Read our review of Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World #15 from BOOM! Studios, written by Jason Aaron with art by Nick Dragotta, Alexandre Tefenkgi, and Leila Del Duca.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World #15 Review:
In the final issue of the series, Maceo and Mezzy are trying to stop the end of the world. Meanwhile, we flash back to previous points in their relationship, and ultimately find out whether they end up together or not.
“I thought this was a phenomenal series, from front to back, and completely stuck the landing here,” said host Alex Zalben. “And it was a beautiful use of the apocalypse as metaphor for relationships… It is very rare that you see multiple artists on a book and works. But it worked 100% here. This is a classic, that if you missed, you should pick up. Go back, read the trade. People will be talking about this for years to come.”
“This is an epic love story,” said Pete LePage. “[A] messy, realistic love story… The ending haunts me… People drift apart… At the end, they had a nice moment, and you wished for more, but I liked the realism of it.”
Getting further into spoilers, Zalben appreciated the parallels to the beginning of the story at the end, with Maceo in a tower by himself, Mezzy on the ground, but they’re both eating the same fruits and thinking of each other. And the chasm that was between them is tentatively connected by a bridge of vines.
“They had a moment where they were brought back together, but the things that broke them apart are still there, the problems are still there,” Zalben continued. “There is a connection between them. Will they be able to cross it? We don’t know. But that’s where we leave them at the end.”
“It’s so rare for a comic or any piece of anything to come out that has the metaphor and the storytelling are on the same level of mastery,” said Justin Tyler. “This is a masterpiece. When this comes out in trade, this is going on my shelf, I want to hand this to anybody who’s struggling in their relationship or just thinking about how they feel about another person. Because this is such an inspiring story. It covers both love, and what happens when love falls apart with equal value.”
Tyler also noted that he loved the differences between Dragotta, Tefengki, and Del Duca’s time periods. “It’s just one of the best books of the last few years,” Tyler said. “It’s such a fave to me.”
Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World #15 Official Synopsis:
As their showdown with the apocalypse-hungry Ravagers unfolds, even Maceo and Mezzy do succeed, what will remain for them in such a desolate world after losing so many loved ones… and each other?
While merely surviving alone is possible, the question will always remain-will they ever see each other again, or remain at a distance?
