Two of comics' most acclaimed creators, SCOTT SNYDER
(WYTCHES, Batman, American Vampire) and JEFF LEMIRE
(DESCENDER, PLUTONA, Moon Knight, Sweet Tooth) unite to create an
epic like no other, set in a future where a genetic cure for death has been
found. Years after the discovery, one man starts to question everything, leading
him on a mind-bending journey that will bring him face-to-face with his past and
his own mortality.
A unique combination of comics, prose, and illustration, A.D.: AFTER
DEATH is an oversized hardcover graphic novel written by SNYDER and
fully painted by LEMIRE.
I borrowed this one from the library as it really caught my eye. I was also interested in it because the artist was Jeff Lemire. It was a fairly decent read, concerning a future where the cure for death has been discovered and what that would mean for the human race. It is also interesting to note that it wasn't totally a graphic novel, with about half the book also being prose. The book switched back between these frequently, with the prose being set in our present day and the graphic novel parts being set in a speculative future.
As usual, I enjoyed Lemire's artwork, being very similar to a few of his books I have already read. At times I wondered where the story was going, but in the end most of it became clear. There was a certain sadness to the story, leaving me wondering if a cure for death would really be as good a thing as it may at first sound like. The story raises a number of questions about the cycle of life and death, and the rhythm of living in general. It was a worthwhile read and I'd like to read it again in the future to see how my thinking might have changed on some of these questions.
