5 Comics to Read if You Loved The Last of Us

The finale of The Last of Us just dropped and we can’t stop thinking about it! For fans of the game, the show lived up to the hype and is easily one of the best video game adaptations ever made. It perfectly captured what made the game a modern masterpiece with its heart-pounding action, beloved characters, and powerful story centered on family love. From start to finish, the show was a wild ride that pushed viewers to tears and awe.

When it comes to shows as good as The Last of Us, you can’t help but want to experience more stories just like it. Thankfully, there is no shortage of great post-apocalyptic comics you can dive into! Here are five comics we think you’d love to read after watching The Last of Us:

Sweet Tooth

By Jeff Lemire.

Published by Vertigo

Image: Vertigo

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Sweet Tooth is the story of Gus, a young boy born with deer-like features. Gus’ life drastically changes when his father dies from the mysterious plague ravaging the world. Left to fend for himself, Gus gets hunted down by poachers who want to capture kids like him. But just as Gus is about to get taken, he is saved by a hardened and violent man named Jepperd. After the man offers to be Gus' protector, the two set out on an adventure across America to find answers about the world and the boy's origins.

Sweet Tooth and The Last of Us share plenty of core themes, like the struggle of holding on to love in a broken world. Both stories center on the growing relationship between two unlikely companions forced to fight for survival. Sweet Tooth and The Last of Us perfectly depict how even in a savage world, love can still blossom and bring light into the darkness. 

Y: The Last Man 

By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Published by Vertigo

Image: Vertigo

Y: The Last Man explores the aftermath of a catastrophic event that kills every mammal with a Y chromosome. The only males that survived the horrific event were an amateur escape artist Yorick Brown and his pet monkey Ampersand. The world quickly plunges into chaos when it becomes clear that the total loss of men will naturally lead to global extinction. The future of the human race is put solely on Yorick's shoulders.

Many readers today still consider Y: The Last Man among the best graphic novels ever made because of its unique post-apocalyptic premise and the great cast of characters. The comic explores the unique dynamic of Yorick being the last man on earth because the surviving women want to either clone him, kill him, or sleep with him.

Zombie Ship 

By Choi Hae Woong and Choi Insoo

Published by Webtoon

Image: Webtoon

This series follows the story of Navy Seal officer Roberto Hoffman. He was spending an ordinary day with his wife, son, and niece when, suddenly, a zombie outbreak crashed through their home. Life as they knew it gets destroyed in a matter of minutes. Then in the middle of all the mayhem, Roberto’s son gets kidnapped by a mysterious stranger. The next thing Roberto knows is he is aboard a massive cruise ship filled with survivors and zombies.

Being the hardened combat veteran he is, Roberto fights through the hordes of zombies to find his son somewhere inside the cruise ship. On the surface, Roberto is a ball of rage that runs through anything put in front of him. But deep down, just like Joel from The Last of Us, Roberto is a father willing to go to extreme lengths to save the ones he loves.

G.I. Zombie: A Star-Spangled War Story 

By Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Grey, and Scott Hampton

Published by DC Comics

Image: DC Comics

The story follows the adventures of Jared Kabe, a soldier who was brought back to life as a zombie super soldier to undertake covert missions for the U.S. government. In the line of duty, Jared uncovers a sinister plot that threatens to infect America with an incurable manmade virus.

The comic offers a unique spin on a zombie story with how it blends horror elements with military action. Between the action-packed fight scenes against military goons and infected townspeople, Jared constantly grapples with his slipping humanity as an undead soldier.

The Last of Us: American Dreams 

By Neil Druckmann and Faith Erin Hicks

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Image: Dark Horse Comics

Just a few months after The Last of Us was released in 2013, Neil Druckman, the writer and creative director of the game, created this 4-issue miniseries about the backstory of Ellie and how she first meets her friend Riley. Fans of The Last of Us will recognize Riley as a significant character in Ellie’s life, as we saw in episode 7 called Left Behind.

In American Dreams, we get a closer look into Ellie’s young life as a lonely orphan in the Boston quarantine zone. We see Ellie already as a troublemaker, as she often gets into fistfights and sneaks out after curfew. Ellie's rebellious spirit is what leads her to cross paths with Riley and the leader of the Fireflies, Marlene. For fans of both the game and the TV show, American Dreams is a short and sweet story that gives a greater perspective on the characters and world of The Last of Us.