The Lastman series is a curiosity in the world of comics. Lastman Stories – Match Night is a spin-off centered on H. The story takes place during the youth of Richard Aldana.
Violence, sex and a lot of violence. The last volumes of the Lastman series had accustomed us to this Mad Max atmosphere. The spin-off Match Night seems to take the city's madness even further. Forget the nice medieval village filled with bakers and children with magical abilities. In Aldana's universe, drugs and violence reign supreme. Young Richard is at the height of his glory. His wife Tomie swallows every drug possible while Aldana sleeps with all the women within her reach. The story does not, however, focus on them. The hero is Daniel, a.k.a H, undercover cop. H tries to corner Milo, godfather of the city, purveyor of drugs, recognized garbage. His work is complicated by the mysterious Raven, a lonely vigilante. When the drug sold by Milo turns drug addicts into an overpowered monster, H must adapt.
A multi-media universe
The story of Match Night takes place before the events of the main series. There are some well-known figures, and new faces are discovered. The volume manages, on 200 pages, to complete a story with real issues and interesting characters. The spin-off was planned as a one-shot and the end of the story does not leave huge holes in the storyline. The authors are not, however, opposed to the extension of this parallel history. The character of H, his motivations and goals, are a mystery that we would like to see solved in a series of its own. This French manga is also declined in the form of an animated series. Alexis Bacci, Bastien Vivès, Balak and Michaël Salanville have all the space they need to expand their universe.
The sequel to Lastman Stories – Match Night is not scheduled at this time. An eleventh volume of the Lastman series should see the light of day soon. The animated series is available here and LASTFIGHT video games exist on PC and console.
