The Last Session GN

September 30, 2022

Gr 8 Up-The first meeting of a Gender Sexuality Alliance turns into a long-running RPG campaign when the high school club's president is a no-show and five members fight boredom by playing Dice & Deathtraps. Four years later, the college students reunite to finish the quest and share post-college plans, but an interloper throws off the dynamics, and tensions rise in the game and in life. Lana is jealous of the camaraderie between others and causes drama over newcomer Cassandra, but equal time is allotted to the full cast and their issues-pressures of parents and grades, gender identity and relationships, and college and career choices. These conflicts are mirrored in the D&D game, which makes up half the story, although the RPG scenes seem extraneous. The game is a device used to connect the students, but it would have been plausible for one of the GSA members to take the helm and the intended meeting to proceed. Characters representing diversity of gender, sexuality, body type, and ethnicity are introduced with pronouns and have nuanced discussions about self-discovery. Race is not discussed directly, but all are BIPOC. A second volume is planned, but given the adult characters and resolved conflict, retaining young readers may prove challenging. VERDICT Although the characters are older than is typical for YA, this graphic novel has middle school appeal; there is one use of a curse word in this otherwise clean but formulaic tale. Recommended where supplements on gender identity are needed and where RPGs are popular.-Rebecca Jung

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 20, 2022
Change can be an uncomfortable thing in Walls and Dozerdraws’s debut, a genial ode to tabletop RPGs and the friendships that form over gaming sessions. After meeting at their high school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance club, Lana, Drew, Shen, Walter, and Jay become buds through the role-playing game Dice & Deathtraps. Four years later, they’re all preparing to move to different states for school and work. Before they say goodbye, Jay gathers the gang to finish their first campaign. Joining them is Jay’s partner, Cassandra, a newbie to D&D and the friend group. Unfortunately, Cassandra’s enthusiastic playing puts her at odds with the party’s dynamic. In scenes both in the game world and IRL, Walls nails the feeling of a new player coming into an established clique, and all the shifts, good and bad, that can arise from that social catalyst. Along the way, the lasting positives of forming friendships over the roll of a die get ample play. For example, Lana’s self-esteem is boosted by recognizing herself in her half-elf character’s plus-size representation. Dozerdraws’s first-rate character designs and fun, bright colors help distinguish the ensemble members, whether teens or fantastical versions. Fans of the Adventure Zone series will be eager to venture in, and even if readers are not gamers themselves, there’s plenty worth following in the trials and tribulations of this group of friends.