Written by: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by: Gabo
Publisher: Oni Press
We’re in a renaissance of Joshua Hale Fialkov’s writing. The Life After is only the most recent in a succession of great books from him. Really, there are two core factors that make Fialkov’s writing so great: his handle on the characters he’s created, and an original concept for the characters to be involved in. The Life After most definitely has both of these factors. Sure, at this point it only has one major character that has had any sort of fleshing out, but for now, that’s more than enough, because he’s a great character.
In the opening pages, he gets much of his characterization, as we see his daily life play out, and just how boring it is. The character is written in such a way that makes him feel lifeless, but this is essential to both his characterization, but also to the set up of the book’s premise. The great thing about his characterization is that it’s very, very relatable. There are (and will be) tons of people who read this book that will no doubt understand the situation in which the main character lives. And that’s where much of this book’s success comes from. By creating a relatable, well written character within the first five pages of the book, Fialkov sucks in readers, engrossing them in this character’s story, something that comics need to do if they are to be successful.
And then there’s the plot. Unfortunately, the middle of this book feels a little bit disorienting and confusing, as our “hero” spirals through time. On the one hand, it fits the feel of the book, and puts readers into the character’s shoes. While the reader will undoubtedly feel disoriented and confused, those are exactly the feelings that the main character is feeling in these scenes. That being said, it did pull me out of the book for a few pages. This will likely apply to other readers as well. Fortunately, it’s only for a brief period of time, and the book re-orients itself quite quickly, regaining its footing to return to the quality of the initial pages.
The art, courtesy of an artist simply known as Gabo, looks great as well. The art is essential to conveying the tonal shifts present in this issue, at times even more so than the writing. It has some manga sensibilities to it, and that often will turn off many readers. However, this is something of a merging of eastern and western art styles (though it does lean a little bit more towards western art), and it looks great. It goes from being dark and grim to being light hearted and fun, and the shift in styles is seamless.
The Life After #1 is an awesome start to Joshua Hale Fialkov’s latest series. It will take you an emotional rollercoaster (a feels trip, if you will), from scenes of despair to scenes of uplifting hope. Finally, it leaves readers with a shocking cliffhanger. And for that reason, I highly recommend that if you haven’t read this book yet that you go in blind. I did, so I don’t know how much solicits have given away, but you’ll want the cliffhanger to be a shock. Of course, if you already know about it, it won’t completely ruin the book, because the writing is so spot on, and the characters and art are both so great. Suffice to say, The Life After #1 is a stellar comic book.
