Little Death

by Thomas Kriebaum

He comes when he is least expected. If you hear a knock at the door, you should fear the worst. But what happens if he just comes in and sits beside you at the counter? Or only wants to stroke the cat? As a travelling salesman dealing with the final matter, Kriebaum's little man in a black suit does not always seem happy with his own vocation. Wherever he appears, small talk plays a subordinate role. Soaring Penguin is proud to present the new english translation of the dark comedy Little Death, a comic by austrian artist Thomas Kriebaum. A smart and witty interpretation of the time old question of what would do if death came knocking at your door? Told in 14 beautiful stories. Buch's Little Death may be child-like in size, bur sports a smart black suit, a dashing cap and tinted glasses over his 'deathly' pale face. Along his journey to collect his due souls, we are transported from A Nighthawks styled dinner to various apartment complexes- meeting dramatic starlets, the familiar little old ladies - to the unsuspecting public just going about their errands.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction

90 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Christoph Weber]

Ich mag den Zeichenstil irgendwie. Die "Geschichten" sind auch okay, aber soviele auf einmal dann vielleicht doch ein bisschen zuviel.

[Sharlin]

PENDING REVIEW
3.40 - Mediocre

[Simon Chadwick]

Home › Reviews › Little Death
Little Death

by Simon Chadwick on November 7, 2014 in Reviews 0
By Thomas KriebaumLittle Death
Publisher: Soaring Penguin Press
ISBN: 9781908030047

Spotted this one on sale at the Lakes International Comics Art Festival, and it’s a good one. A simple premise, where Death is represented in the form of a small but dapper businessman complete with briefcase.

The set up is almost always the same with Little Death approaching an angled front door and the consequences of what happens next. For example, one woman answers the door in a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel. Not wishing to leave this mortal coil in that manner she asks for a moment and dashes back indoors. The rest of the strip has Little Death growing more and more inpatient upon the doorstep until he gives up and leaves, with the strip’s final panel featuring the now glamorous looking woman – now much later – looking somewhat bewildered.

All of the short stories are told without words too, and certainly wouldn’t have been out of place in the likes of Mad. Thomas Kriebaum’s artwork is particularly lovely, using a single colour background and building his illustrations on top using black and white. He creates some incredible effects with it, not least the occasional larger illustration of a street scene or close up of architecture.

Rather lovely.

[Erika]

This book is a beautiful, macabre, demented little gem and I am so glad I now own a copy of this book. The art is both simple and sophisticated, done in blacks, white and a grayish green hue and is just amazing and entrancing. I keep finding myself flipping back and forth through the book over and over again finding or appreciating some new little detail.
The story shows the workaday experiences of Little Death, his trials and tribulations, conflicts and successes and is so seriously twisted in such a gentle way there are almost no words for it. I desperately hope more work from this artist finds it's way to the States as I can't wait to experience more of his work.

[Amanda]

Little Death is a clever little collection of vignettes about Death making his rounds. It’s witty, slightly ghoulish, and reminded me a bit of Mad magazine when it was still good.

Received via Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.

[Megara]

Reading this graphic novel has sparked the first time I have ever responded to Death itself with, "Aww..."