The Last Boy #3 Review

 

Writer: Dan Panosian

Artist: Alessio Avallone

Colorists: Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Abigail Jill Harding & A L Kaplan

Logo Design: Dan Panosian

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Caroline Butler & David Mariotte

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 28, 2025

 

Peter Pan wants to play, but his friends have all grown up. When Prince Rogers tells him that the Phantom King has attacked the Neverbird Nest, the Lost Boys mumble excuses instead of leaping for joy. Prince Rogers offers to send soldiers to prevent the Phantom King from burning Fairyhome, but Peter flies off in a huff. Can Peter Pan singlehandedly defeat this new menace? And can Wendy Darling finish her book before she marries Clifford? Let’s grab some fairy dust, leap into The Last Boy #3, and see!

 

Story

The Phantom King proves more dangerous than the late Captain Hook. His scythe slices through Peter's chest, frightening him more than he cares to admit. So when Queen Mab, Tinker Bell, and the fairies whisk him away, Peter fumes that they didn’t allow him to finish off the Phantom King.

 

Like Peter, Wendy's father denies that he needs his medicine. He only accepts it from Wendy because she tells him stories. But after his heart attack, her mother grows more determined to secure Wendy’s future. As much as her father enjoys Wendy's stories, seeing his daughter walk down the aisle will make him feel like he accomplished something with his life.

 

Dan Panosian's story weighs the necessity of growing up against forgetting the joys of childhood. Wendy's mother knows the importance of being accepted by society. But Wendy's father prizes her stories. They bring him a joy that acceptance in society never did.

 

Just as Wendy defies her mother to inspire the young, Peter stands ready to protect those in danger. But while Peter wants Neverland to remain the same, its inhabitants and lands are changing. Peter's imagination and zest for life seem insufficient to prevent Neverland from falling into decline in The Last Boy #3.

 

Art

Alessio Avallone transports us to a small neighborhood park. Instead of reading her manuscript to the local children, she roleplays her stories with boats in a pond. While Wendy’s mother adorns herself in an elegant dress, Wendy’s modest attire reflects her mother’s fears that Wendy will become a spinster. But Florence notices her inspiration is in peril. The girl comes to Wendy’s aid in The Last Boy #3.

 

Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack imbue Wendy’s world with brown, beige, and blue waves for the pond. Wendy enhances the family's sepia home with a bouquet of red flowers and green leaves. The red flowers link Wendy with Queen Mab and Tiger Lily, who adorn their heads with pink or red flowers. A white feather with a touch of pink adorns Peter's green hat. But his fern-green clothes cannot compete with the bright colors of Tiger Lily's tribe or Queen Mab's fairies.

 

Jeff Eckleberry conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons in The Last Boy #3. The words swell, enlarge, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects help us hear Tinker Bell's desperate cry for assistance, Florence's decision to save the woman who inspired her to pursue her dreams, and how Wendy surprises the man who could define her future. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Wendy and her brothers flew off to Neverland to have adventures, she ended up playing mother to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. As Wendy and her mother lock horns over the best way to care for others, other ladies attempt to care for Peter and Neverland in The Last Boy #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.