Acclaimed cartoonist and filmmaker Derek Kirk Kim’s The Last Mermaid: Book 01 is a dazzling post-apocalyptic sci-fi epic and his first graphic novel in more than a decade. Set in a devastated future-world, the book opens with images of a beautiful mermaid floating within a water-filled mecha-vehicle as it roams a barren landscape dotted with ruined structures. She’s searching desperately for fresh water to replenish the deteriorating supply in her sealed vehicle while on the lookout for attacks from monsters and roaming bands of armed cybernetic outlaws. She’s also searching for a mythic landmark cited in her mother’s stories—a legendary “giant silver trident impaling the sun”—and along the way encounters a mysterious and powerful figure who joins her quest. In this 11-page excerpt, we meet the mermaid and her axolotl companion, Lottie, as their journey begins. The Last Mermaid by Derek Kirk Kim is out now from Image Comics.