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Better Place
This sidekick misses his superhero... After hearing that his grandfather has gone to a "better place", a boy sets off on a grand adventure to find him, dressed as his favourite comic book character.
Dylan just moved to a new house, with no friends, and a mother who doesn't have time for him. Luckily, he has his grandad. Together, they are Red Rocket and Kid Cosmo, who save the universe every day with the power of imagination! But one day, Dylan learns that his grandad is suddenly gone... to a "better place." Now, Kid Cosmo will have to save the day, all by himself.
Debut author Duane Murray joins artist Shawn Daley ( Samurai Grandpa ) for a touching story about family, grief, change, and growth.
Dylan just moved to a new house, with no friends, and a mother who doesn't have time for him. Luckily, he has his grandad. Together, they are Red Rocket and Kid Cosmo, who save the universe every day with the power of imagination! But one day, Dylan learns that his grandad is suddenly gone... to a "better place." Now, Kid Cosmo will have to save the day, all by himself.
Debut author Duane Murray joins artist Shawn Daley ( Samurai Grandpa ) for a touching story about family, grief, change, and growth.
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2021
13 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
January 9, 2025
This had no right to make me cry like It did 😭
July 11, 2022
One of the great things about being a huge book nerd is that once in a while a book comes along that absolutely blindsides you. This is one of those books!
I'd never really heard of this. It wasn't really on my radar at all, but the synopsis did intrigue me. With art contributions from Jeff Lemire & Matt Kindt it was enough for me to jump in for a blind buy - and I'm very pleased I did.
Better Place is extraordinarily written. Duane Murray's writing has heart and is essentially a story of innocence, loss, grief - and is nothing short of beautiful. The uncomplicated plot knows where your heartstrings are and will yank the heck out of them.
I found Shawn Daley's art suitably wonderful. It's mostly grey scale, which may turn some people off, but the splashes of colour seem even more magical because of it and it's used to a truly magnificent effect.
Overall, this was a beautiful and magical read. Its heartfelt and gripping plot make this an absolute contender for the best read of the year so far for me personally and I'm absolutely stunned there aren't many people talking about this book!
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My Score: 10/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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I'd never really heard of this. It wasn't really on my radar at all, but the synopsis did intrigue me. With art contributions from Jeff Lemire & Matt Kindt it was enough for me to jump in for a blind buy - and I'm very pleased I did.
Better Place is extraordinarily written. Duane Murray's writing has heart and is essentially a story of innocence, loss, grief - and is nothing short of beautiful. The uncomplicated plot knows where your heartstrings are and will yank the heck out of them.
I found Shawn Daley's art suitably wonderful. It's mostly grey scale, which may turn some people off, but the splashes of colour seem even more magical because of it and it's used to a truly magnificent effect.
Overall, this was a beautiful and magical read. Its heartfelt and gripping plot make this an absolute contender for the best read of the year so far for me personally and I'm absolutely stunned there aren't many people talking about this book!
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My Score: 10/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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October 27, 2021
Just an absolutely phenomenal and touching book about grief and childhood and imagination that hits you right in the feels and keeps hitting, in that good way. Pick it up, you won’t regret it.
July 29, 2021
Read this before Nutflix make a movie out of it. Just bloody read it. The main character is a young lad whose entire life is taken up with pretending to be the spacemen in his favourite comic, but luckily enough, while his single parent mother is too busy to engage, his granddad is all too keen to encourage such imaginative, outdoorsy pursuits. But when an exasperated mother wants the old man packed away into a home, only for such a request to be irrelevant, our juvenile hero is insistent on getting the pair of them back together for more adventures.
What follows is a lot more winsome, charming and sprightly than the mawkish version of this existing in an alternative universe. It's like "The Straight Story" twinned with all those seize-the-day dramas concerning children, whose names escape me because they're not really interesting. This certainly was – the subtle colouring, when the characters from the comic are brought to life, is just one sign of how classy this is. The art style was a little more rough and ready than I'd normally go for, but the emotion of the piece is certainly coming through, and the large proportion of wordless panels shows off the characters and the high drama of it all perfectly. It's one of the more finely crafted graphic stories of the year, and I honestly can see Hollywood coming a-knocking. The better place to experience this will always be on these pages, however.
What follows is a lot more winsome, charming and sprightly than the mawkish version of this existing in an alternative universe. It's like "The Straight Story" twinned with all those seize-the-day dramas concerning children, whose names escape me because they're not really interesting. This certainly was – the subtle colouring, when the characters from the comic are brought to life, is just one sign of how classy this is. The art style was a little more rough and ready than I'd normally go for, but the emotion of the piece is certainly coming through, and the large proportion of wordless panels shows off the characters and the high drama of it all perfectly. It's one of the more finely crafted graphic stories of the year, and I honestly can see Hollywood coming a-knocking. The better place to experience this will always be on these pages, however.
January 10, 2022
Omg. The water works! This book was MAGNIFICENT. Such a quick but powerful read. It talks about the struggles of growing up but still keeping your inner child alive, coping with grief, and having faith in things you can’t see. It’s a book about family, being yourself, and having wonderful memories with our loved ones who have passed on makes the world a better place. Will definitely reread in the future. 11/10.
April 5, 2022
This is phenomenal. I meant to read this slowly but found myself emotionally incapable of putting it down. I laughed and cried. There are some subtle acts of creative genius hidden in this book including:
1. The foreshadowing & meaning of crashes within the story. It starts with a fantasy, and a crash that brings Dylan and Grandpa down to earth jolted out of the fantasy.
This repeats when Grandpa is in his driving fantasy until something wakes him up and a grave and serious reality takes over.
Dylan has his own crash before he goes to try to visit Grandpa at the home which is one more instance of the fantasy being literally crashed and one more piece of the fantasy connection between Dylan and granda is broken: the swear jar.
There's the crash at the old folks home where Lloyd does his thing and the fantasy of a sweet "better place" is cracked open.
Then he drives past the truth that he just... doesn't see..
Then the rocket.
And then Dylan looking for the final crash, but this time, mom is there.
Each time the place Dylan was in and his connection to reality changed. His conception of "a better place" changed.
2. The two surrogate Grandpa and the way they are drawn. The parallels within each set of those conversations. In each of those interactions Dylan heys closer to understanding a form of reality.
3.The guest artists
a) Having Jeff Lemire guest design a meta comic book. Because yes this is a perfect easter egg for Essex County.
b) Having other comic artists draw different illustrations of the comics within the comic. Because as someone who is fascinated by how comics evolve based on who writes them it's..so smart and subtle.
c) Nate Powel does the last comic within a comic. Which is a rewrite of our character confronting the "better place". So subtle.
4. The use of color. The way Dylan's fantasies become "A better place" for him that he's chasing. Slowly the colours fade as he builds A Better Place with his mother. They are able to take new roles in a fantasy closer to home.
5. Drawing a theme park is hard. Shawn Daley's Wonderville made me... experience Canada's Wonderland. That's a hard thing to capture and it evoked strange emotions and memories that made me smile and feel.
6. The changing meaning of "better place" throughout this comic were so clever. I know I mentioned that earlier in this review but it warrants repeating.
7. The stakes were huge! The whole comic I was terrified for Dylan and his mother. I'm happy the final pieces of my fragile heart didn't break further here!
1. The foreshadowing & meaning of crashes within the story. It starts with a fantasy, and a crash that brings Dylan and Grandpa down to earth jolted out of the fantasy.
This repeats when Grandpa is in his driving fantasy until something wakes him up and a grave and serious reality takes over.
Dylan has his own crash before he goes to try to visit Grandpa at the home which is one more instance of the fantasy being literally crashed and one more piece of the fantasy connection between Dylan and granda is broken: the swear jar.
There's the crash at the old folks home where Lloyd does his thing and the fantasy of a sweet "better place" is cracked open.
Then he drives past the truth that he just... doesn't see..
Then the rocket.
And then Dylan looking for the final crash, but this time, mom is there.
Each time the place Dylan was in and his connection to reality changed. His conception of "a better place" changed.
2. The two surrogate Grandpa and the way they are drawn. The parallels within each set of those conversations. In each of those interactions Dylan heys closer to understanding a form of reality.
3.The guest artists
a) Having Jeff Lemire guest design a meta comic book. Because yes this is a perfect easter egg for Essex County.
b) Having other comic artists draw different illustrations of the comics within the comic. Because as someone who is fascinated by how comics evolve based on who writes them it's..so smart and subtle.
c) Nate Powel does the last comic within a comic. Which is a rewrite of our character confronting the "better place". So subtle.
4. The use of color. The way Dylan's fantasies become "A better place" for him that he's chasing. Slowly the colours fade as he builds A Better Place with his mother. They are able to take new roles in a fantasy closer to home.
5. Drawing a theme park is hard. Shawn Daley's Wonderville made me... experience Canada's Wonderland. That's a hard thing to capture and it evoked strange emotions and memories that made me smile and feel.
6. The changing meaning of "better place" throughout this comic were so clever. I know I mentioned that earlier in this review but it warrants repeating.
7. The stakes were huge! The whole comic I was terrified for Dylan and his mother. I'm happy the final pieces of my fragile heart didn't break further here!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2024
5.0 stars—-
Just read this, you won’t regret it.
Just read this, you won’t regret it.
November 15, 2021
A young boy is told that his grandfather went to a better place. So armed with his favorite comic book this sidekick goes on a quest to find his grandfather.
So I knew that Grandfather was going to die, it is in the description of the book, so when you see the first page of the two of them dressed as their favorite comic duo the feels start right away. Normally I am not a person who cries at fictional death. But the first time I read Better Place I cried so many tears. Tears of happiness and tears of sadness. I cried for a little boy who doesn't understand where his grandfather is. When I say cry I don't mean I got teary eyed. I mean full tears, crying hard enough the pages of the book got blurry.
Then release day came. This story came out on the New Comic Book Day that my aunt passed away after fighting MS. It was like I became that little boy. I cried because I saw myself. Wanting desperately to put on my own comic book costume and find her. Duane Murray wrote a story that walked me through the stages of grief. Even writing this review right now I am getting teary eyed. This book is going to help so many people!
The art is by Shawn Daley, who also did the art for Samuari Grandpa and I cannot imagine a better artist for this story. You can see every emotion. The book is mostly black and white, but the scenes with the comic book add splashes of red to the book and the costumes which just adds so much.
It isn't often you come across a book that is perfect. There is nothing I would change and I cannot wait to get this into the hands of my students. If you haven't read Better Place you need to fix that now! If I could I would give this more than 5 stars!
Creative Team:
Story: Duane Murray
Art: Shawn Daley
So I knew that Grandfather was going to die, it is in the description of the book, so when you see the first page of the two of them dressed as their favorite comic duo the feels start right away. Normally I am not a person who cries at fictional death. But the first time I read Better Place I cried so many tears. Tears of happiness and tears of sadness. I cried for a little boy who doesn't understand where his grandfather is. When I say cry I don't mean I got teary eyed. I mean full tears, crying hard enough the pages of the book got blurry.
Then release day came. This story came out on the New Comic Book Day that my aunt passed away after fighting MS. It was like I became that little boy. I cried because I saw myself. Wanting desperately to put on my own comic book costume and find her. Duane Murray wrote a story that walked me through the stages of grief. Even writing this review right now I am getting teary eyed. This book is going to help so many people!
The art is by Shawn Daley, who also did the art for Samuari Grandpa and I cannot imagine a better artist for this story. You can see every emotion. The book is mostly black and white, but the scenes with the comic book add splashes of red to the book and the costumes which just adds so much.
It isn't often you come across a book that is perfect. There is nothing I would change and I cannot wait to get this into the hands of my students. If you haven't read Better Place you need to fix that now! If I could I would give this more than 5 stars!
Creative Team:
Story: Duane Murray
Art: Shawn Daley
March 6, 2022
What a beautiful and accessible discussion of death, grief, companionship and love. I think anyone, regardless of their placement on the spectrum of age, can get something out of A Better Place because the issues it tackles are so universal.
This is truly a tremendous read. It is very sad and, for me, for the less overt reason of dealing with death. I found it to be so impactful, I think, because it really tackles the importance of companionship throughout the life cycle and how difficult that can be to find within the dissociative blandness contemporary America can sometimes feel like.
This is truly a tremendous read. It is very sad and, for me, for the less overt reason of dealing with death. I found it to be so impactful, I think, because it really tackles the importance of companionship throughout the life cycle and how difficult that can be to find within the dissociative blandness contemporary America can sometimes feel like.
September 29, 2021
I think the moral of this story was to preserve a sense of fun and memories of those you love, but the main lesson I took from it was don't be vague with your children about death. The characters were well fleshed out, and the art was charming, but the plot had too many easy coincidences to be really interesting.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2021
A touching story about loss, communication, imagination, and attention. The charming perspective of the child is brought to life with great art with emphasizing touches of color. A great read to build empathy.
The Red Rocket comic book covers within the story in homage style of classic comic books was a great touch!
The Red Rocket comic book covers within the story in homage style of classic comic books was a great touch!
June 5, 2022
To say that I cried while reading this fantastic book is an understatement. If I could of gave 10 stars I would have. I knew going into reading this book was gonna be hard. Ever since I lost my dad, reading anything about losing a loved one has been hard. But I am really glad to have picked this book up. I already recommended it to my co worker before I even was half way through.
March 17, 2022
I don't often write reviews but I feel this is needed. I don't know if it's because I'm in my early 30s and people around me are starting to get old, but this is the best comic I have read this year by far. I found myself crying by the end. It is powerful and endearing. Very well written, with an art style thay compliments the story beautifully. Perfection.
November 9, 2021
One of the best books I've ever read. It has a powerful message, amazing artwork, an awesome soundtrack (on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music etc.), It is just overall just an amazing book. Well done Duane and Shawn!
November 12, 2021
This graphic novel is a heartbreaking look at grief. Although the character is young (probably upper elementary), the cusswords included probably don't fit for an elementary library (swear jar!). Still relevant for high school despite the young age of the main character.
January 22, 2022
Heart wrenching. Soul crushing. Killer sad. Beautiful art an incredible story and just overall masterfully done. I enjoyed it fully and wholeheartedly as an adult and think it has the ability to have a massive impact on all ages of readers. Definitely a tear jerker 😭😭
November 22, 2021
5 stars for art AND story. I loved this so much.
January 30, 2022
Basically a graphic novel version of a Pixar film. Absolutely gorgeous!
September 6, 2022
A sweet, well-told story with wonderful illustrations.
Read
February 8, 2024Legit con lagrimones rn - but gracias al nuevo birth control estoy sensiblona x1000... so... does it even count? Abro debate
Llevo sin ver el sol dsde diciembre, that is also not helping
Llevo sin ver el sol dsde diciembre, that is also not helping
March 30, 2023
Don't mind me, just bawling my eyes out.
July 18, 2022
My emotions were all over the place with this graphic novel. It started out super sweet with a grandson and his granddad playing the parts of Red Rocket and Kid Cosmo, the grandson’s favorite comic heroes. Mom had had her father move in with them and the duo were creating their own real-life versions of the comic book duos adventures. With granddad behind the shopping cart handle and grandson Dylan, helping with the navigation, they glide through the neighborhood saving the universe. As a new kid, Dylan doesn’t know anyone so granddad is the perfect friend.
Mother knows she should get granddad into a home since his recent diagnosis but granddad doesn’t want to go and they know that Dylan would be lost without him. Then, there’s an incident with Dylan in the parking garage and later, they arrive back home to some emergency vehicles at their house. Oh, granddad. I wasn’t ready for what happened next but granddad is no longer in the picture. Instead of being honest with Dylan, she tells him that granddad went to a “better place.” While mother deals with the loss of her father, Dylan begins another adventure looking for the “better place” so he can find his granddad.
I loved the relationship between Dylan and her granddad. Even though his granddad was sick and didn’t act like a typical granddad, they had fun together and you could see how much they loved and appreciated each other. Mother never really had time for Dylan at the beginning of the novel which I thought might change once her father died and left Dylan with no one but mom had her own emotions and issues surrounding her father’s death. It’s quite emotional as both Dylan and his mother realize what granddad’s death means in their life. They’ll need to start relying on each other.
The book did a great job of showing the emotions and difficulties that Dylan went through, whether he sailed or struggled through them. I really enjoyed the illustrations. I feel there is something about the facial expressions in a graphic novel that bring the story to life and these were spot on. With terrific details and the slightest use of color, this graphic novel is a winner. 5 stars
Mother knows she should get granddad into a home since his recent diagnosis but granddad doesn’t want to go and they know that Dylan would be lost without him. Then, there’s an incident with Dylan in the parking garage and later, they arrive back home to some emergency vehicles at their house. Oh, granddad. I wasn’t ready for what happened next but granddad is no longer in the picture. Instead of being honest with Dylan, she tells him that granddad went to a “better place.” While mother deals with the loss of her father, Dylan begins another adventure looking for the “better place” so he can find his granddad.
I loved the relationship between Dylan and her granddad. Even though his granddad was sick and didn’t act like a typical granddad, they had fun together and you could see how much they loved and appreciated each other. Mother never really had time for Dylan at the beginning of the novel which I thought might change once her father died and left Dylan with no one but mom had her own emotions and issues surrounding her father’s death. It’s quite emotional as both Dylan and his mother realize what granddad’s death means in their life. They’ll need to start relying on each other.
The book did a great job of showing the emotions and difficulties that Dylan went through, whether he sailed or struggled through them. I really enjoyed the illustrations. I feel there is something about the facial expressions in a graphic novel that bring the story to life and these were spot on. With terrific details and the slightest use of color, this graphic novel is a winner. 5 stars
July 28, 2022
This is such a good title. Anyone that has suffered the loss of a loved one I think could gain from this book. Especially a parent with a child going through loss. I enjoyed this title can definitely be a recommended read for those tough times.
December 30, 2021
I loved this graphic novel so much! So touching and sweet. Deals with grief.
December 30, 2021
Great use of color, and comic book storylines!
March 10, 2022
Endearing characters. Tight and simple plot. Writing and story reminiscent of Lemire for me (whose work I love). Highly recommend for those looking for something on the short and sweet side.
March 22, 2022
Beautiful and heartfelt graphic novel dealing with a relationship between a grandpa and his beloved grandson and what happens when it ends. Just lovely...
July 9, 2022
Beautiful and moving! What an amazing graphic novel that teaches about love and loss. I bawled my eyes out!
August 12, 2022
What a gorgeous graphic novel! The artwork is amazing, the writing is great, Dylan is definitely my superhero!! This is a story of love, loss, grief and the power of imagination.
December 31, 2025
I would give this 4 stars as far as story and art and whatnot but AHHH if you make years steam down my face, you deserve 5 stars. I just have to sit here and feel stuff for a minute.
I picked up this book because I wasn't sure if it was in any way related to Kid Cosmic, a delightfully fun Craig McCracken show on Netflix. It had a lot of similarities in character design and such. But, even though it was very different, I was DELIGHTFULLY entertained and moved by it!
The thing that REALLY struck me was the mother in this story. Maybe I'm biased as a mom. But this was the first book I think I've read where the mother's grief was just as prevalent in the story and I could tell how deeply she wanted to do right by her son, and seeing her get her own full page scenes for he grief was very impactful to me. Seeing her break and say things she KNOWS she shouldn't say, then immediately apologize. Seeing the hurt in her eyes having lost her father and now maybe her son in the same few days. That is so much.
I loved the side characters all guiding him around with their own perception of what is happening. I loved him sneaking onto the rocketship to mars.
The art reminded me a lot of classic Sunday comics like Calvin & Hobbes, which made the whole thing feel so nostalgic which helped really make the grief of loss in this story hit deeper.
I loved his conversation with the priest at the funeral and how he was so sweet. It was a very slow moment compared to some of the other crazy fast paced scenes in the book.
I picked up this book because I wasn't sure if it was in any way related to Kid Cosmic, a delightfully fun Craig McCracken show on Netflix. It had a lot of similarities in character design and such. But, even though it was very different, I was DELIGHTFULLY entertained and moved by it!
The thing that REALLY struck me was the mother in this story. Maybe I'm biased as a mom. But this was the first book I think I've read where the mother's grief was just as prevalent in the story and I could tell how deeply she wanted to do right by her son, and seeing her get her own full page scenes for he grief was very impactful to me. Seeing her break and say things she KNOWS she shouldn't say, then immediately apologize. Seeing the hurt in her eyes having lost her father and now maybe her son in the same few days. That is so much.
I loved the side characters all guiding him around with their own perception of what is happening. I loved him sneaking onto the rocketship to mars.
The art reminded me a lot of classic Sunday comics like Calvin & Hobbes, which made the whole thing feel so nostalgic which helped really make the grief of loss in this story hit deeper.
I loved his conversation with the priest at the funeral and how he was so sweet. It was a very slow moment compared to some of the other crazy fast paced scenes in the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews