitter tale of a lone American soldier, traversing a USA destroyed by nuclear war, desperately hoping to find survivors. It originally appeared in 1990 via Marvel’s Epic imprint.

Writers Alan Grant and John Wagner had worked together on numerous strips for 2000 AD. However, at the time The Last American was published their relationship had grown fractious, and the only way they could finish it was to take two issues each and work separately. This does not do wonders for the book’s coherence – it’s a disjointed, meandering travelogue. But it’s a very good one, and it’s held together by the superb artwork of Mike McMahon. He’s a true original – you look at his angular, slightly Cubist style and you can’t quite see how it even works. But it does.

The four-issue series ends on an inconclusive note, with something that feels like a story-of-the-month. Had it not split up the Wagner/Grant partnership, it could easily have gone on a lot longer – having started in New York, it was presumably designed to continue at least until its hero, Ulysses Pilgrim, reached the opposite coast. If the two are willing to reconvene, maybe they could finish it now? It seems timely. Eddie Robson