The Life After Vol. 1

The Life After #1-5

by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer), Gabo (Illustrator), Crank! (Letterer)

Trade Paperback 1 collects issues 1-5

Jude's Life is nothing special. It seems like every day is just a repeat of the last, until one day, he meets a woman named Nettie. When they touch, he can suddenly see into her past—revealing that they, and everyone around them, are actually in purgatory for suicides. After his realization, Jude joins up with the only other person who seems to be awake: the legendary Ernest Hemingway.

Now the duo is on the path to change things in the afterlife for the better. Of course, shaking up the system might not sit very well with the bigwigs up above...or down below.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Supernatural, Comic Book

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2015

About the author

Joshua Hale Fialkov is the creator (or co-creator, depending) of graphic novels, including the Harvey Nominated Elk’s Run, the Harvey and Eisner nominated Tumor, Punks the Comic, and the Harvey Nominated Echoes.

He has written Alibi and Cyblade for Top Cow, Superman/Batman for DC Comics, Rampaging Wolverine for Marvel, and Friday the 13th for Wildstorm. He’s writing the DC relaunch of I,Vampire, as well as debuting the new Marvel character The Monkey King. This fall sees the launch of The Last of the Greats from Image Comics with artist Brent Peeples.

He also served as a writer on the Emmy Award Nominated animated film Afro Samurai: Resurrection, and as Executive Producer of the cult hit LG15: The Resistance web series.

Elk’s Run, Tumor, and Alibi are all currently in development as feature films. He has written comics for companies including Marvel, Wildstorm, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, Tor Books, Seven Seas Entertainment, Del Rey, Random House, Dabel Brothers Productions, and St. Martin’s Press. He has done video game work for THQ, Midway Entertainment, and Gore Verbinski’s Blind Wink Productions. He also wrote a Sci-Fi Channel movie starring Isabella Rossellini and Judd Nelson. Unfortunately, at no point in the film does Judd Nelson punch the sky and freeze frame. Joshua grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, went to college in Boston, where he got a BFA in writing and directing for the stage and screen, and then worked in the New England film industry, until finally deciding to move to Los Angeles to do it properly. He lives with his wife, Christina, daughter, Gable, and their cats, Smokey and the Bandit.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/joshfialkov

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joshuahalefia...

Photograph by Heidi Ryder Photography

Reviews

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My path to Josh Hale Fialkov and Gabo's The Life After was, I'm fairly certain, not the usual one. I don't read lots of graphic novels, but found this series because Ernest Hemingway is used as a sidekick for the protagonist, Jude, who enlists the literary icon as a guide in Purgatory. That said, this was great fun! I enjoyed it immensely and am looking forward to reading more in the series!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary:
With the help of Earnest Hemingway and a dog-friend, Gertie, Jesus, who now goes by Jude, inadvertently begins the Rapture in the Matrix. The tech team running the show is not amused.

My feelings:
Unfortunate art.
Story so trippily philosophically clever but not really.
It reads like an amalgamation of all current scifi pop culture + hipster Bible stories.

The cover quotes Newsarama saying "the most promising debut since Saga"


Not my cup of tea.

[Ondřej Halíř · Rating 5 out of 5]

Příběhově hodně zajímavý a zábavný komiks který vás drží v napětí od začátku dokonce, je těžké nějak zkusit popisovat příběh aniž bych něco nezkazil. Jednoduše hlavní hrdina Jude žije nudný život a každý den je skoro úplně stejný jako minulý, vždy vidí stejnou ženu upustit kapesník v autobusu a vždy se nutí jí ho podat. Až jednoho dne se odváží a slečny se dotkne, najednou uvidí brutální vizi... a pak se všechno začne hroutit a čtenář zjistí že je vše je jinak a úúúúúúúúúúplně jinak než si myslí.


The Life After mě dokázal překvapovat každým sešitem a to i jak přes poměrně brutální sekvence či i padnoucí humor a dobře napsané postavy. Kresba na první pohled není moc líbivá, ale pak jsem si jí neskutečně oblíbil.

[Vojtěch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jude (Jude je chlap..) žije každej den stejně jako ten předešlej, ráno vstane, jde do práce a při cestě z práce autobudem potká hoku který spadne kapesník. Každej den, pořád dokola. Jednou se rozhodne kapesník zvednout a běží za ní. Zjistí že spáchal sebevraždu a je teď v očistci pro sebevrahy.. Potká jedinýho dalšího člověka kterej si uvědomuje kde jsou - Ernesa Hamingwaye a společně se snaží přijít na to co se vlastně kolem nich děje. Je to strašně crazy, ale moc mě to nebavilo, kresba je místy dost hnusná a v některých panelech to vypadá že autor nezná lidskou anatomii. Overall to není špatný, do dalšího volume už ale asi nepůjdu.

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This free comic volume might be one of the most profound, strange, literally out of this world and mind bending a graphic story as I’ve yet to read. Along with this insane coincidental relationship with god, creation, the devil, and Jesus in the most gritty acid trip like way I could’ve imagined. That being said I oddly want more and to see where this goes from here.

[Des Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this one. There are some neat ideas at play, and Ernest Hemmingway is one of the main characters, so that's pretty cool. Unfortunately, the characterization is lacking, as is the narrative, which is a modern day take on the Divine Comedy mythos. Some of the trope retreads are tiring, and every time we're presented with an interesting plot-twist, we end up on the safe route, without a great release of tension. Gabo's art is at times wonderfully grotesque, and at others underwhelming, while the lettering draws a great deal of attention to itself with some questionable and distracting choices in style. The Life After isn't doing well to explain itself or the rules of its world, leaving us with far too many head-scratching moments after the first completed story-arc. If you enjoy modern, weird takes on Judeo-Christian mythology, you could do a lot worse for the cost of admission though, so jump in if you're feeling feisty. Just don't expect the second coming of Saga, certain media outlets have been hyping this book up as.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review to come!

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first volume of the series poses more questions, perhaps, than answers, which keeps things interesting but also frustrating. It's the kind of story that gradually reveals what it's really about, which for some readers will leave them scratching their heads trying to figure out why the writer didn't just say so to begin with. This is not a mystery, and because the mythology constantly (or seemingly) shifts, it takes away from what is otherwise excellent material, even with art that seems to try its hardest to make a weird story (in a good way) even more weird. I'm giving it pretty high marks, but the bottom line is, I'm not sure I'd care to read more.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Matrix gone insane with a heaven-hell twist, rather than a war with machines.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you read a graphic novel and wonder what the heck you just read. 'The Life After Volume 1' by Joshua Hale Fialkov with art by Gabo is just such a thing.

Jude seems to live the same day over and over. Not enough sleep, commute to work, mindless job, bus trip home where a woman drops a handkerchief by him, then home to get not enough sleep and start the whole thing all over. That is, until he picks up the handkerchief and tries to return it to the woman. Then everything breaks loose and he realizes where he is. He also gains an unlikely partner in writer Ernest Hemingway. Jude may be the key to solving the strange world he finds himself in.

It's an odd story filled, at times, with grotesque creatures. There is the structure of an interesting story here, but there is also the echo of a story from classic literature. Unfortunatley, this version of the afterlife doesn't seem to offer anywhere that anyone would like to find themselves, and the characters come across as a bit one dimensional. Even Ernest Hemingway seems to be not that interesting. The characters serve the journey and seem to be there to reveal the next ghoulish creature. The art felt a bit uneven. At times, it was pretty good, then it would seem oddly proportioned and take me out of the story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if the afterlife was run by a bunch of bureaucrats? Jude is stuck in a rut living the same lonely, mindless drone each day. Until one day he decides to talk to a girl who passes him each day. He discovers he's in purgatory and only he and Ernest Hemingway are aware of it. That's when God sends his bureaucrats to put Jude back in his place.

Received an advance copy from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good idea, but developed in rather a slapdash, haphazard way. The art isn't bad. Maybe I'll take a look at the next volume, but it can wait awhile...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a comic that, despite its familiar premise, ends up being not quite like anything I've read before. This is basically another fight between heaven & hell, but done in a fresh, exciting, funny and sometimes baffling way. Fialkov's writing is brilliantly inventive, mixing science fiction, fantasy, social commentary and religion into a fascinating brew. Gabo's art is astounding, mixing elements of European style and underground comix. Yes, much of this volume set-up, but I can't wait to find out where this crazy take leads. One of the best comics of the year.

[Moa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very confusing but it got me intrigued! Liked the art and loved that Hemingway is in it!

[Carol Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not wholly original but still provocative and energetic in moments.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the impression that Fialkov saw Cabin in the Woods and thought, "I can do that. But let's ramp it up to eleven!" Having a bunch of white collar office workers guiding the fate of the world by manipulating small groups of people was clever in Cabin, but having them apparently running the entire universe? That doesn't really work, in The Life After. Especially since it's implied they're working for god (who is an idiot, and also kind of a potato for some reason), but there seems to be another set working for the devil...or something. It's kind of a mess, and the mechanisms at play here are never really gone into in any depth, at least in this volume. But instead of coming across as mysterious, and inspiring the reader to want to know more, it just feels sloppy and haphazard. Especially since there are alien species involved, which opens up all sorts of questions that are never answered.

The art is also kind of a mixed bag, with some well-drawn scenes of sweeping vistas, grotesque creatures, and strange environments, but then there are character models that seem out of proportion, faces that are lacking detail, and almost feel rushed, etc. And that kind of encapsulates my thoughts on this book as a whole: It's like one of those horrid Jell-O recipes you'd find in old cookbooks. You know the ones, with bits of chopped up sausages and vegetables floating around in them. Parts of it could be good, but none of the component bits ever gel into a satisfying whole, and certain elements ruin any chance the overall experience had of being at all good.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars because I enjoyed some parts of it, but the overall feels rushed and unexplained.

The plot is the kind that gives you clues and hints without ever straight-up telling you things, and it was fun to read between the lines and figure out what's only implied. However, it feels like those little reveals take precedent over character development. This made me not care about what happens to them, which made me not really care about the story.

The art is okay. It works for the story and includes several impressive character designs and spreads. It's also not particularly memorable when not going for shock factor.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun - it’s exactly what I want from a first volume of things like this: an idea that seems like it’s going to weave in one direction and instead heads somewhere very different and continues to resist attempts to pigeonhole it as it goes on. It’s a big, big concept - rather like a slightly more thoughtful and mad variation on Preacher - but it never stops entertaining and surprising. I particularly enjoyed the art which is very much in the Nick Pitarra (who contributes here) and Ulises Fariñas vein

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book more than I expected I would. The premises is interesting and I'm curious to see where this is going. The middle management aspect of the after life is really fun and creative. However, I'm not in love with the characters. I'm hoping that will change as the series progresses. The art's not so great either. The artist is imaginative, I just don't care for his style. Still, the story is compelling enough that I will read another volume.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting beginning. I don't read a lot of graphic novels but had been looking into this one a bit and I was intrigued. Fun premise, decent start - wish there was a little more character development but for now some of the mystery is good. Some artful ways to convey the dullness of everything in purgatory and the repetitive lives they are all leading - and also for demonstrating the visions Jude has throughout. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[Tyler Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jude attempts to escape from purgatory, while both heaven and hell want him dead because of his ability to mess up the system. Oh, and did I mention he teams up with Ernest Hemingway? Humorous, action-packed, and adventurous, with complex world-building and detailed illustrations, I’ll certainly be reading more of this series!

[Elia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think my brain exploded.
This is the most insane thing I have read in a long time.
Purgatory.
Ernest Hemingway.
God is a giant flesh-blob.
God has a son. No, not THAT son... another son.

I need volume 2!!!!!

[Sebastien · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix between Dante inferno ,The matrix and the office. The story is interesting enough .I would like to read the next volume but it wouldn't be on to of my list.

the art is not as good is it could bevbut it fit inn the style of most of oni's books.

[Bookthreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read our review at https://bookthreat.com/2017/04/14/who...

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it so much, I ordered books 2-4. :)

[Angie Pinchbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first volume! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this.

[Aurora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Both story and art were forgettable.

[Kayleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustration could have been drawn a little more serious and would have worked better but otherwise a great original new series

[Adrian Bloxham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and intriguing. Always good to find a worthwhile comic

[Neil Franz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept.