Mixed feelings on this one. There are some neat ideas at play, and Ernest Hemingway 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. 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. 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.

This book tells the story of a man who "wakes up" and realizes he's in a Purgatory for suicides.

The art, in the beginning, feels weird, however, throughout the book, I got used to it and actually enjoyed it.

The story's, in a word, unexpected.

At first, it reminded me of "The Matrix", however, as I kept reading, it diverged from that idea and became something entirely different.

Also, the characters are amazing, how can anyone not fall in love with them?

I highly recommend this book to people who like sci-fi and religious satire.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewer's final note:

I read this book over a year ago and, as I copied the review from my notebook to my computer, I honestly didn't remember anything about the book. I usually have a pretty good memory when it comes to reading, I even know one of Pessoa's most famous poems by heart. So, I think that I wrote this review mainly out of the heat of the moment. This book probably had an unexpected ending and I found it AMAZING at the time and had to write everything down then, but now, I don't remember anything.

If I don't remember this book's main plot points, which means it isn't memorable, which means it isn't that good. (It's so unmemorable that I'm actually struggling with this review's tags. Also, at the time I said it's sci-fi but it's shelved as fantasy? I'm really confused, I don't even know if any of those things are correct)

Actual rating: 3 stars

The book never really maintained my interest and was difficult to follow.

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.

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.

Wasn't able to read this in time before the expiry date.

Like I said with the other volumes, this book had some really amazing art, but at times the story seemed a little distanced, and confusing. It was a great plot, with great art, but confused me a little

There were some interesting plot points but the plot didn't blow me away like I think it was supposed to.

I've had this comic on my to-read list since it was announced, so I was THRILLED when I saw it on Netflix. And then I read the first volume. The concept is great, but the artwork just makes it entirely difficult to really get through. For me, the art is just as important as the words, if not more so. With that said, I fear this series just isn't for me.

Groundhog Day turns into a time travel back to what looks like 19th century England. Then things really get crazy. . .
Then Ernest Hemingway shows up. . .
My initial thought was “That lady sure has a lot of handkerchiefs. . .” Every little thing is controlled in this Orwellian world, so when he steps out of the usual routine to return the handkerchief everything goes crazy, and the story behind the story unfolds.
“I was talking to the dog. . .” Saw it coming, still made me laugh. The dog also does the best sideways-head-tilt puzzled I’ve ever seen in a two-dimensional character. Plus he’s a tease. . .
What kind of people are in charge of this crapsack world? “Let’s see if we can find someone taking a shower or something. . .”
You can see it in Hemingway’s face: “Surely you must be the son of god. . .”
This volume one finishes on a pretty big reveal.
Creator bios and ads at end.

The first PDF copy I downloaded didn't open properly on my phone, unfortunately the book was archived here before I could redownload. :(

Nah, I'm calling this one out as too pretentious and silly, when it's trying (in a very pompous manner) to be "about" "things". It looks great, but it's just too weird. And had no reason to be in three parts on netgalley.

I liked the initial premise here, of a man who thinks he has a boring life only to realize that he's stuck in a purgatory for suicides. But then it got even better when he met Ernest Hemingway and discovered he could apparently help people move from purgatory to heaven... maybe. But all the while, things are going on behind the scenes and it looks like all of these levels of existence are run by tech department angels stuck in an office. It's definitely a story that keeps you reading to find out what the next twist might be.

Joshua Hale Fialkov created an interesting world in The Life After. You meed Jude, who doesn't seem to be anything special, until he finally has the courage to follow a girl off the bus. And from there, it gets weird. Fialkov takes you on a journey through the after life and where you might end up. I would appear that it's all very orderly, Dante would be happy to see the different levels dedicated to specific topics, and run by bureaucrats. So what happens when Jude wakes up? He finds Earnest Hemingway and decides to take the whole system down. Fialkov introduces some interesting questions and finds creative ways to express his thoughts on the topics.

This is an interesting concept regarding the afterlife and religion that is a bit bizarre and can be a little campy at times (Ernest Hemingway is a major character, God is a blob, etc..). Overall, it's interesting but it didn't totally blow me away.

ARGH! NOOOO! I NEED MORE!!!!! I don't want this volume to end, I need to keep reading!

The Life After is surely an interesting concept. Jude lives his boring life and the days keep repeating themselves until he picks up a handkerchief to give to a woman and that's when all hell breaks loose. Suddenly the world crumbles and Jude can see people's past. He ends up with Ernest Hemingway to some kind of hell trying to figure what is happening and what he even is and mostly, whether it's actually hell they are in. The idea is awesome, but mostly moving too fast with too much happening at the same time. I wish Fialkov would take his time with this, since the whole thing very original and intriguing. Hemingway was great and I'm glad he has a role in the comic and all the monster and whatnot. The pace is the only thing bothering really, since it makes this hard to follow, sadly so.

The art works well, although some of the angles are odd and messy. The dark colors look nice, but somehow I wished there had been more shading and layers. Same with the line art, which is thin. It's very sterile looking when there's hardly any variation. Art in itself is OK, well, except the faces mostly. They looks stiff and wooden compared to everything else. The eyes are lifeless too, which makes them hollow looking. The panels are a bit empty, since there's hardly any background, which is a shame. The art is not bad, though. It just would've needed more edge and depth to company the story better.

I loved part three! The tying together of everything was a fantastic conclusion. We got to see everybody in this part and their roles in the world of the comic and how they all fit together. It gives us glimpses of everybody's souls (metaphorically and literally for some) and find out what makes them tick, what their motivations are. We meet some new players and catch up with some old ones. And it ends on a great note that leaves you wanting more, setting you up for a new adventure, continuing Jude's crusade against the Life After.

A Little Deadpan Humor; I Liked That

Heroes caught between Heaven and Hell show up a lot in graphic novels, and I'm all for that. Gives an author a lot of room to stretch out and go epic. But sometimes those novels can get a little too earnest, dark, or, more commonly, heavy and cryptic. I mostly liked this version because it told a good and twisty story with a very generous share of tongue-in-cheek that actually complemented the story.

Our hero Jude finds himself in a purgatory/limbo halfway place, (we don't seem overly concerned with a strict theological distinction among the various levels and parts of the afterlife), and he finds that its denizens are unaware of who they are or where they are until he wakes them up. His touch both wakes people up and injures or destroys a variety of bad guys, which is, you know, handy.

Bottom line, Jude decides this halway place is unfair and cruel, and decides to mount a revolution of sorts. Now, with that basic thread of a plot we can have all sorts of sub-plots, and even if some of those threads go nowhere or are confusing, the main line holds everything together well enough that the story never becomes densely incomprehensible.

The best part is that Jude picks up an unusual crew of accomplices. Number one, of course, is a guy who was already awake when Jude first showed up - Ernest Hemingway. I know that shouldn't work, but it does. Ernest is funny, deadpan, tough, wise, and up for adventure and a fight, and is a really fine Yoda/sidekick character. Then we meet up with a tough cookie woman who Jude woke up by accident. She is a game addition. Toward the end we get hints of more allies to come. So this ends up being an ensemble sort of affair.

The halfway world is overseen by grey bureaucrats who monitor and interfere with the action, and they are played as a cross between Matrix agents and the Three Stooges, which adds to the snarky humor that underlies some of the action and plotting. As per usual, God is a bit distracted and doesn't like to get directly involved in the dirty work.

The drawing is sharp and nicely colored. Some of the big scenes are especially well drawn, and you always recognize the characters and know what's going on, which is always for the best in a book like this.

So, it's well paced, a little light, imaginative, (if a bit predictable), and overall engaging. I enjoyed reading it, which is, I guess, the main test. This Volume 1 collects the first five issues of the comic. There are two more collection Volumes, so expect a cliffhanger ending.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)