The Last Kids on Earth

Quint is Jack’s best (and only) friend. He is an aspiring scientist and so-called “brainiac” who loves to build and thoughtfully consider the pragmatic realities of their situation. Unlike Jack, Quint is careful, precise, and averse to physical confrontation. Known as a “dork” in school, he is more interested in the knowledge of the world and catalogues his findings in his makeshift laboratory, where he can often be found concocting a new weapon or tool.

Dirk is the third member to join the team. He is the former school bully-turned-friend. His history with Jack and Quint suggests that he would be a bad teammate, but with trust and encouragement, Jack is able to convince Dirk to be nice and they all develop a strong bond. Dirk’s character represents the strength and physicality that they previously lacked, and his reformation from an antagonist into an ally provides his redemption.

The only female character in the story, June is the heroine who Jack has a crush on. Though she is mentioned throughout the book, she doesn’t actually appear until the closing chapters, when the boys finally discover her in the middle school building. It appears that she did not want to be found and isn’t exactly thrilled when Jack locates her. She can see that Jack views her as a “damsel in distress” but she makes it clear to him that she is not in need of saving. June’s presence in the story provides a driving plot for Jack’s intentions. He’s in “love” with her and feels that he has to win her over in order to fulfill his sense of heroic achievement in the story.

Blarg is the ultimate villain and antagonist in this story—a massive, deadly creature who Jack encounters in the opening pages and who stalks the landscape until the very end, when they finally have a major battle. Blarg is more perceptive than the zombies, and more ferocious than any of the other lethal mutations. The team must constantly evade Blarg throughout the graphic novel until the climax of the story, when they finally defeat it.

Rover is the gigantic mutated dog who joins Jack and his friends along the way. He arrives by wandering up to Jack, but instead of attacking, he playfully licks and follows Jack home. In times of need, Rover appears, and Quint trains him so that they can ride him when needed. He helps save Jack from Blarg.