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A.D. After Death #3
A.D. After Death, Book Three
MINI-SERIES FINALE Jonah Cooke is on the run from a future he helped create, a future where death has been genetically cured. Yet he's fi nally come to accept that no matter how long he lives, he'll never escape his past. And now he's done the one thing that may put everyone left alive in jeopardy. The shocking conclusion of the sci-fi epic by two of comics' most acclaimed creators is here.
86 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2017
1 person is currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,780 books5,124 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 5, 2017
What if we found a cure for death? Two comics sensations, Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire, complete their three book comics series, in a semi-experimental format of alternating between text-only narrative, comics and illustrated story (though Alan Moore does a similar thing in Providence and Watchmen, and others do it, but this looks and feels fresh). Another unusual aspect of this production is that each of the three books is oversized, longer than a typical comic, with cardstock covers, high quality production all around. Visually, the books are very impressive, textured, and beautiful. I was pretty impatient with the longer (long-winded and meandering) prose sections. I like my comics lean and spare, with the visuals telling the story. I didn’t find the writing as fresh or edgy as the visuals.
The story is that a cure for death has been found, but one guy, Cooke, who is memory-challenged, and a thief, isn't sure he wants this for himself. It’s darkly reflective Snyder-Lemire territory, with some expected sadness, regret, loneliness. As sci-fi it’s more humane Bradbury stuff than SCIENCE fiction. Still, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the story. I started off feeling confused in the first volume, liked the clarity of the second volume, and feel disappointed in the finish, which I found neither original nor particularly insightful. A beautiful artifact, though with Lemire at the top of his drawing game.
The story is that a cure for death has been found, but one guy, Cooke, who is memory-challenged, and a thief, isn't sure he wants this for himself. It’s darkly reflective Snyder-Lemire territory, with some expected sadness, regret, loneliness. As sci-fi it’s more humane Bradbury stuff than SCIENCE fiction. Still, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the story. I started off feeling confused in the first volume, liked the clarity of the second volume, and feel disappointed in the finish, which I found neither original nor particularly insightful. A beautiful artifact, though with Lemire at the top of his drawing game.
October 10, 2017
Book Three offers a satisfying yet sad conclusion to Snyder and Lemire's three-part After Death mini-series. The last page was pure evil and brilliance, something like leaving a fragrant turd in your brain.
For those who are just planning to read A.D. After Death, I just want to tell that this is not for everybody. This is definitely not for me as I expected a story which is straightforward sci-fi, but what I got (I should have known in the first place, when the name Jeff Lemire is printed in the cover) are themes of existential dread, yearning for love, transcending loneliness and death. My reading experience therefore was a bit rugged at the start while assimilating myself with these themes. But once you get on with it, A.D. sure gives you one helluva experience.
SPOILERS FOLLOW.
A dumb, shallow and overly simplistic way to tell what A.D. is all about is to just say that there is this one crazy dude who plans to escape utopia over and over. I'm sure everybody else in the place are just chill with living forever, but no sir, not Mr. Cooke.
A deeper meaning of this would go somewhere in being free and being courageous and not anymore running away from whatever FUBAR situation a person experiences. Snyder's prose effectively delivers this message of chilling sadness and loneliness.
The prose part gets a bit long for my taste, and at times I felt like reading a novel instead of reading a graphic novel. Yet I understand that part, that for someone who has overcome death, he has all the time in the world to write volumes of journals.
A.D. After Death deserves to be seen in the big screen and I sincerely hope that that plan comes into fruition. This is a sad sci-fi story that everybody deserves to see, despite the fact that the story itself is a little alienating to others.
For those who are just planning to read A.D. After Death, I just want to tell that this is not for everybody. This is definitely not for me as I expected a story which is straightforward sci-fi, but what I got (I should have known in the first place, when the name Jeff Lemire is printed in the cover) are themes of existential dread, yearning for love, transcending loneliness and death. My reading experience therefore was a bit rugged at the start while assimilating myself with these themes. But once you get on with it, A.D. sure gives you one helluva experience.
SPOILERS FOLLOW.
A dumb, shallow and overly simplistic way to tell what A.D. is all about is to just say that there is this one crazy dude who plans to escape utopia over and over. I'm sure everybody else in the place are just chill with living forever, but no sir, not Mr. Cooke.
A deeper meaning of this would go somewhere in being free and being courageous and not anymore running away from whatever FUBAR situation a person experiences. Snyder's prose effectively delivers this message of chilling sadness and loneliness.
The prose part gets a bit long for my taste, and at times I felt like reading a novel instead of reading a graphic novel. Yet I understand that part, that for someone who has overcome death, he has all the time in the world to write volumes of journals.
A.D. After Death deserves to be seen in the big screen and I sincerely hope that that plan comes into fruition. This is a sad sci-fi story that everybody deserves to see, despite the fact that the story itself is a little alienating to others.
April 27, 2019
Pripada mi to zbytecne natahly, co se tady odehrava 3 booky by klidne mohlo byt v jednom.. Lemirova kresba je tady to nejlepsi a krasne k tomuhle melancholickymu pribehu sedne..
May 25, 2017
I enjoyed this series more than I expected after reading the first volume. I feared it would be full of superfluous "mystery" with no pay off. At the end, the only question left in my mind involves the question that I believe Snyder wants you left with. I thought the back and forth between longer narrative portions and the standard comic panel portions of the book gave it an interesting feel.
January 27, 2024
And with the conclusion of this series, I am underwhelmed by the end of this story. I was thoroughly compelled by the illustrations and the accompaniment of prose, but I find myself wondering “so what?” with the final scene.
There’s still so much I want to know and understand, even with the newfound knowledge that book two and three gave me on the genetic cure for mortality. Nonetheless, my revisit to this series has given me reason to begin thinking of my own personal legacy as we continue to age in this world of dwindling hope and increasing despair.
I do wonder what would happen if there was a cure for death - what would become of our psyche? What would become of who we are?
There’s still so much I want to know and understand, even with the newfound knowledge that book two and three gave me on the genetic cure for mortality. Nonetheless, my revisit to this series has given me reason to begin thinking of my own personal legacy as we continue to age in this world of dwindling hope and increasing despair.
I do wonder what would happen if there was a cure for death - what would become of our psyche? What would become of who we are?
May 26, 2017
What a strange ending...of sorts anyway. Ethereal and odd to look at, our memory challenged thief makes a discovery.
Excellent mini series.
Excellent mini series.
December 15, 2017
After reading book one, I wasn't quite sure what to think. After reading book two, I was excited that the story got on the right track. After reading book three, I'm left disappointed. Questions pop into my head: "That's it?" and "So what?" This is a story that appears full of big ideas, but doesn't seem too sure what those ideas are. And anything that's said about death, about immortality, about science doesn't feel very original. The concept, the world, and the characters are original, yes, but the ideas, not so much.
There's also a problem in the telling of the story. Snyder's prose sections are lengthy and long-winded. It becomes time-consuming to read through pages of prose that sometimes contributes to plot or ideas or character, but just as often repeats what was said before or is unnecessary. The story is at its best during the comic portions, which feel more refreshing in their fast-paced telling when compared to the time-consuming prose. Lemire's artwork is nice, as always, and he brings some energy to a rather plodding tale. No matter the way it's told, in the end I just felt underwhelmed by the conclusion. It felt like a lot of work, a long trudge through three books, to reach the end, and the reward is lacking.
There's also a problem in the telling of the story. Snyder's prose sections are lengthy and long-winded. It becomes time-consuming to read through pages of prose that sometimes contributes to plot or ideas or character, but just as often repeats what was said before or is unnecessary. The story is at its best during the comic portions, which feel more refreshing in their fast-paced telling when compared to the time-consuming prose. Lemire's artwork is nice, as always, and he brings some energy to a rather plodding tale. No matter the way it's told, in the end I just felt underwhelmed by the conclusion. It felt like a lot of work, a long trudge through three books, to reach the end, and the reward is lacking.
February 11, 2019
Co u prvního dílu uplně nefungovalo, funguje u druhýho a třetího. Tohle se zařadilo mezi ty nejlepší komiksy, který jsem kdy četl. Uplně mě to dostalo. Nemá smysl to rozkecávat.
June 2, 2017
The first book was odd and confusing, but I'm a patient reader. The second paid off in a big way, and rewarded you for the effort. This volume, though, devalues what came before. Too much of the narrative winds up being irrelevant to the actual story being told.
Lenore's art is beautiful and haunting, but Snyder seems to not really know what story he's telling, and ultimately winds up just sort of giving us a Christopher Nolan Memento twist. In the end, there's fascinating stuff here, but it's not satisfying as a story.
Lenore's art is beautiful and haunting, but Snyder seems to not really know what story he's telling, and ultimately winds up just sort of giving us a Christopher Nolan Memento twist. In the end, there's fascinating stuff here, but it's not satisfying as a story.
August 8, 2017
Conclusion with Book Three. A.D. is not what I thought it'd be. The way it began, I thought it'd be more about the world, people as a group with Jonah as the main catalyst for the plot. But it was smaller than that. It was all about Jonah the whole time. Which is fine, still well-written and thoughtful, just not quite what I expected.
I guess, for me, this story was more about memory than about death. Even though the while premise is this "cure" for death and what ends up happening right before that and well after. That base premise could have gone a lot of ways, but in the story people who have had the "cure" treatment do not age, cannot reproduce, and still are only able to remember one lifetime's worth of memories. And it's the memories that seemed to be the running theme, the driving force.
Who do we end up being when we don't remember our long past. Do we want to forget, are we horrified at having forgotten, do we end up longing for it to end, or enjoy the constant? Jonah struggles with those concepts throughout the three books and that struggle really becomes more clear in this third book.
I guess, for me, this story was more about memory than about death. Even though the while premise is this "cure" for death and what ends up happening right before that and well after. That base premise could have gone a lot of ways, but in the story people who have had the "cure" treatment do not age, cannot reproduce, and still are only able to remember one lifetime's worth of memories. And it's the memories that seemed to be the running theme, the driving force.
Who do we end up being when we don't remember our long past. Do we want to forget, are we horrified at having forgotten, do we end up longing for it to end, or enjoy the constant? Jonah struggles with those concepts throughout the three books and that struggle really becomes more clear in this third book.
April 25, 2025
I actually finished this book a couple days ago but didn’t know how to rate it.
I want to give this series 5 stars, bc I love the style of the prose. It’s really beautiful and full of lovely imagery. I really loved the world building and this diff approach to immortality and the questions of what it means to be human…
But I don’t think it should have been a graphic novel, or if it was, it should have been a different artist bc I don’t feel like this one ever connects with the text in a way that elevates instead of hurts it.
Along with this, the story doesn’t have nearly enough space for all that the author wanted to accomplish so the ending is abrupt and confusing and full of deus ex machina and plot holes
For example, we’ve been led to believe for the entire story, like 98% of it, that Claire can’t speak, it’s not even clear she can understand speech, except suddenly at the end she can???
It’s a shame bc the second volume was great and hard to put down…. and asked a lot of big questions I found really interesting… but in the end I am left wondering what it’s supposed to mean? Why is taking Claire back so important, especially when the world has ended? Is it bc she wants to die and can’t otherwise???
Was it trying to say we can’t escape the cycles we get caught up in??? I really don’t know, and I can’t ultimately recommend the series as it is. But I think if it was developed into a full novel, it could be amazing.
I want to give this series 5 stars, bc I love the style of the prose. It’s really beautiful and full of lovely imagery. I really loved the world building and this diff approach to immortality and the questions of what it means to be human…
But I don’t think it should have been a graphic novel, or if it was, it should have been a different artist bc I don’t feel like this one ever connects with the text in a way that elevates instead of hurts it.
Along with this, the story doesn’t have nearly enough space for all that the author wanted to accomplish so the ending is abrupt and confusing and full of deus ex machina and plot holes
For example, we’ve been led to believe for the entire story, like 98% of it, that Claire can’t speak, it’s not even clear she can understand speech, except suddenly at the end she can???
It’s a shame bc the second volume was great and hard to put down…. and asked a lot of big questions I found really interesting… but in the end I am left wondering what it’s supposed to mean? Why is taking Claire back so important, especially when the world has ended? Is it bc she wants to die and can’t otherwise???
Was it trying to say we can’t escape the cycles we get caught up in??? I really don’t know, and I can’t ultimately recommend the series as it is. But I think if it was developed into a full novel, it could be amazing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2019
Well, finally finished Scott Snyder’s AD After Death, I really must commend Snyder on this work it was surprising considering his usual superhero work in comic books in general. There he is well known as one who can put together some popular work. But here is a much more realistic based story about a man who has lived for a long time, the just being that nobody dies anymore because of a ‘cure’ to dying at the usual times, most die before 90 lately. This final volume isn’t as accomplished as the first two in my opinion. The ending is too abrupt and the leading to it not up to par, especially compared to the first volume which is the best one. I would have preferred a much bigger understanding of the ‘cure’ of living beyond the measly years before ‘ker-plunk’ to put it nicely. I felt that Snyder got a bit lost in this that he kept his character losing it, when the personal aspects of this work were far more interesting than otherwise. I would have preferred a more concrete enemy than the one chosen, he seemed just too weak, and the people left over in the story were nearly non-existent.
July 25, 2021
Back before the retreat, I'd thought of death as something understandable to me. Something I'd seen, or caught a glimpse of when my mother fell. The times I'd seen it since. It was physics. It was entropy. It was boom, down. Full stop.
This is so much more than a simple graphic novel. The story is split between tradition comic depicting the present and a more structured novel telling the past. It makes it something special and I feel it was needed to fully convey the story, which is deep and complex.
Set in a dystopian future, which has to be my favourite kind, humanity has found a cure for death. But one man, who helped create this eternal life, Jonah Cooke, can't escape the ghosts of his past. We flick between his past, learning about his secret pastime of stealing for order, whilst also seeing him question the future that he inhabits.
Having heard a signal from outside the retreat, outside the security of immortality, Jonah is determined to find out the truth of what lays beyond and what remains of humanity.
Go and find this, read it, and, hopefully, enjoy it as much as I did. 5 stars.
This is so much more than a simple graphic novel. The story is split between tradition comic depicting the present and a more structured novel telling the past. It makes it something special and I feel it was needed to fully convey the story, which is deep and complex.
Set in a dystopian future, which has to be my favourite kind, humanity has found a cure for death. But one man, who helped create this eternal life, Jonah Cooke, can't escape the ghosts of his past. We flick between his past, learning about his secret pastime of stealing for order, whilst also seeing him question the future that he inhabits.
Having heard a signal from outside the retreat, outside the security of immortality, Jonah is determined to find out the truth of what lays beyond and what remains of humanity.
Go and find this, read it, and, hopefully, enjoy it as much as I did. 5 stars.
February 23, 2018
(Rather than write three separate reviews, I'm just going to write one here, combining my thoughts on all three parts as a whole.)
So, I just finished this story, and I'm still processing the events that transpired. I'm not entirely sure how I should feel (sad, disappointed, hopeful, existential, introspective...). I kind of feel all of those, and maybe that was the intended effect. Snyder's story will DEFINITELY leave you with some philosophical food for thought. At times, I thought the prose parts got a little lengthy (primarily due to the layout), but that's not to say that the content was boring or bad. The story was actually very heart wrenching and engaging. While the first book was a little confusing, many of my questions were answered in the second book, and by the third, it was pretty darn clear what was going on.
At the end of the day, I felt like this was a unique story about our (humans) inability to accept death, our fear of it, and what we're willing to do to right our wrongs and face our fears head on.
So, I just finished this story, and I'm still processing the events that transpired. I'm not entirely sure how I should feel (sad, disappointed, hopeful, existential, introspective...). I kind of feel all of those, and maybe that was the intended effect. Snyder's story will DEFINITELY leave you with some philosophical food for thought. At times, I thought the prose parts got a little lengthy (primarily due to the layout), but that's not to say that the content was boring or bad. The story was actually very heart wrenching and engaging. While the first book was a little confusing, many of my questions were answered in the second book, and by the third, it was pretty darn clear what was going on.
At the end of the day, I felt like this was a unique story about our (humans) inability to accept death, our fear of it, and what we're willing to do to right our wrongs and face our fears head on.
March 1, 2020
I think the story is done a disservice by the plot synopsis focusing on the cure for the death and how that impacts the world. This is not a story about the world, it's a focused story about one man in that world. It's an important distinction. Once you settle in to the scope that it actually is, instead of what you might expect, it's a gripping read. Reading reviews of the earlier volumes in which people said they weren't going to continue, I think that expectations are important in going in to this series.
May 13, 2017
Excellent conclusion to a deep, original story. Book three provides needed context and explanations for the actions of the protagonist—which, up until this book, were motivated by events unknown to the reader of the first two books. Although I found the ending to be a bit lackluster compared to the rest of the book (and the series), overall this book was excellent. Definitely read the other two books first, then allow yourself plenty of time to wade through this philosophical story.
May 16, 2017
A.D. After Death, Book 3 is a satisfying conclusion to this strange collaboration between two of my favorite comic book creators. The revalations were surprising and bittersweet, and the ambiguous ending leaves readers with some interesting questions to ponder. I love a lot of the stuff Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire produce separately, and this graphic novel perfectly illustrates what makes each of them so good. I hope they collaborate again in the future.
June 13, 2017
After-Death is set in the future where a cure for death has been found and one man starts to question everything.
These are brilliant works of art. Instead of being a comic, this is more works of prose with water colour paintings surrounding it. The idea seems very innovative to me.
.
The story is brilliant with a very satisfying conclusion and I can see why both Lemire and Snyder are two of the biggest names in comics at the minute.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
These are brilliant works of art. Instead of being a comic, this is more works of prose with water colour paintings surrounding it. The idea seems very innovative to me.
.
The story is brilliant with a very satisfying conclusion and I can see why both Lemire and Snyder are two of the biggest names in comics at the minute.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
May 11, 2017
Oh my goodness.
I had to stop and absorb what I'd read more than a few times during Book Three. The reveal at the end was not a new idea, but combining it with that last panel was borderline evil.
This may turn out to be one of the single most beautiful pieces of art ever to be called a comic book.
I had to stop and absorb what I'd read more than a few times during Book Three. The reveal at the end was not a new idea, but combining it with that last panel was borderline evil.
This may turn out to be one of the single most beautiful pieces of art ever to be called a comic book.
November 6, 2017
I didn't know how I felt about this mini-series after #2. A lot fell on the 3rd and final installment. They really pulled it all together nicely. This series deserves more attention. Unique storytelling from some talented people.
May 15, 2017
Snyder and Lemire really nail the ending of this. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
June 12, 2017
A very interesting story with a plot twist that I didn't see coming. Really enjoyed this three book series.
June 16, 2017
I am lost for words... just so tired.
What the hell did I just read?!
Was the ending a cliffhanger?!
Who knows but I am glad it's done so that I can move on to better books!
What the hell did I just read?!
Was the ending a cliffhanger?!
Who knows but I am glad it's done so that I can move on to better books!
June 29, 2017
Disappointed.
August 7, 2017
Visually stunning; more satisfying as a material than textual object.
August 8, 2017
Beautiful insights.
August 19, 2017
Wow. Really crazy and good. This mini series was like reading an episode of the Twilight Zone.
April 30, 2018
This is pretty different. Its hard to tell who to trust as far as narrative, which makes it kind of interesting. I'm enjoying the story so far.
August 5, 2018
This is incredible! The graphics aren't that great. The typed narrative is distraction. The idea is incredible and mind blowing.
September 24, 2018
2.5
High potential, disappointing ending.
High potential, disappointing ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews