The Life After Issue 2 Review

The Life After Issue 2

 
Written by: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art/Colours: Gabo
Published by: Oni Press
 

Welcome to The Life After… A sparkly little tale brought to you by Joshua Hale Failkov. The story follows the delightful adventures of suicides in the afterlife. Trust me, this isn’t a dour or depressing tale. This bustles along with a healthy dose of humour that really works with the narrative. Jude, our almost-hero, is navigating a bizarre city with a zest of Purgatory. Accompanied on his growing realization of his situation by none other than The Ernest Hemmingway – who, in a movie, would be classed as delivering a show stealing performance.LifeAfter#2Int

There is a warmth to the characters here, Jude is a good foil to Hemmingway’s guile and intelligence. While Hemmingway himself is the light and bombast (at one point ‘helping’ a suicide in progress – such a thoughtful fellow), Jude starts slowly but develops as the book goes on. Between the two central characters, Jude is the one Joshua develops – while Ernest has a consistent rhythm from the beginning. The handling of Jude’s development is a little jerky and feels rushed. That shouldn’t detract from the overall character though, the reader is engaged by the story and the characters.

The plot isn’t exactly anything new yet it serves Jude & Ernest well. As Jude begins to understand the city around him, he is driven to take a stand. Gabo provides the art for the book, while not as polished as some (some of the expressions are a little flat); the art does fit the feel of the book. The page layouts works well, the colors are subdued but in a suitable tone.
Ultimately, while not ripping up the comics world, The Life After is a satisfying and entertaining book. Joshua doesn’t take the dark subject matter of suicide too seriously, the humor is very worthwhile and doesn’t stray too far away during the dramatic moments. So far, this series is developing nicely. If you want one of those ‘interesting ideas’ books that are an entertaining read you won’t go wrong with The Life After…

Overall Score: 7/10