Peter Pan is out to thwart Hook’s latest scheme, but Neverland isn’t the place it once was, and Peter might not be the hero he thought he was. Your Major Spoilers review of The Last Boy #1 awaits!
THE LAST BOY #1
Writer: Dan Panosian
Artist: Alessio Avallone
Colorist: Valentina Pinto
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Editor: David Mariotte
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 19th, 2025
Previously in The Last Boy: Years after Peter Pan’s adventures with Wendy Darling, the boy who wouldn’t grow up is now the last one in Neverland still clinging to his adventurous youth. Wendy also yearns for childhood and its freedom from responsibility.
BOOKS AND PELTS
The Last Boy #1 starts off in Neverland with Peter Pan being visited by his old friend Tinkerbell, who informs him that Hook is stealing pelts from Chief Panther’s tribe. In London, Wendy is reading to a group of children before she’s interrupted so Wendy can tend to her father’s medical needs. After giving him some tonic, Wendy’s mother begins coming down on her for focusing more on writing a manuscript than her upcoming marriage. Back in Neverland Peter visits Chief Panther, who informs him that Peter is no longer an honorary member, they’ve entered into a trade agreement with Hook, and Tiger Lily is now Chief. She confirms it all, but Peter isn’t having it and heads off to confront Hook. On Hook’s ship, the men are preparing to retire their pirating careers when Peter arrives to spoil the fun.
PETER PAN IS A BAD GUY?
There’s been plenty of retellings of Peter Pan that show a grown-up Peter living in Neverland that’s remained the same, but The Last Boy #1 is a fascinating inverse of that, where Neverland has moved on while Peter seems stuck in his old ways. From his disbelief that Tiger Lilly, a g-g-g-girl, is now Chief to his downright abuse of some senior citizen pirates, Peter is now firmly a deluded antagonist in Neverland. Towards the end they do get a little heavy-handed with trying to portray Peter as being the antagonist here. The personification of Peter here is that of someone who’s immature and stubborn, which feels by design, but at times, this comes off almost like malice, which doesn’t feel intentional. Seeing more of what’s going on with Wendy would’ve been nice. There’s a decent chunk of this issue that’s devoted to her life, but by the time things shift back to Neverland, it’s not really clear what impact her story has on the overall plot. It acts more like a small vignette with a hint of a cliffhanger. Other than those couple of quibbles, this is an intriguing take on a very familiar story, and it did plenty to make me want to see where else this goes.
FAIRYTALE APPROPRIATE
The Last Boy #1 is knee-deep in whimsy. The colors are soft, as if this comic was plucked out of an old fairytale book. I’m not so hot on the scenes with Wendy. The use of muted colors, coming close to black and white, with a few splashes of color, is a bit on the nose and doesn’t have a strong narrative impact.
BOTTOM LINE: AN INTRIGUING TAKE ON A CLASSIC
The Lost Boy #1 is a fine comic that banks everything on its shake-up of the well-known tale of the boy who never grew up and his adventures in Neverland. This isn’t a bad bet because their take is a good one that opens the door to a lot of questions regarding maturity, the perils of hanging onto youth for too long, and growth. The dual narrative structure isn’t done as eloquently as it could’ve been, but it doesn’t hurt the issue either. The fairytale-like art adds to the fun by creating a juxtaposition between soft, pleasant colors and Peter Pan’s increasingly questionable actions. 4 out of 5 stars.
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The Last Boy #1
The Last Boy #1 gives readers a unique take on an old story, that feels very adult, while never diving deep into gore or grittiness. This issue has a lot of promise for what may come next.
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Writing8
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Art8
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Coloring8
