This is a vibrant and heartfelt graphic novel that masterfully intertwines the realms of fantasy role-playing with the complexities of real-life friendships. At its core, it’s a celebration of growth, change, and the enduring bonds formed over shared adventures.

The narrative follows a group of friends who began their journey in high school through their school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance club, eventually bonding over their shared love for “Dice & Deathtraps” (a.k.a. Dungeons & Dragons). Years later, as they approach the end of college and face the uncertainties of adulthood, they reunite to finish their long-running campaign. This setup provides a dual narrative: one that delves into their current realities and another that explores their in-game personas.

The introduction of the DM’s partner as a new player adds a fresh dynamic, challenging the group’s established rhythms and highlighting the evolving nature of relationships. One of the standout features is its honest portrayal of the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It captures the bittersweet reality of growing up—navigating boring jobs, facing personal struggles, moving away, and experiencing the natural drift that can occur in friendships. This theme is further enriched by the diverse representation within the cast, offering varied perspectives on these universal experiences.

The artwork is nothing short of stunning. The illustrations burst with big, bold, and beautiful colors, bringing both the real-world scenarios and the in-game “Dice & Deathtraps” sequences to life. The art style, reminiscent of animated series, adds a layer of charm and whimsy that enhances the storytelling experience.

The epilogue and additional content at the end of the volume provide a satisfying closure, offering insights into the characters’ futures and the lasting impact of their shared experiences. These elements leave a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the journey undertaken.

Ultimately, this is a compelling blend of fantasy and reality, artfully depicting the challenges and joys of maintaining friendships amidst life’s inevitable changes. Whether you’re a seasoned tabletop RPG enthusiast or someone who cherishes stories about personal growth and connection, this graphic novel offers a rich and relatable experience.

Thank you Net Gallley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was absolutely delightful! A Dungeons and Dragons comic that is so openly queer? Hell yeah!

The drama between the DM's old best friend and their girlfriend felt childish at first, but the bigger picture being the fear of change, growing up and moving away from loved ones hit hard. It almost hurts how relatable it is.

Did I mention the cast is queer? I was delighted to see different ways the queerness was presented with each character. From subtle morning routine to a friend helping his friend figure out a part of themselves.

The inclusion of character sheets at the end, and one you can fill out yourself, made me squeal with glee! I absolutely love little tidbits like that and wish we could've seen everyone else's character sheets as well. I would've loved it if this story was a bit longer so we could explore more of the group's friendship and see more of the wonderful artstyle this comics is drawn in!

This was such a fantastic slice of life looking at the evolution of friendship as you grow from teens into young adults! The friendships felt evolved though I wish we'd seen a little bit more of their teen years when they first met. I liked that the conflict didn't last long and came from a place readers can understand, growing up is hard and seeing everyone move away and get into long-term relationships can make you feel really lonely.

I really liked the ways DnD was depicted and that character sheets were included at the end!

4.25⭐

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and a new version will come out in June. I loved this so much! Queer and DnD go hand in hand but the themes of change were also so recognisable. Absolutely devoured it.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

As a big TTRPG fan (and a tiny creator) and an even bigger Queer, I was incredibly excited to read this and enjoy all the elements that make up this comic, but this was a bit of a let down.

The subversion of classic elf game tropes and all the awesome Queerness were great, but the script wasn't particularly interesting and the one player and eventually the whole group freezing out and being mean to the new player made the majority of this a major bummer to read. I get that it's a learning to not be a jerk story, but so much of it was depressing to read. Also, the whole Rudolph of it all, that a person actually has 'value' because of skills or knowledge they have, always seeks like a sad reason to not be a dick to them.

The art and LGBTQIA+ cast were cute, but this was a bit of a let down.

Dungeons and Dragons (sorry sorry Dice and Deathtraps), a queer platonic couple, friend group tensions, and the end of a multi-year long campaign? Sign. Me. Up.

Anything Dungeons and Dragons related is an instant read for me, so when The Last Session popped up on Net, I hit that request button so fast and I am SO GLAD I did. This was such a sweet story about the complications of friendship, fears of change, and the joys of gaming. All the individual characters really stood out and had unique personalities and the characters they played in the game were fun reflections of their own identities. This was also such a queer story, with a nonbinary DM, a trans man aspiring author, an aro/ace (not fully confirmed on the page which or even if Shen identifies with those labels but it's highly implied) person, a gay man, and a queer platonic relationship. I was so giddy seeing a QPR on the page between Shen and Walter (the gay man). It made me so happy to see that representation. It's also an entirely POC cast!!

The tension between Lana (and the rest of the gang) and Cassandra coming to the table was very relatable. I've had my share of issues at the table with friends and it can be pretty intense, but it was great to see how they worked to resolve their issues.

I wish we could have seen more of Jay, they were the only person in the group I felt we didn't get to explore on the page. I wanted to know more about their and Lana's friendship since they seemed pretty close and just learned more about Jay in general. But that is pretty much my only critique. Otherwise, this was such a fun read that I will be telling all my DnD friends about.

My thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios- Maverick for an advance copy of this graphic novel that tells the tale of a group of table top adventurers dealing with the dangers and monstrositys of the real world, and the feelings that they keep inside.

I started playing Dungeons & Dragons at the end of fifth grade or the beginning of sixth grade, I am not entirely sure. I do know I was in school for we would spend our independent study period talking about what we were going to do next. Unlike all those revisionist shows that talk about how cool the eighties were, being a nerd was a lonely affair. This was the time of Satanic Panic, Reaganomics, and small town New England so to play role playing games, reading comics,was one step worse then weird, it was full on pariah behavior. We had fun, and didn't care. School wasn't fun nor really educational, it was something that had to we just had to bear until we got out. That never changed. We also gave no thought at all about the opposite sex, so that was never a factor. Well one of us thought about the same sex, which explains alot about him now, but we never discussed it. Now I see players of all types playing women, men, those who are undecided, or positive in who they are. I know what role playing meant for me, and I am very glad for them. Which is why I loved this graphic novel. The Last Session Vol. 1: Roll For Initiative is written by Jasmine Walls, illustrated by Dozerdraws with lettering by Micah Myers and tells a story of a group of role players who bonded in high school over a role playing game that kept the real world at bay, until the real world start crashing in.

Five students are attending the Gender Sexuality Alliance at their high school for the first time, but the group president seems to be missing. Jay offers to start a role playing game Dice & Deathtraps showing the others how to do it while they wait. Lana, Drew, Walter and Shen agree starting a campaign that goes through school, their ups and downs, and into the world of college and crappy jobs. To Lana the game is the high point of the week, allowing Lana to relax and bond with friends. The others dealing with bad jobs, family pressures agree. Until an X-Factor is added in Cassandra, Jay's new girlfriend. Cassandra adds a layer of chaos to the game play that starts to ruin the game for some. Especially Lana who is uncomfortable with change, and uncomfortable with people in relationships. Also members of the group are being offered jobs, dream jobs in fact, that might put the future of the game at risk. The group is starting to face problems that will need more than natural twenties or saving throws to deal with.

A graphic novel that captures friends playing and even more, friends that might be growing apart. Not from anger, but that is the way the world works. Sometimes change isn't what we want, but to tell people they can't change is wrong, as some of the characters here are starting to realise. The writing is good, as are the characters. Each one has their own quirks and unique persona that make them of interest to readers, and want to know more. Even the role playing adventure is fun and keeps one engaged. The art is a good mix of realism with Fantasy creatures. Each character again has a clear look, and the artists sticks to it. I liked the colors too, they really stand out.
A really good story about diversity, friends, role playing and more. A lot of time has passed since I last rolled some dice, and stories like this make me miss role playing. I am glad to see there is a market for stories like this, and for characters like this even more. Role playing got me through a lot of difficult times, I hope stories like this help others also. I look forward to where the story goes.

This was a short and fun read that I finished in one sitting. The art style was nice and I liked the focus on the friendship between the members of the group.