Mortals

by John Dermot Woods (Writer), Matt L. (Illustrator)

Mortals "inserts itself into our hearts."
—Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn

There isn’t a role Francis has played well. An actor well past his prime, he barely has an acting career to speak of. His ex-wife, Claudette, finds him pathetic and he routinely disappoints his precocious young son, Courtney. When an opportunity to play the dying father of a teenage pop sensation chasing indie film credit comes along, Francis must sacrifice his ego and heightened self-importance for this one last shot at legacy. The mortality of his on-screen character is a stark reminder of his own end that day by day feels closer than ever before. In the end, what will Francis have to show for the life he has lived?

From writer John Dermot Woods and artist Matt L. comes Mortals, a deeply meditative graphic novel about aging and posterity.

Genres: Graphic Novels

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2022

About the author

John Dermot Woods writes stories and draws comics in Brooklyn, NY. His first collection of comics, Activities, is now available from Publishing Genius Press. He is the author of the image-text novels The Complete Collection of People, Places, and Things, and, in collaboration with J. A. Tyler, No One Told Me I Was Going To Disappear. He and Lincoln Michel published their funny comic strip, Animals in Midlife Crises at The Rumpus. (Now they are hard at work on very long story featuring Werner Herzog as a park ranger.) He is a founder of the online arts journal Action, Yes and a professor of English and Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College.

Reviews

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, simple, yet incredibly poignant look at an aging actor and his struggle with family, parenthood, and his career. Francis starts out unsympathetic and unlikable, but by the end I found myself really rooting for him. An excellent read -- I just wish it had been longer and ever so slightly more fleshed out.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully complicated short story around a small family dealing with separation and grief, and how to move forward.