The Last of Us: American Dreams

The Last of Us: American Dreams
The front cover of the first issue of The Last of Us: American Dreams, with artwork by Julian Totino Tedesco. The covers were designed to bridge the realistic look of the game and the stylized look of the comic.
Publication information
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Format	Limited series
Genre	Horror
Publication date	3 April – 31 July 2013
No. of issues	4
Main character(s)	Ellie
Creative team
Written by	Neil Druckmann Faith Erin Hicks
Artist(s)	Faith Erin Hicks
Letterer(s)	Clem Robins
Colorist(s)	Rachelle Rosenberg
Editor(s)	Rachel Edidin Brendan Wright

The Last of Us: American Dreams is a four-issue comic book series based on the video game The Last of Us. The series was written by Neil Druckmann and Faith Erin Hicks, with illustrations by Hicks and coloring by Rachelle Rosenberg. The series was published by Dark Horse Comics between April and July 2013, and a collected edition was published in October 2013.

Like the game, the comic is set in a post-apocalyptic world, overrun by zombie-like creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. The comics serve as a prequel to the game, chronicling the journey of the young Ellie and her meeting with another young survivor, Riley Abel. Druckmann chose Ellie as the focus of the comic due to the uniqueness of her birth and upbringing in the post-apocalyptic world. Hicks joined the project after discovering Ellie's role in the game, considering her an unusual character to include in a survival horror game. The comic's art style is different than the game art—a choice from Hicks to give the comic a unique feel and identity.

The series received generally positive reviews. Critics particularly praised Druckmann's writing and character development, as well as the simplicity of Hicks' illustrations. The series was also a commercial success, with some issues requiring reprinting due to high demand.

Dark Horse Comics approached creative director Neil Druckmann, who was working on The Last of Us, to produce a tie-in comic book series for the game. Druckmann was initially wary of the idea, but eventually agreed when he realized Dark Horse "didn't want to do something tangential" with the opportunity of expanding their characters and universe beyond the game. Work on the comic began during the game's development, which allowed the stories of the two projects to integrate, and influence each other. Druckmann requested webcomic artist Faith Erin Hicks as a collaborator on the project, after reading her comic Friends with Boys (2012) and appreciating "how personal it felt". He also felt that Hicks could capture the "gritty" feel of the game. Hicks then sent some concept art to Dark Horse as a pitch for the job; they accepted, and she became officially involved with the project. Hicks was drawn to the project after reading about the character of Ellie in the game's script; she considered Ellie an unusual character to include in a survival horror game, calling her a "tough teenage girl who wasn't sexualized, and who seemed very much the equal of her male counterpart". Hicks was given access to various gameplay sequences and the game's script during development, to allow her to better understand the story. She was also given videos of the actors performing on set, which was helpful when illustrating the characters. "I get a look at these characters and I see them interacting as human beings, not just as concept art," said Hicks.