Ben Heywood :: X Gone but not forgotten

SOLD The Last American #1 pp24 (Epic 1990)

Artists: Mick McMahon (All) , Mike McMahon (All) , John Wagner (Writer)

4 Comments - 215 Views - 5 Likes

SOLD The Last American #1 pp24 (Epic 1990) Comic Art

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verso

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Artwork Details

Title:	SOLD The Last American #1 pp24 (Epic 1990)
Artist:	Mick McMahon (All)
Artist:	Mike McMahon (All)
Artist:	John Wagner (Writer)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:
Views:	215
Likes on CAF:	5 6
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	11/14/2024
Comic Art Archive:

Description

"Duck...and cover..."

By 1990, I think we were all a bit wary of balls-to-the-wall nuclear war satires. With the collapse of East Germany, the Cold War was seemingly over, and we were ready to enter what, in retrospect, was to be just a single decade of Western peace and prosperity. We'd had our 'Day After', 'Threads', 'When The Wind Blows', and even John Wagner & Alan Grant had given us what was (is) the definitive comics statement on nuclear war, the 2000AD Judge Dredd epic 'The Apocalypse War'. 'The Last American' had been solicited in 1995, but Mick McMahon's illness and nervous exhaustion had put the art on hold until the end of the decade: a story past its time.

And by that time, John Wagner & Alan Grant had also reached the end of the line. The 4 issue comic, published by Marvel's Epic line, marked the end of the pair's writing partnership, with Wagner taking the first two issues, Grant the final two. They did not part on good terms, and, IMHO, like Lennon & McCartney, neither were able to reach the heights of storytelling separately as they had did as partners, the mighty engine of Brit Comics sci-fi. So, formally and conceptually, 'The Last American' marked the end of an era (though no one knew it at the time): a clear failure.

So why is it still important? The answer is only that of Mick McMahon. The art for this series was extraordinary, and marks another clear break by the artist from anything he (or anyone else) had produced before. Deep blacks, luminous marker colours, angular, blocky inks on exaggerated and distorted figures in jagged landscapes that loomed out of the page with a disturbing and immediate presence. But a presence that never at any point hindered the urgency and sheer propulsion of the story-telling. What McMahon drew was a triumph for English-language comics, and has seldom been equalled since.

For me there is also the hit of nostalgia: the clacking racks of comics art in the basement of London's Comics Showcase, where I once bumped into Alan Moore, and where pages from 2000AD and 'The Last American' went for just a few pounds...a few pounds that I didn't have...

This the final page of issue 1.

Ink and marker on cartridge paper
27.7 x 40 cms

Thanks to Tony for the sale and trade!

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About the Owner

	Ben Heywood Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	November 2009
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	eggwood
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Comments on this Artwork

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Daniel Ashton
Member Since 2013

1 - Posted on 11/14/2024

Beautiful page. Every panel is just divine.

Duke Fleed aka #1 Groo Fan
Member Since 2013

1 - Posted on 11/14/2024

Love the shapes he uses. makes the whole thing truly a feast for the eyes!

artless artmore
Member Since 2013

1 - Posted on 11/14/2024

Amazing page! Nothing like this series.

Tony Marine
Member Since 2016

Posted on 11/15/2024

This is just amazing! I'm obsessed with McMahon's art. Congrats on the pickup!!

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