Two Graves Volume 1: Wish You Were Here

This book will be a hit for people who love mythology. It is a great read and will be thoroughly enjoyed.

This title was so good. There was so much additional content and cited sources. The additional content really added to this whole story. This story made me cry and I am not easily moved. The sheer determination and selflessness. Just amazing. The art style , LOVED IT ! So surreal and just relatable like I could envision everyone as a real person. That really added to the overall effect for me.

Loved the illustration and the way death was able to fall in love with the maiden even though he knew that there was never a possibility of them falling in love. The story is beautiful and will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

The artwork of this is truly amazing. I sometimes got lost with the story but otherwise I really liked it. Some lines really hit deep and I couldn’t stop reading it. I really liked the stories sprinkled in as well. I would read more from these authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

This is a wonderful story. The artwork is amazing, too! I didn't know what to expect with this graphic novel, but I am glad I was able to spend some time with it. It's a kind of love story with some horror type scenes.

Thank you #NetGalley for letting me read and review #TwoGraves

It's been a while since I picked up a legit comic tpb, and this one was a good time! Mysterious, beautifully drawn, and in places non-chronological, which is always great. It's got a quiet feeling to it; there are little bursts of conflict and action, but it's more about the two main characters, what's happening to them, and the ways they play off each other. It's artistically really quiet too, a lot of interesting "camera" angles and beautiful colors, stunning landscapes, subtle facial expressions and body language. It all has a certain stillness to it, which I thought was really lovely for a comic about death on multiple levels, though that same quality did make the few action scenes feel a little stifled and stiff to me.

But I don't think this story is really about the action, or at least not in this volume! It's about Emilia, an almost-dead (or perhaps extra-dead) young woman grieving her mother and determined to get her mother's ashes to the Atlantic, and about death in the form of a man whose face and head are veiled in smoke, who delayed taking Emilia and now may have delayed too long. The slow reveal of what's actually happening between them, both emotionally and metaphysically, is really compelling; I'll be looking forward to the next volume to see what happens next.

This is described as a modern take on Hades-Persephone, though this feels like a loose interpretation of the story itself. However, it is flooded with subtle and not so subtle imagery related to the two.

The art style is so unique and it wasn't until I read the authors notes at the end that it realized all the nuance in the styles in terms of colors when certain characters are the focus or all the ghost towns in America.

Overall a really cool Gothic Americana story!

This was a very unique take on the Hades and Persephone myth. The relationship between Death and Emilia is intriguing along with the bits of new information that you learn along their road trip.

This was a unique take on the idea of Death and the grim reaper. Emilia needs to take her mother's ashes to the Atlantic Ocean, it's her final promise. Except as she keeps going, she begins to lose the ability to taste food and is tired all the time. She's also seeing ghosts and people's time throughout and wants to make changes, though never knows what touching each person actually does. Death is trying to help her, and three other reapers follow to stop them. In between each chapter there's a short essay from another author detailing some strange unique story about life. I'm not sure I understand the point of them, but they were interesting to read. I loved watching the change on the postcards at each chapter too. The art style, especially for Death, is beautiful and reminds me of something but I can't place it. I hope this story continues.

A huge thank you to Image for allowing me to read this E-arc! Two Graves was immediately an appealing read. The art set the mood perfectly, with muted tones during darker parts if the story, but with vibrant colors at other points. I appreciate the way the characters were all drawn. The fire/smoke-obscured face of Death was an interesting feature for a character so mercurial, and I liked that Emilia was not portrayed as a typical comic book heroin, but as a far more natural human being. I also really enjoyed the Columbarium portions, each had an interesting story, and honestly these were my favorite portion of the book. The main story was interesting, but a little hard for me to follow. I felt at times like the tension between characters alluded to some shared past that I, as the reader, was not privy to, but it's a testament to the storytelling because I did still feel that tension while reading. The cover art and the special features at the end were awesome to get a glimpse into how the story came into being, and I look forward to reading the next volume!

Stunning art and compelling characters, it gave me Neil Gaiman vibes. It left me feeling like I wanted more, but also content with the resolution.

Take a gothic Americana road trip with Death in this beautifully drawn and gorgeously written graphic novel.

I love graphic novels and am trying to read and promote graphic novels written by women (because we're tough to find in this genre). So when I saw that this was written by Genevieve Valentine, and illustrated by Annie Wu and Ming Doyle, I immediately wanted to read it.

The book is promoted as a Persephone/Hades retelling, which it lightly is, but I think that's a bit of a marketing spin takes away from the subtly and uniqueness of this story itself. In this volume, Death steals Emilia (a mortal woman) who is grieving the death of her mother. We sit with them in the car and in motels as they venture across the United States towards the ocean. The world-building is soft, and there are a lot of questions that go unanswered as we follow along - but that only adds to the mystery of our characters.

This is a slow moving, deep thoughts, vibe book. While there is an outside force hunting our duo, we spend much more time witnessing their conversations (and silences) around death, love, and life. The artwork is immediately compelling and clues us into the character's emotional states without them needing to say, "I feel XXX".

My favourite part of this volume is the bonus backmatter at the end of each issue from prominent women authors writing in this genre including bestselling Broken Earth trilogy author N.K. Jemisin, Veronica Schanoes (Shirley Jackson Award winner, Nebula, and World Fantasy nominee), and Stephanie Lai (Best New Talent Ditmar Award, 2018). The piece by Sarah McCarry had me floored. It asks, then attempts to answer the question, "Where do stars go when they die?" It's absolute poetry. I am going to advocate for every graphic novel to include these short stories/meditations at the end of each issue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for this advanced reader copy.

This book is best read in the passenger seat of a car during a first date while driving to an abandoned cabin in the woods.

Two Graves is an ambitious and very atmospheric book; it definitely succeeds in conveying its artistic vision and drawing the reader into the emotional storyline of the two main characters. While what's happening is occasionally unclear (at least to me), I found that needing to know everything was not required to enjoy the book. It is dark and philosophical, and the essays in between chapters ranged from really excellent to a bit of a bore, but that makes for a cool experience for the right kind of reader.

I love the art style, colour/tone of this book and I feel it really matches the story. Also, the concept gives me 'Supernatural' vibes with the hand-print and Death on a road trip concept. Overall I enjoyed this! It was a fun and interesting read! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 :)

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.

I felt the story was quite unique and loved the relationship between the main characters and their transformations throughout the story.

The art work was beautifully done and was very immersive.

My only complaint is that at times I felt the story was slightly disjointed however this did not impact my enjoyment of it.

I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics from providing me with this arc.

For readers who can't get enough of Persephone and Hades, here is the next story for you. The first in the series, this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel is a fantastic read. I am looking forward to what the next installment entails.

I liked this read. It was unique and I really enjoyed the artwork. Interesting premise,l and definitely worth the read.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)/5**
I had no expectations coming into *Two Graves*, I was genuinely surprised by how moving I found this graphic novel retelling of the Persephone myth.

I initially picked up Two Graves solely based on the intriguing read-alike comparisons to two works I love dearly–The Sandman and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue–and I think these comparisons actually really capture what worked for me about Two Graves. Graphically and stylistically, it reminds me very much of The Sandman with dark, and otherworldly imagery. Narratively–like Addie Larue–the work has a sort of moody, impressionist, and lyrical nature that communicates strong emotion with a surprisingly limited amount of dialogue/direct explanation.

That being said, this work should not be reduced to its comparisons–this is a really unique retelling with a captivating story (a difficult feat, considering the number of Persephone retellings I’ve read in the past year). The interplay between short essays and then graphic sections conceptually interesting and not something I’d seen done quite in this way in a graphic novel before. I also enjoyed the bonus content and “behind-the-scenes” looks at the development at the end.

Between the plot and the visual style, I do think this is not a book you can speed through, so it may not work for readers who want something quick or easy to follow or with a clear narrative arc from the jump. I was initially unsure how I felt about this book, but I’ve come to appreciate it more on reflection. I would definitely recommend reading and then re-reading this one to appreciate the details and thoughtfulness of everything happening in this graphic novel.

I can think of many young adults and adults who love graphic novels, mythology, science fiction, and fantasy who I would recommend reading Two Graves. I personally look forward to reading more in the series!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you, NetGalley, Image Comics, and Genevieve Valentine, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

Dark and well done. Grabbed you from the start and you really wanted to know more, where it was going and how the character ended up here