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The Only Living Boy #1-5
The Only Living Boy Omnibus
Collecting Ringo and Harvey Award-nominated Best Graphic Novel For Younger Readers first five landmark volumes of THE ONLY LIVING BOY in one cataclysmic collection. This deluxe hardcover, jam-packed with extras, features the story that captivated readers of all ages. Lost, without his memory, twelve-year-old Erik Farrell must navigate a world of mad science, monsters and mayhem on a savage patchwork planet. David Gallaher (GREEN LANTERN) and Steve Ellis (HIGH MOON) unite to thrill both the young and the young-at-heart. Collecting The Only Living Boy Volumes #1-5, plus an exclusive 20-page bonus story.
416 pages, Hardcover
Published August 14, 2018
About the author
David Gallaher
63 books74 followersAuthor David Gallaher has received multiple Harvey Award nominations and won The Best Online Comic Award for his work on High Moon for DC Comics. David was an early pioneer of digital comics developing projects for Marvel's Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man as well as Box 13 - the first comic designed specifically for the iPhone - for ComiXology. He has served as a consulting editor for Attack on Titan, Sailor Moon, and Fairy Tail for Kodansha. He is represented by the Hill Nadell Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 13, 2019
Picked this up from my local library after I got a NETGALLEY copy of the follow-up series, THE ONLY LIVING GIRL. With remarkable art, no swear words, very light violence and no sexual situations, I think this a very fun book for children ages 8-14. Beautiful art with a strong message about never giving up -- even when all hope is lost.
July 24, 2019
Now I understand and it was amazing! This was a wonderful story about a boy learning to deal with grief and trying to overcome his mistakes in a positive manner. All the characters are wonderfully fleshed out. Sprinkle in some supernatural world building, aliens, multiverse conglomeration, mad scientists and unlikely friendships and you're in for a great ride. Yay.
April 11, 2019
Picked this and Only Living Girl up at Mocca. Very nice
June 8, 2019
A fun adventure story! Morgan is the best.
December 15, 2020
I've actually been reading the follow up series to this [The Only Living Girl] first because I've been getting copies of it from NetGalley so I figured I should go back and see what happened in this title. The characters, artwork, and story are really fun although I am just a little bit confused on how 'real' all of this is because the sequel series seems like a straightforward portal fantasy thing from what I remember but this one has several spots where it's kind of implied that this is just the main character's way of coping with different things happening in his life. Still, it's a really fun read and definitely a good title for younger readers.
February 23, 2019
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
After running from the hard things about his life that he didn’t want to face, Erik wakes up to find himself in a new world, one that is inhabited by many different humanoid species. In this new, motley world, Baalikar is intent upon destroying everything—and everyone—in pursuit of the knowledge and power he wants. Erik and his allies must decide whether to try fighting Baalikar and what is even worth fighting for.
As I read Erik’s story, I felt encouraged and empowered, even if the story didn’t feel like it flowed from panel to panel very well through the book. Trials are found in every life, though in different forms, and there comes a time when each of us has to decide whether to keep going no matter what or else let hardships overcome who you are. I find a lot of strength in the words that help Erik decide to not let his circumstances determine who he is: “Life is tough. But we are tougher.” (Also, the illustrations by Steve Ellis are stunning.)
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
After running from the hard things about his life that he didn’t want to face, Erik wakes up to find himself in a new world, one that is inhabited by many different humanoid species. In this new, motley world, Baalikar is intent upon destroying everything—and everyone—in pursuit of the knowledge and power he wants. Erik and his allies must decide whether to try fighting Baalikar and what is even worth fighting for.
As I read Erik’s story, I felt encouraged and empowered, even if the story didn’t feel like it flowed from panel to panel very well through the book. Trials are found in every life, though in different forms, and there comes a time when each of us has to decide whether to keep going no matter what or else let hardships overcome who you are. I find a lot of strength in the words that help Erik decide to not let his circumstances determine who he is: “Life is tough. But we are tougher.” (Also, the illustrations by Steve Ellis are stunning.)
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
March 28, 2019
As a collected Omnibus, The Only Living Boy was a great read. Adding a bonus story and the Free Comic Book material was a smart move by Papercutz. I *just* finished reading a NetGalley version of The Only Living Girl and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed THIS compilation. Steve Ellis is the really star of the story here, though David Gallaher's narration here is very solid.
November 2, 2018
Nothing original. A Hobbit story really.
March 13, 2019
I got this for $10 on Comixology. 400 pages for $10! A heck of bargain for 400 pages of a story I can share with my kids!
March 21, 2019
Heck of a bargain. I just got this on Amazon for twenty bucks and change. This is a hefty book with a whole lot of story. I totally ship Morgan and Phaedrus!
June 22, 2020
‘The Only Living Boy Omnibus’, written by David Gallaher and illustrated by Steve Ellis features the entire saga collected into one magnificent edition in full colour and an extra twenty-page story to boot. I had never heard of it until now and so approached it with an open mind. My open mind was soon filled with wonder.
The story begins when twelve years old Erik Farrell runs away from home because it’s not the life he wants and he’s had enough. It rains and the only shelter is in a park under a big rock. There’s a teddy bear backpack lying there for company. Erik goes to sleep and wakes up in another world!
He’s attacked by bat-eared demons called Alku. Climbing a lofty peak to escape them, he sees a huge dragon in the distance, curled around a tower. In shock, he falls back to the forest and encounters a green lady with pointy ears and a staff, a wooden stick for fighting, that is, not a group of employees. She’s Morgan Dwar of the Mermidonians and she’s hunting Alku. She loses. Morgan and Erik are captured and taken to the lair of Doctor Once, a man interested in the science of Sectaurian, trans-species evolution. He throws a Sectaurian princess in the cell next to Erik. Then they all have to fight in the arena but manage to escape.
A boy from our time transported to a fantastic secondary world. A princess who must be rescued. An evil dragon lord. Ho-hum, you say? I say thee nay! I say thee nay because there’s a lot more to it than that and I was strongly reminded of Jack Kirby’s Asgardian tales of yore. In his travels across Chimerika, a world constructed from the most dangerous bits of other planets, Erik meets three different races, who have so far escaped the clutches of the evil dragon lord Balikar. The Groundlings hide in subterranean lairs. The Mermidonians skulk below the sea and the hive society of the Sectaurians floats high in the sky.
As Erik’s travels take him to their varied habitations, the reader gets to meet several important characters. Erik is the only living boy because he’s the last human on the planet. So far, the three races have simply been hiding from Balikar but now the time has come to fight. It’s interesting that, once you get acquainted with it, the background is more super-Science Fiction than fantasy despite the myth-inspired appearance of various characters.
Gallaher has written a terrific adventure story, with a surprising big reveal in the middle which ties it into Erik’s past life on Earth. The art by Ellis is wonderful, a modern take on Jack Kirby with all the power and dynamism and beautiful design the late maestro brought to the page. Kirby went for chunky and angular but Ellis varies the look with hints of Craig Russell’s more fluid work in the Mermidonian scenes. I was also reminded of Walt Simonson’s ‘Thor’ and ‘New Gods’ pages. Until now, Simonson was the only artist who really captured the spirit of Kirby without copying the surface look but Ellis does it just as well.
The paperback book itself is a worthy artefact, printed on good quality paper and bound so that it’s easy to read. According to a blurb on the back cover, accompanied by snippets from several rave reviews, it’s been nominated for four Harvey Awards and I’m not surprised. Good clean, inspiring fun for children of all ages. I really liked it.
Eamonn Murphy
The story begins when twelve years old Erik Farrell runs away from home because it’s not the life he wants and he’s had enough. It rains and the only shelter is in a park under a big rock. There’s a teddy bear backpack lying there for company. Erik goes to sleep and wakes up in another world!
He’s attacked by bat-eared demons called Alku. Climbing a lofty peak to escape them, he sees a huge dragon in the distance, curled around a tower. In shock, he falls back to the forest and encounters a green lady with pointy ears and a staff, a wooden stick for fighting, that is, not a group of employees. She’s Morgan Dwar of the Mermidonians and she’s hunting Alku. She loses. Morgan and Erik are captured and taken to the lair of Doctor Once, a man interested in the science of Sectaurian, trans-species evolution. He throws a Sectaurian princess in the cell next to Erik. Then they all have to fight in the arena but manage to escape.
A boy from our time transported to a fantastic secondary world. A princess who must be rescued. An evil dragon lord. Ho-hum, you say? I say thee nay! I say thee nay because there’s a lot more to it than that and I was strongly reminded of Jack Kirby’s Asgardian tales of yore. In his travels across Chimerika, a world constructed from the most dangerous bits of other planets, Erik meets three different races, who have so far escaped the clutches of the evil dragon lord Balikar. The Groundlings hide in subterranean lairs. The Mermidonians skulk below the sea and the hive society of the Sectaurians floats high in the sky.
As Erik’s travels take him to their varied habitations, the reader gets to meet several important characters. Erik is the only living boy because he’s the last human on the planet. So far, the three races have simply been hiding from Balikar but now the time has come to fight. It’s interesting that, once you get acquainted with it, the background is more super-Science Fiction than fantasy despite the myth-inspired appearance of various characters.
Gallaher has written a terrific adventure story, with a surprising big reveal in the middle which ties it into Erik’s past life on Earth. The art by Ellis is wonderful, a modern take on Jack Kirby with all the power and dynamism and beautiful design the late maestro brought to the page. Kirby went for chunky and angular but Ellis varies the look with hints of Craig Russell’s more fluid work in the Mermidonian scenes. I was also reminded of Walt Simonson’s ‘Thor’ and ‘New Gods’ pages. Until now, Simonson was the only artist who really captured the spirit of Kirby without copying the surface look but Ellis does it just as well.
The paperback book itself is a worthy artefact, printed on good quality paper and bound so that it’s easy to read. According to a blurb on the back cover, accompanied by snippets from several rave reviews, it’s been nominated for four Harvey Awards and I’m not surprised. Good clean, inspiring fun for children of all ages. I really liked it.
Eamonn Murphy
November 16, 2018
Dynamic artwork propels "The Only Living Boy" on his hero's journey through a patchwork world. The characters tend to have one major trait/motivation and their conversations almost never get beyond thinly veiled exposition. Still, the plot swerves and quickens enough to be entertaining, relying on the bonkers premise to pay off unexpected resolutions. Give to it to middle graders who want adventure and don't mind too much if the outside design is vibrant even if the interior motivations are by the number.
December 23, 2023
Escapism for all ages
4/5
This series has all of the terrific escapism of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" or "Stranger Than Fiction" with colorful, outstanding illustrations. While some comics espouse they are "perfect for all ages," this may be the series that fits that moniker better than any other I've encountered.
Highly recommend for fans of Jim Butcher, "Saga", Blizzard's art department, & Guardians of the Galaxy.
4/5
This series has all of the terrific escapism of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" or "Stranger Than Fiction" with colorful, outstanding illustrations. While some comics espouse they are "perfect for all ages," this may be the series that fits that moniker better than any other I've encountered.
Highly recommend for fans of Jim Butcher, "Saga", Blizzard's art department, & Guardians of the Galaxy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews