The Very Final Last Girls - a Darby Pop Publications graphic novel

Connor Monday survived an alien invasion of pod people.  Shawna Little survived a sadistic puzzle master.  Deena Azarian survived a summer camp slasher.  Heather Perez survived a psychic warlock.  And then there's Megan Williams, who survived an attack by a horde of zombies.  Each of these five have one thing in common - they are all survivors.  Each has face a completely different horror, each has had to conquer their fears and insecurities, and each has managed to defeat the evil that was set to kill them.    But instead of just moving on, each of them has been taken to a government facility in an undisclosed location, where one Dr. Black is looking to help them cope with what they have gone through, with the assistance of her head of security, Hal Piers.  But there's only one problem - Megan Williams doesn't give a flying leap about their program, and she doesn't want or need their help - all she wants is to find her little sister, and she'll do whatever it takes to get back to her!

The Very Final Last Girls is a creative tale of what happens to the survivors of some of the most horrific events one could experience after they win their battle against the vicious killers.  Written by Josh Eiserike and with art by Z. Crockett and Andres Barrero, this six-chapter story combines a number of horror genres for a superb story of some very strong girls (and one very strong boy!).  As a horror film fan, I've always loved the whole "Final Girl" idea - from Laurie Strode to Alice Hardy to Sydney Prescott and so many others.  I especially loved the parody take of the trope with the films The Final Girls, which takes an honest look at what it means to be a final girl in a horror film.  Well, this comic delves into that idea as well.  What exactly does it take to be a "final girl" (or boy, as the case may be)?  How in the world do the men and women who survived The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, and Saw deal with the normal world after facing such unimaginable evil?

Throw in some off-the-books government agency (a la Cabin in the Woods), and you have not only a great horror story, but also a wonderful little mystery.  What exactly is Dr. Black up to?  Who is she, really?  Why won't anyone let Megan see her little sister?  What are the dreams that Megan is having?  And what secrets are the other survivors hiding - secrets that could place all of them in even greater jeopardy than they could imagine?!  And who is that raggedy man with his lips sewn shut and the tattered ears?  By the end of Chapter Three, one of the survivors finds out pretty quickly that the tattered man is not one to be messed with!  With one survivor down, that leaves the remaining four on edge - and Megan more determined than ever to get out of there and find her sister!  This, of course, means - road trip!

The story really picks up the pace by the fifth chapter, as Megan and two other survivors escape the compound and head out to find Megan's sister - but a confrontation with the tattered man leaves Megan wounded, and the survivor they left behind may be the only one who can save her.  By the time they reach the facility where Megan's sister is being held, all the secrets get revealed in a truly spectacular climax - is anyone really who they claimed to be?  One survivor holds a killer secret, while another turns out to be more deadly than any of the killers they all faced.  It's a final battle to beat all final battles,and the question is - how many final girls will truly be the very final last girls?

The art by Crockett and Barrero is pretty spot on for this kind of story.  It's not as refined as say George Perez or Jerry Ordway, but it's so wildly stylistic that you can't enjoy the story.  It's dark, it's moody, and the characters are distinct and perfectly matched with their personas.  The backgrounds stay pretty basic, which is fine, because that keeps the reader focused on the characters, which is what this story is about anyway.  And while we do get short bios for each of the characters (backstories on the events that made them a final girl (or boy)), I would have enjoyed seeing more of those backstories. Of course, what I'd love to see even more is a sequel in which we get some new final girls (because let's face it, there are plenty of final girls out there to pick from!).  Another wonderful thing about this book is each chapter is opened with a homage cover to some of the greatest horror films (and the ones on which the characters and their backstories are clearly based, albeit loosely).  I loved them!

I've never heard of Darby Pop Publishing before, but this book definitely has me interested in checking out some of their other titles - if they are anywhere near as good as this, then they will be worth the purchase!

RATING:  9 face-filled pizza boxes out of 10 for finally giving horror fans an imaginary look at which comes next for all of those final girls we love so much!