The Last Watchtower
A lonely man at a remote moon outpost witnesses a catastrophe in Karl Slominski’s introspective graphic novel The Last Watchtower.
Cal Ferris has manned his post on the moon for sixteen years, alone except for Blip, the AI robot that keeps him on task. Cal’s assignment is to watch, record, and log major violent events on Earth, including airline crashes, earthquakes, and wars. Cal lost his wife and child long ago and shuts himself off, choosing isolation as a coping mechanism. But then an empathetic superdimensional creature, Vaya, comes to the moon, attracted by the extreme sadness she’s detected. Vaya helps Cal see what’s been happening to him at the station; together, they witness the final fate of Earth.
Robots and aliens mix into this clear story about the human experience. Cal’s attempts to escape the reality of his family’s death, including through the letters he continues to write to them, wend into its moving meditation on love, loss, and solitude. The plot is brisk and compelling, with mysteries and twists introduced as the story progresses, keeping the outcome uncertain until the end.
The black-and-white illustrations are moody and masterful, using texture and contrast to create powerful images on each page. Careful, creatively composed panels and pages lend weight to quiet moments and excitement to action scenes.
The Last Watchtower is a thoughtful graphic novel in which a solitary man on the moon embraces his past.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
