Review - The Last of Us; American Dreams #4.

Review by Paul Fiander
Writer; Neil Druckmann & Faith Erin Hicks
Art by; Faith Erin Hicks
Colours by; Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters; Clem Robbins
Cover by; Julian Totino Tedesco
Published by; Dark Horse Comics Inc
This is the Third part of the Last of Us; American dreams. If you have not read the first 3 parts please click the link to go to Part 1, here's the link for Part 2 and finally Part 3. We try our best to only hint at events in this episode but reading it may spoil the previous part.
As far as imagery goes the front cover of our concluding episode of American dreams is the strongest to date. The sight of two frightened children being held at gunpoint is a striking image. Giving Ellie a gun was good but giving her a look of fear was a genius move. We then round this whole imagery off with a sign that reads;
THE FIREFLIES WILL SAVE US
and you have an amazing introduction into the final chapter of this story.

Ellie and Riley up to this point have been lucky, even if you include the scrape with some infected. But here their luck seems to be running out as they were taken prisoner at the end of the last issue. That created the jumping off point for this issue as Ellie but mostly Riley are taught some harsh lessons in the reality of the world.

Most of the issue takes place underground and this creates a dark atmosphere around the characters. Its reflective of the tone of the piece. This kind of union between visuals and plot are very well done and its another example of the strength of the storytelling opportunities in a graphic novel.
Picture
The Font Cover of the Comic
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Its not a goodbye to Ellie just a take care until we meet again.
The story takes the reader on a journey of emotions helping to create a thrilling ending to an amazing series. When the series is added to the narrative in the game then for my money it really is one of the best pieces of fusion media I have experienced. However this may do the series an injustice as it stands up on its own merits as a great piece of illustrative literature.

I will be creating a round up article at a later date which will contain a number of spoilers but I hope for now you have enjoyed the look into the series and found some of the ideas brought up interesting to read. All that's left for me to say is you really owe it to yourself to experience the full world of the Last of Us.
The Comic is available in both print and digital from Dark Horse comics. Follow this link for more details.

Wrap Up

The Good  - Intriguing story, Surprising, Final Panel!
The Bad   - 

Score - 4.5/5
Images courtesy of Dark Horse Comics and SCEE
Comic - Provided by Dark Horse Comics