An artist and fan of The Last of Us Part 2 has reimagined the game as a retro comic book starring Abby and Mel. Despite controversies surrounding The Last of Us Part 2, the game has a devoted fanbase of endlessly talented creators dedicated to cosplay, fanfiction, and more, bringing the Naughty Dog characters to life outside of the games. While official The Last of Us comics do exist, this fan-made creation is one many players would love to get their hands on.
The 2020 sequel to the original PS3 game, The Last of Us, was hit with a number of issues both pre and post-launch. Following its release, Sony was criticized for allegedly strict embargo rules for press reviews. Meanwhile, many players took issue with LGBTQIA+ themes and characters within the game, including the transgender character Lev, and the relationship between Ellie and Dina. The Last of Us Part 2 story leaks also gave most of the plot away ahead of release, including a significant character death, leading many to turn away from the title before it even hit store shelves. Despite the many problems the game faced, it became a huge success for Naughty Dog, and is now the most-awarded video game of all time.
Over a year on from launch, dedicated fans are still showing their appreciation for The Last of Us Part 2. Video game and comic mash-up artist Mark Scicluna has shared a new piece reimaging playable character Abby, and Washington Liberation Front member, Mel, in their own action-adventure. Captioned as "The other side of the story," the comic book crossover highlighting both characters as "Action Game Heroes," complete with the retro style synonymous with older comics. The incredible piece showcases Abby and Mel about to take on the Seraphites, with guns posed ready for the impending attack. The cover art even features what appears to be a Bloater enemy, highlighted next to the faux price label.
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The cover is one of many mash-ups from the former Rockstar Games artist, whose portfolio also includes similar comic book covers for Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot, and Uncharted. Along with artwork based on existing IPs, the creator has also self-published his own comics designed to invoke Saturday morning cartoon nostalgia. Scicluna's full body of work can be found via his website, Instagram, and Twitter. Unfortunately, Scicluna's incredible pieces won't be releasing as full comics, but there's still plenty for The Last of Us fans to get excited about. HBO's The Last of Us series is now filming, with 10 episodes planned to explore the story of the first game. The show will star Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal as Joel, and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. There's currently no release date for the series, though 2022 is looking likely.
Alongside the upcoming show, fans might also soon have a remake of The Last of Us to look forward to. It's rumored the 2013 title will be getting a full remake within the game engine from TLOU Part 2, making full use of the PS5's capabilities. While unconfirmed at this stage, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann has teased fans with the "next set" of TLOU games from the development studio, which is believed to include both a remake of the first game and a standalone multiplayer expansion for The Last of Us Part 2. Until the rumors are confirmed, at least players have Scicluna's TLOU comic covers to marvel over.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PS4, and can be played on PS5 via backwards compatibility.
Source: mark.scicluna/Instagram