Once Upon a Time at the End of the World Vol. 1

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #1-5

by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi (Illustrator), Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

A Post-Apocalyptic Fable Told In Three Parts For Fans of Saga!

In this decades spanning post-apocalyptic tale, Maceo and Mezzy have never met anyone like each other, and they’ll need all the help they can get to survive a planet ravaged by environmental catastrophe. “Love in the Wasteland” kicks off the first arc of this epic trilogy that spans a lifetime as the dark mysteries of a ruined world and their own stark differences tear at the threads holding Mezzy and Maceo together. As they endure the horrors of plastic tornadoes and frozen sludge, Maceo proves to be more than just a burden, and they make an unlikely connection. But to their peril… they might not be as alone as they thought…

New York Times bestselling, Eisner and Harvey Award-winning writer Jason Aaron (Thor, The Avengers, Southern Bastards) launches his most ambitious original series to date with three distinct artistic partners – Eisner Award-winning artist Alexandre Tefenkgi (The Good Asian), acclaimed artists Leila del Duca (Wonder Tempest Tossed, Sleepless), and Nick Dragotta (East of West, Ghost Cage) – to take on a vision of the end of the world that’s brutal and nostalgic, whimsical and grounded… and ultimately, timeless.

Collects Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World #1-5.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia

176 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2023

About the author

Jason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.

Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.

In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.

Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.

In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.

In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.

After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.

Reviews

[Mitch Kukulka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Aaron's singular knack for descriptive prose instills this vision of a dead Earth with its own fiendishly entertaining kind of life.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jason Aaron has loads of creativity in Once Upon a Time at the End of the World (OUTEW), but an odd lack of world-building. We're dropped into a post-apocalyptic landscape where former Ranger Mezzy is trekking to the "oasis" when she gets tangled up with lovable left-behind nerd, Maceo. Mezzy doesn't want a hanger-on; Mace is desperately lonely. Their give-and-take is an amusing element of OUTEW - but it's not really sufficient to hold up the plot.

The rest of the plot involves the Rangers, who are some kind of vaguely Trumpian survivalist Boy Scout group. They're chasing Mezzy because I guess no one is allowed to leave the fold? This portion of the storytelling is extremely weak: who are the Rangers, why do we care about them, and what the heck is going on with this apocalypse?

I guess most of the creativity lies in the artwork, which is fantastic, and Maceo's inventiveness. The rest of OUTEW is pretty much bog standard post-apocalyptic wasteland. I was really hoping for (expecting, even) something fresh and new. Even Jason Aaron's achingly poetic narration feels played out.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first solicitation of this book, this was one I thought I’d enjoy a lot. I guess I really know my taste, because man, I enjoyed the heck out of this book! Beautiful art and storytelling in this apocalyptic world with a love story between two opposite characters with opposite skills, pasts, and what may also be futures(?). Very excited to see this series continue!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apocalyptic.

Does have a lighter tone than most of the other 369 examples of its genre..but it's still a little too familiar in tone.

The set up for a 'years later' book two does look promising though.

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I hoped for and more.

[Ostrava · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't very good. The antagonistic faction is not developed beyond some vague allusions that are frankly laughable. The main couple has some nice banter, but there is not much to them, either, they don't have that much chemistry. Maybe because all of the time that could have been spend developing them was wasted on the Rangers instead, to make a point about how gay people will suffer discrimination even in the post-apocalypse I guess? Okay...

Whatever this story was, it was bigger than the author, even though it wasn't a very ambitious story. The cover misled me into thinking its style, tone and narrative would be different. I would have rather read that story.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Once upon a time at the end of the world, a girl met a boy, in a tower in the sea.

Together they braved the wilds of the wasteland.

They walked and endured. They survived and danced.

And there amongst the rats and rangers, they managed to find what the needed most.

They found each other."

I rather enjoyed this Jason Aaron creator owned comic. Not sure If I have read anything non licensed from the guy and I'm quite surprised this is a damn good story of young love. We get a very hardened Mezzy who can survive the wastelands mixed with Maceo who has never crawled out from his survival shelter and is kind of a compassionate goof ball. All thrown onto an apocalyptic setting with fantastic visuals and a colour scheme that will have you screaming Tank Girl or something in that vein.

I'm here for the next volume the present day timeline looks wild as he'll see if the lore can branch out a little but either way this one is strange enough, and has a unique humor for now

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything on here felt like such a breath of fresh air, even though some elements might seem familiar, or like something that has been already done before (hence the reference to 'Saga').

Aaron's take on post-apocalypse Earth is refreshing and endearing, fun and adventurous, but also full of feeling, and his protagonist couple is one for the ages. Two misfits that couldn't be more different, but somehow they just click and make each other better. Though the story over time seems to be even more complicated that it already is, with those flashbags and that final encounter that sure hints for tons more to come.

The art was colorful and great all around, and that somber but poetic narrative voice just adds even more extra charm to the story.

Great read, I couldn't recommend it more.

[Lucille · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
Pas mal du tout j’ai bien aimé, à voir la suite

[Green Megs &Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic art style, captivating throughout. no notes

[Jennifer Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love apocalyptic / dystopian stories! The art and the story were great - looking forward to the next book!

[Iselin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great comic. Would give it 4.5 stars if I could. One part in the comic was too cliche for me, but otherwise a great comic.

[Chr*s Browning]

bisexual black cat girlfriend, floppy haired gamer golden retriever boyfriend, shaking my damn head! but still kinda good when it’s not making a clone of Ennis’s Marie L’Angelle parrot Twitter conservative talking points for antagonism. feels a little like Daybreak (show, not the comic) which is nice.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...I like the idea behind this...I think...but the pacing is kind of all over the place and this was very easy to put down and not feel compelled to pick it back up. But...I think there's a lot of potential here and volume 2 could easily be 5 stars...or it could be 1 star. I honestly have no idea which it will be.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s the end of the world as we know it and the earth is a wasteland of maggots, rats, and plastics. It’s in this context we meet Maceo a (teenage?) boy with a penchant for inventing (and not much else) and Mezzy a (teenage?) girl who has defected from a survivalist group known as the Wasteland Rangers. Together they will traverse the wasteland, fight monsters, and even have a showdown with the Wasteland Rangers.

In the past 20 years, the apocalyptic genre has been done to death. “Once Upon a Time at the End of the World” doesn’t really offer much new. The same tropes of every post-apocalyptic story are here. The tone of the story and the art is lighter most of the time. However, the story occasionally telescopes decades into the future. In these segments, the narrative and the art seem much more grim (and, honestly, are the best part).

This was a quick read and it was fine. I’m not sure if I’m interested in reading the next volume.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the apocalypse may not seem like an appropriate place for a love story, the first volume lays the groundwork for a romance for the ages. This unlikely post-apocalyptic love story wraps up its first arc in a fun way, though the ending feels a bit artificial. The artwork is not overly detailed but does a good job of showcasing each character's feelings. The characters are cute and quirky and the world is packed with detail. While overall it's not the most original story, I really enjoyed the first story arc and found myself genuinely in love with how the relationship the main characters (Mezzy and Maceo) of the series evolved during their adventures.

[Jessica Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this story were predictable but still so cute! This comic does well showing a lighter side of the apocalypse (while still having dark moments). I really enjoyed the art in this and I'm intrigued by the "Years Later" plot

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really good. This has the makings to become something special for me. It has just the right cut of goofiness and really heartwarming storytelling.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to this apocalyptic graphic novel. Very YA to start but it shifted enough to keep me invested.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Summary:

The world is coming to an end. Most of the time, that's a figure of speech. But that isn't the case here. The planet is dying, destroyed by an environmental disaster. The few people that survived are struggling to keep on going.

Everyone has their way of coping with this life. Some find themselves stuck in a dystopian scout group, where everything progressive is shunned. Others live alone in an empty tower – safe but alone.

My Review:

Oh wow. I'll confess that I dove right into Once Upon a Time at the End of the World Vol. 1 without even reading the description (I'll follow Jason Aaron's writing almost anywhere!), so I was both blindsided and blown away by what I found here.

This is a dark and disturbing world, to put it lightly. Jason Aaron did a brilliant job of describing a world that is (not so) slowly turning humanity's survivors into something darker. The artwork helps to sell this scene – the colors are bold and vibrant, but in a way that makes it clear that life isn't sustainable here.

Mezzy and Maceo are such glaringly different characters. Yet you know how the saying goes – opposites attract. That attraction isn't instantaneous, and I think that makes their story all the more believable.

What makes their story harder to digest is their future situation. I'm not saying it isn't believable – we're just missing a massive chunk of the story. Aaron loves playing with multiple timelines here, and I'm excited to see where this goes.

Highlights:
New Series by Jason Aaron
Dystopian
Twisted Boy Scout Vibes
“Love in the Wasteland”
Multiple Timelines

Trigger Warnings:
Graphic Elements
Animal/Child Death
Suicide
Homophobia

You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

[Alex Sarll]

Exactly the sort of plausible near-future apocalypse setting I can't be doing with in any lengthy medium these days, wastelands of flood, drought and garbage - though they can't resist livening things up with a bit of killer mutant wildlife early doors, before easing back to more likely threats such as plagues of desperate rats. But simply because I can stomach it in a comic, doesn't mean I'm necessarily wowed by it, and I would have expected Jason Aaron's first new creator-owned series since he finished his mammoth Avengers run and his long Marvel stint to hit harder. Possibly trying to jump the Saga bandwagon, or simply because it's a classic story, the spine of the tale is mismatched lovers, Maceo raised in splendid isolation while Esmeralda was part of a survivalist sect. Now she's teaching him how to survive, while he's teaching her how to live, and yes, I'm afraid they really do say it that explicitly. The notion of people so bent on efficiency that they've forgotten what makes life worthwhile would have been stronger without flopping into some fairly feeble satire of the religious/anti-woke right, which if anything serves to make their ultimate undoing even less believable, and let's not even get into Maceo's intermittent brilliance, but all of that is symptomatic of a wider uncertainty of tone, a book that - unlike the not dissimilar Miracle Workers: End Times - never feels as if it knows how its comedy and despair balance each other. There are sweet moments here and there but, especially when flash-forwards make clear things can only get worse, I doubt I'll bother carrying on. Which, coincidentally, is also how I feel about outliving the apocalypse.

[Xroldx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another apocalyptic, dystopian comic but... this one is funny and dare I say positive. I enjoyed this more than expected.

[Yoshiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

POPKulturowy Kociołek:
Mezzy przemierza pustkowia. Jest ona, a właściwie była Strażniczką Pustkowia. Teraz musi odpokutować za popełniony czyny. Nie do końca czuje się jednak winna. Na swoje drodze spotyka Maceo. Chłopak jest pełen energii i pomysłów. Żyje w odosobnieniu, zamieszkując przystosowany do swoich potrzeb wieżowiec. Ma tam masę zgromadzonego jedzenia, a przede wszystkim czuje się tam bezpiecznie. Po co zatem opuszczać tę przystań? Spotkanie z dziewczyną przekonuje go jednak, że warto zaryzykować, a jego serce zaczyna przy niej szybciej bić.

Pewnego razu gdzieś na końcu świata Księga pierwsza to naprawdę intrygujący i na swój sposób oryginalny początek historii o tym, że nawet gdy większość ludzkości zniknie z powierzchni ziemi, a planeta będzie w zasadzie martwa, to miłość i tak przetrwa. Na kartach komiksu mamy okazję przyglądać się jak to uczucie kiełkuje. Jednocześnie odkrywamy sekrety otaczającego bohaterów świata, a istotnym elementem fabuły są rozdziały, które dają nam wgląd w ich daleką przyszłość. Tam sprawy przybierają bowiem zupełnie nieoczekiwany obrót i dają nam dodatkowo ciekawą perspektywę na główną oś wydarzeń.

Komiks jest wizualnym majstersztykiem. Naprawdę przepięknie prezentują się ilustracje różnych części wyniszczonego świata. Dawka realizmu świetnie łączy się tutaj z młodzieżowym klimatem i elementami fantasy. W warstwie wizualnej, za którą odpowiada Alexandre Tefenkgi, jest coś magicznego. Nie da się tego opisać słowem, to po prostu trzeba zobaczyć. Zarówno pustkowia, czające się na nich niebezpieczeństwa, jak i same projekty postaci prezentują się fantastycznie. Ilustracje i kolory świetnie podbudowują atmosferę niepewności i zagrożenia w tej nieznanej nam rzeczywistości....

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/pewne...

[Daniel Stitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic storytelling, Once Upon a Time at the End of the World, Volume One is definitely worth checking out. This graphic novel delivers a bleak, crumbling world filled with danger, mystery, and just the right touch of humor to keep things from feeling too heavy.

One of the things that immediately stood out to me was the art; it’s stunning. The illustrations are visceral, painting a vivid (and often unsettling) picture of what a post-apocalyptic wasteland might actually look like. The world feels raw and dangerous, and while the novel never explicitly explains why things have fallen apart, that lingering mystery only makes the story more compelling. I imagine Volume Two will start peeling back those layers, but for now, we’re left to piece things together ourselves.

At the heart of it all is Maceo and Mezzy, whose dynamic is a refreshing contrast to the desolation around them. Their romance brings a bit of levity and even some comic relief, which I really appreciated. Watching them navigate this brutal world together, one with wide-eyed optimism, the other hardened by experience, keeps the story engaging beyond just its setting.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was how it incorporated world-building through creative layouts. The full-page spreads of the characters’ supplies, along with the Wasteland Rangers badge page, were a really unique touch. These details don’t just add style; they expand the world in a way that makes it feel more lived-in and real.

Overall, this first volume sets up an intriguing world with rich visuals and compelling characters. While it doesn’t give many answers about the apocalypse just yet, it lays a strong foundation for what’s to come. I’m excited to see how the story and world-building continue in Volume Two!

[Maciej · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Once Upon a Time at the End of the World Vol. 1” to fascynujący komiks postapo, który przenosi czytelnika w świat po katastrofie ekologicznej. W tej mrocznej opowieści poznajemy dwójkę głównych bohaterów – Maceo i Mezzy, których losy splatają się w nieoczekiwany sposób. Jason Aaron, znany z takich dzieł jak „Thor” czy „Southern Bastards”, ponownie dostarcza nam historię pełną emocji i napięcia, ale tym razem w realiach Mad Maxa.

Maceo i Mezzy są jak woda i ogień – on, zamknięty w swoim bezpiecznym wieżowcu, nieświadomy swojej samotności; ona, była Strażniczka Pustkowii, waleczna i zamknięta w sobie. Ich spotkanie zmienia życie obu postaci. Mezzy uczy Maceo przetrwania, a on pokazuje jej, że wciąż można znaleźć radość w życiu. Relacja między nimi rozwija się na tle postapokaliptycznej scenerii pełnej niebezpieczeństw, jak plastikowe tornada czy zamrożone błoto.

Chociaż opisy świata są nieco skąpe, to sama jego wizualizacja robi ogromne wrażenie. Kolory są żywe, a detale przykuwają uwagę, co sprawia, że ten wyniszczony świat staje się namacalny. Elementy dystopijne, takie jak przerażająca pustka i zniszczenia miast, są doskonale zilustrowane, a zarazem pełne ukrytych emocji, co dodaje historii magii i głębi.

Narracja Aarona jest pełna poetyckich momentów, choć niektórym może się wydawać, że brakuje jej nowości w kontekście opowieści postapo. Niemniej jednak, emocje i relacje między bohaterami są opowiedziane w sposób wiarygodny i angażujący. Historia jest przeplatana retrospekcjami, które dodają fabule tajemniczości i głębi.

Przyjemność 4,4/5
Styl: 4,5/5
Historia: 4,7/5

Ocena 4,53/5

[Un_LuckyLuke · Rating 4 out of 5]

On jest radosnym, bujającym w obłokach wynalazcą. Ona nieustraszoną, twardo stąpającą po ziemi wojowniczką. To z pozoru historia jakich czytaliśmy w życiu wiele. Jednak dzięki duetowi Aarona i Tefengkiego zanurzamy się w nią w pełni i do samego końca, z pełnym zaangażowaniem, śledzimy rodzące się uczucie między bohaterami.

Jason Aaron ma niezwykły talent uchwytywania najczystszych emocji bohaterów w swoich scenariuszach. Nie inaczej jest w przypadku pierwszego tomu komiksu Pewnego razu gdzieś na końcu świata, który już niebawem ukaże się w Polsce za sprawą wydawnictwa Nagle Comics. Wspólnie z ilustratorem Alexandre Tefenkgim, udało im się z zaskakującą lekkością wpleść młodzieżową historię w brutalną codzienność alternatywnej przyszłości, w której świat zamienił się w globalne pogorzelisko. Jednocześnie scenariusz nie ucieka od trudnych tematów i wyborów moralnych, które konsekwentnie kształtują każdego z bohaterów.

Księga pierwsza komiksu Pewnego razu gdzieś na końcu świata to przemyślana historia drogi. Poprzez sprawne operowanie popkulturowymi tropami udało się uzyskać relację dwójki bohaterów, która w toku rozwoju zaczyna przyćmiewać typowy dla stylistyki postapo aspekt przetrwania. Choć nie stroni od wulgaryzmów i brutalności, myślę, że spokojnie skradnie serca zarówno młodszych i starszych czytelników.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I thought the unlikely paired protagonists (cooly capable bisexual teen girl Mezzy and cluelessly sheltered Macgyver teen boy Maceo) were charming together, while also doing a solid version of the familiar post-apocalyptic theme of “one teaches the other how to survive, the other teaches how to meaningfully live.” The ruined world it all takes place in is drawn in an energetic, colorfully cartoony style that’s nice to look at.

I’d almost certainly rate this higher if it weren’t for the intermittent Twitter poisoning Aaron lets leak into the script. The more minor bit of that is the floridly cringey cursing he gives Mezzy, so she says zany 2014 Twitter stuff like ‘fucking shit balls” when’s she’s really frustrated. The much worse bit is making the bad guys the post apocalyptic descendants of the dumbest sort of right-wing reactionary Twitter accounts that disparage things as “cuck” or “woke” with a completely straight face. This is just unforgivably dumb as world-building goes and reminded me of a secular version of those faith-based movies where the religious professor destroys all his atheist students’ arguments with facts and logic. Really embarrassing stuff, but I liked the two leads enough I’ll probably check out vol2.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't generally go for dystopias but since this was at the library and I was eyeing at my comic book store too so I checked it out. Mezzy is on the run, from what we don't originally know. She stumbles across a tower in the wastelands where she meets the sheltered Maceo, a young man living in what looks like a high end, high rise mall, by himself with his inventions and his two dead parents cuddled together on the bed.

We don't know what has killed the world (his parents suggests infection was at least part of it) Maceo is ill suited for life outside and yet he follows Mezzy into the ruined world for reasons I wished had been a lot stronger than they were. Mezzy continues to tell him she's not saving him (as he has no idea how to live out there) but she does.

And that's when her past catches up to her things go badly.

Some of the tension is a bit muted as there are flashforwards to fifty or so years into the future so you know that they survive.

The villains are probably getting the type of fans who review bomb anything by women or creators of color or anyone they think is 'woke' all up in arms. But I see it as natural progression of where some of us are now. I'm interested enough to move on to volume 2

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a lengthy tenure at Marvel Comics, Jason Aaron once again returns to the world of independent comics with Once Upon a Time at the End of the World. Though it isn't anything all that unique (given the saturated nature of post-apocalyptic fiction), I found the humor and emotional beats to be well delivered here. The story follows two survivors, Maceo and Mezzy, who navigate the bleak landscapes at the end of the world. Maceo grew up sheltered in a well defended skyscraper with his parents, while Mezzy was raised by a doomsday cult known as the Wasteland Rangers. Mezzy defects from the Rangers and comes upon Maceo's skypscraper sometime after his parents have passed. Though their circumstances are wildly different, the pair prove to be kindred spirits as Maceo begins to humanize Mezzy who in turn helps Maceo break out of his shell. Despite the rather violent and bleak setting, this is actually quite a lighthearted story since the duo make for a charming pair of protagonists. The comedy, mostly based on Maceo's eccentric inventions and Mezzy's "fish out of water" tendencies, does land quite strong throughout. Not a comic that'll blow anyone away, but solid stuff overall.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Once Upon The End of the World” – Jason Aaron, etc
Book 1 – Love in the Wasteland ****
Post-apocalyptic (of course!) polluted Earth, an epic odyssey story which has many mixed ingredients, such as: right-wing matriarchal dictatorship, Boy Scouts turned religious death cult, prophecy of a Promised Land, fantasy fairytale horror rom-com; with influences from ‘Lord of the Flies’ and the comic series ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘East of West’.

#1 – The Tower in the Sea – “She’d been sailing … past glaciers of melted plastic.” – “Maceo and Mezzy. To the ENDS OF THE EARTH!”

#2 – The Proverbs of Survival – “- WHERE did you say we were going again?” – Macea. “I DIDN’T. I told you to go back.” – Mezzy

#3 – The Ways of the Strayed – “Day after day, they walked. Through forests of rot and fields of sour. Across a melting bridge spanning a river of fire ..”

#4 – The Wild the Woke and the Wasteland Rangers – “Her name was Jennie Suzanne. A fully-badged Beta Scout in the Wasteland Rangers.” Sad and tragic backstory.

#5 – The Apocalympics – “The wasteland was still and silent for a moment as the Chieftess gasped for breath.”