"The Last Session " is an engaging and charming tribute to D&D and the obsessive nerds who play it. This highly accessible book is an LGQBT+ sensitive examination of a group of long time friends who are challenged by the addition of a new player in the campaign that originally united them. This book is for anyone who routinely calculates their hitpoints or uses the term lawful evil to describe their high school English teacher.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an ARC.

"The Last Session" is a cozy read about a group of friends who have been together since high school. They now find themselves in college and going their separate ways as life continues. However, before they all have to move away, they plan to finish the first D&D campaign they ever played together. There's just one difference: there is a new player in the mix.

The story evolves as each character confronts changes to the group dynamic. Although there was tension with the addition of a new group member, each character learn to embrace the change and choose friendship over stagnation.

Overall, this is a great read for reluctant readers who are fans of D&D. It is a short story that touches on friendship and the shifting connections that one experiences through life. While it did have a happy ending, the story was too short to properly develop the characters and give them the time to truly have the progression needed to reach the end of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review!
4.5/5, rounded up to 5
I’m a huge sucker for any Dungeons & Dragons-inspired books and graphic novels, and this one is fantastic. It’s (sadly) extremely common for groups to lose momentum in the middle or even at the end of a campaign, so it was completely believable that events would unfold like they did.
This was a fast, cozy, heartwarming read that I will absolutely be rereading at some point. I liked all of the characters, and I sympathized with the conflict of trying to finish the campaign that you loved while dealing with feeling like someone is intruding who isn’t part of the group.
D&D can be hard to break into as a new player in an old group. I really felt for Cassandra, who was trying so hard to be part of the group and fit in. I also completely understood where Lana was coming from- the game she had loved for so long was back, but it wasn’t the same. That can be tough to deal with also. I think the resolution was really well done and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series!

This is a solid RPG story about a group of friends finally able to come together to finish their high school game — with the addition of their DMs girlfriend’s characters. Here, rather than it being a seamless melding, there’s conflict. Lana, the new player, is a Mary Sue. Her bard learns spells to be more like the druid, spells to be more like the thief, takes over all the public facing interactions, wants to talk about plots and monsters and meta … and it’s cute. It’s what a lot of new players do, trying to make the most super special character, but it’s also making the druid, the thief, and even their paladin — used to being the party leader — feel like their toes are being stepped on. And then there’s the fact that she’s the DM’s girlfriend.

Everything ends up wrapped up in a tidy little bow while I, personally, would have liked just a little more time spent on the people and a little less on the characters — and while it’s fun to see their characters come to life, and how the IRL problems leak into the game — because the final resolution and token “I’m sorry”s just didn’t land for me. Even so, this was a quick, fun read and I’m curious to see more from the author and artist.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was such a fun and charming read! While I found myself wishing for a bit more character development. The story captures the dynamics of a friend group navigating change, all centered around a D&D campaign, which I enjoyed. Plus, the queer representation is wonderful, especially in a TTRPG setting. Hoping for Vol. 2 ??

I can't express how much I loved this graphic novel. If you love DnD or Critical Role, you will also love this. For only being a little less than 200 pages, Jasmine Wells does a fantastic job of fleshing out these characters. I loved the little flashbacks of the characters' high school life. The racial diversity AND the LGBTQ representation?!?! Flawless.

A group of strangers meet together at their high school GSA club. When their club leader doesn't show up and leaves them with very unpleasant snacks, some one suggest that they puck up a game of Dice & Deathtraps (the books take on Dungeons and Dragons ). The game turns a group of strangers in to a group of close friends and found family.

The friends are coming to the end of their collage years, and they still meet for game night. They found that the game isnt just a way to unwind but its a way for them to process what's going on in their every day lives.

The gang is coming together to finally finish the one campaign they have yet to finish, The one that started it all. But when Jay ( the DM ) invites his now partner Cassandra to play, it throws the dynamic of the game off from what the friends are used to.

Lena is having a hard time with change and accepting a new player, she thinks she is running the game. As the team advances in the campaign, they will soon realize that change isn't always a bad thing.

I love how well the Game parallels what is going on in the friends lives. its a pretty quick paced story. Id love to see more stories like this as well. If your a fan of the Critical Role world , this will be right up your alley. The story is appropriate for younger readers as well ( id say older end of middle grade ) and older would enjoy. The story does revolve around a group of LBGTQ+ students, and I think the representation was done tastefully , even addressing not quite knowing where they fit on the LBGTQ+ spectrum.

The book even contains a few pages where you can make your own character sheets as well as see the ones that they used in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios | Maverick for the Digital ARC for review.

This was a super fun romp through the irl world of tabletop friend groups. It seamlessly moves between in-game and out-of-game story beats, following a group of friends as they navigate big life changes and above-board drama while trying to wrap up a D&D campaign. This would make a great addition to the shelf of any teen graphic novel collection, especially in a community with a tabletop presence!

Read: June 12th
Format: E-book
Rating: 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have some mixed feelings on this. On one hand, it's D&D-based, and I love that. It's also so great seeing the friend group and how the game brought them together. But also, it all felt too fast for me. This may appeal more to those in the queer community, as I myself am not. A lot of the time there were portions of the story dedicated to each individual's experience, especially in the sense of what made this ragtag friend group so close, and they meet as a GSA meeting, so a lot of that does stem from the queer identity.

Again, I don't identify as queer, so a lot of it didn't connect with me. I can still appreciate it for what it was and the character depth it added, but the emotional punch wasn't there for me, especially when paired with the pacing.

Overall, though? Loved the message of how a little nerdy interest between friends can bloom into such tight bonds and such a strong influence on lives, while also tackling the difficulties that come with change. A very solid TTRPG-centric comic.

I love D&D so much, and this is a wonderful story about a party, and their real-world characters, and adjusting. The story seems to imply that it's over, but the title (Vol. 1) indicates that there will be more and... There will be more, right? Right??

Light and playful. I consumed this all in a single sitting.

It was entertaining and relatable. The characters are distinct, dynamic, and diverse. And their interactions all felt natural and unforced—they really carried the story.

And then there is the D&D (Dice & Deathtraps, in this book)! Ah, the good ol' days. For anyone interested in fantasy tabletop roll-playing games, this is the book for you!

Lots of fun.

This was such a cute and cozy read, it's about a group who meets in an unexpected way but continue bonding even after years of high school.

I loved that it was realistic, the cracks that form in their friendship through years, the hesitance of new group members and realizing that you do -in fact- need every member of the group!

I loved the DnD characters' POV's too, the artstyle was also cute!

The DnD storyline was very interactive and I was really invested lol.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for this e-ARC to review!

4 stars
Do you love D&D? There's a sense of community that is born out of this wonderful collaborative storytelling medium and TTRPG. If you ever rolled dice as a kid, or as an adult, with friends while creating fantastic stories and fighting evil forces, then I think you will absolutely love The Last Session.

This graphic novel follows a group of five friends that meet in a Gender & Sexuality high school club. When the president of such club starts missing on the sessions, they decide to pass the time playing Dice & Deathdraps! Or D&D, as you might prefer calling it. And as time goes fast, four years later our characters are about to graduate college or embark on new adventures. However, there's a problem. Their first high school campaign is still unfinished. So they decide to dust off their old character sheets and give their characters a proper ending, however, the DM's long distance girlfriend has graduated early and has the chance to join the last games. Though they are a really close group of friends, this new person messes up the flow of things, and with them wanting a smooth end to their beloved campaign, well, trouble comes up.

I really loved this graphic novel. I loved finding out that Maverick picked it up for a reprint and relaunch and that a new volume is coming out after years. It's great news because finishing this volume I just wanted more.
This story took me back to my high school days when I got to play D&D with my friends. And then, growing up, having issues with our schedules aligning and making time for it. Though our games were never character-focused (clearly a mistake), I have always had a soft spot for D&D and this graphic novel makes it justice.
Though the characters meet in high school and we get flashbacks at the beginning of every issue to their teenage years, this story focuses on them being in their 20s and I loved that! I also really liked that, though the in-game shenanigans were fun and adventurous, this title focuses more on the real life people playing these characters, as opposed to the in-game quests.
The characters feel defined and different and I'm actually so amazed at how good the characterization was with such little time, considering it is a short volume, there are six main characters and there's a story within a story.

Also, I have to talk about the art style! It's so good, it feels fresh and dynamic and I really thing the artist nailed the vibe of both the adventuring party and the friends in their 20s trying to survive college and jobs. I also absolutely love how at the end of this volume, there's bonus content like character sheets for your games and note pages, the design is delightful.

Anyway, with the rise and high of D&D shows and content nowadays I think most readers are familiar with the game, so I hope people pick out this graphic novel. I can't wait to get volume 2.

Happy (re) release day, The Last Session!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a game master and TTRPG player of five years, I think it can be immensely difficult to truly capture the magic of playing a roleplaying game with your friends -- there are pieces of literature and tv that have come close, but The Last Session really knocks it out of the park. Aided by an art style that is equal parts whimsy and unique, personal pizzazz, the story really comes alive. The seamless transition from the characters playing at the table to inhabiting their bodies within the world of make-believe is worth noting every time it happens... in particular because it makes me so envious! Every single person who has ever played any tabletop roleplaying game would understand that feeling.

And on the topic of relating, I feel that we've all been in this situation, if not a little differently for each of us - it is easy to feel Lana's jealousy, her fear of things changing. I found the storyline relatable on many levels, and in a lot of ways too. Additionally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how inclusionary the collection is. Visually, POC of all sizes can be seen, and gender and sexual representation is either implied or outright confirmed which is very welcome because typically, TTRPG spaces are not the most welcoming for women, or anyone who falls under the LGBTQIA+ banner. It's heartwarming to see so many of us included and represented in a story like this.

It is difficult to find any concrete flaws with this collection due to how short and sweet it was. Do I wish that we had gotten even more character exploration? Yes, but then the storyline would not be quite so tight, nor as cohesive. Selfishly, I want to see more of the characters, especially within their D&D world, but that's not what the story is. We're left hoping the best for them, believing that whatever game they're playing next, it's sure to be a good one.

This was a cute read. It was a straightforward graphic novel about a group of friends playing D&D. The story itself wasn't very complex or deep, but not every story needs to be. I found myself wishing it was a little heavier on the D&D rather than the humans themselves, but thats just a personal preference. It's a cute comic, just not one that I'm going to be obsessing over, and that's totally okay!

When one of the friend's partner, Cass, joins in playing with the group, she receives a lot of backlash and there is a lot of tension because she isn't "doing it right" or is "ruining" the experience. I felt really bad for her and felt like Lana was being very harsh. I feel like I've been in Cass's shoes with established groups in the past, so it was both validating to see and stressful to watch play out. However, it doesn't go without consequence!

The art for this comic was probably my favorite part. It was vibrant and really brought the story to life! I loved the stylistic choices and colorful spreads that really brought this cozy little read to life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I've never participated in a role playing game before, but this graphic novel made me want to try it! The worldbuilding was interesting, layered, and easy for me to understand even as a newbie. Adored the queer found family propelling the narrative and how there's realistic growing pains with their long term dynamics from teenagers into adulthood. The core group all having similar interests but different goals for their lives really delves into how difficult it can be to navigate change within the most solid aspects of your life. Stellar and unique artwork that was really instinctive to follow, both in and out of the game, which was crucial to me personally. Would definitely read more volumes!

Cute and quick graphic novel about a group of friends meeting up for their last session of their long-running campaign. A newcomer to the group is joining them and throws a wrench into their dynamic. I really liked it! The art was cute; I wish there was more though.

A fun and light graphic novel about an early 20s friend group who, having met initially in high school, reunite to finish an old D&D campaign before they each leave for their adult lives in different states. The reunion is somewhat troubled by the DMs inclusion of his girlfriend, whose presence unfairly triggers anxiety and jealousy in one of the group's members both in game and outside of it. The numerous flashbacks are at times confusing as some of the characters do not look significantly different from their high school selves and their is no narrative cue to suggest a flashback has begun. The art, however, is enjoyable and pleasing and most of the characters are interesting. It does feel like a major plot point is simply ignored, which is that the players are frustrated by the new in-game character's expertise in many of the areas they used to consider their domains...but no one ever mentions the new character is also a full level above everyone else. This is apparently the first volume, although I'm not entirely sure where the story will go from here given A) the campaign in concluded and B) the narrative skips five years in the end when everyone has either married, successfully launched their careers, and moved away.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a really quick, cute, and cozy read. The story was pretty simple but heartwarming, and the art was adorable. The character sheets at the end were also a very cute touch! As a queer D&D fan, I really enjoyed this!

There was a lot to like about this book. The artwork and character design was beautiful, especially the depictions of each character's D&D ego. Also, the storytelling reflected well through the images and the text. I have had a similar experience of being the "girlfriend" joining a game that was loved by the origional friend group and being pushed out because " You don't get us". The way that our D&D group handled the change to their dynamics was very real and ended on a wholesome note. I also appreciated the diveristy representation through all the characters. Their differences were portrayed in a very artful way that still left them feeling like a human not just a foil.