A dystopian horror story about music and mental illness.
Nat and her bandmates in The Dead Layaways want to go on tour, but the demonic entities who run their city have other idea, not to mention the dark cloud that hangs over everything stifles their creativity. This ruined place is not their home, and they have no idea how they ended up here, or where "home" even is. Is there really nothing but endless wasteland beyond the city limits, as the demons claim?
Much like the author's previous work, The Last Band On Earth draws on themes of mental illness and attempted recovery. It is about being in your 20s and still not feeling like a Real Adult, and the fear that time is running out.
Top Grade 2025 title pick: 'Clearly depicts many modern challenges of young adulthood. A call to find your passion, your path, and your people.
''A ripping post-apocalyptic road trip horror adventure that’s both dreadfully creepy and triumphantly defiant. Like all great punk tunes it’s all killer, no filler. I loved this comic so much.' -Ryan Dunlavey (Action Philosophers, The Comic Book History Of Comics)
‘Captures the authentic experience of playing in a band, the quest for authenticity, touring in a crappy van, playing for small, unappreciative audiences, and building a monstrous horror/fantasy world that is a wonderful metaphor for facing your demons to make vital, challenging art.' -Dave Chisholm (Miles Davis & the Search for the Sound, Spectrum) Doug Wright Award Nominee for Best Book 2026
