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Joe Death and the Graven Image
Somewhere between Mike Mignola, A Fistful of Dollars , and Johnny Cash's Ghost Riders in the Sky , this tale is an adventurous take on the existential hitman, set against a dreamy western backdrop populated by witches, spirits, ghouls, and other monsters. Joe Death explores what it means for Death to undo what he does best. More importantly, what is the true cost of salvation?
After surviving a brutal massacre, the last surviving heir of the town of Hard Hollow is kidnapped by the bloodthirsty bandit, Scary Harry. The spirit of Hard Hollow enlists Joe Death-a six-shooter-totin' grim reaper-to rescue the child. Joe ventures out into the Valley, a desert world with mountains on all sides whose heights reach into the heavens and fissures dive into the underworld itself. He meets all manner of strange characters, creatures, and monsters; each of them all too familiar with Joe's typical line of work.
Emerging writer Benjamin Schipper dives deep into this tale of the reaper with a name, employing a beautiful and quirky style that gives this macabre odyssey all the heart, humor, and tension essential to a modern masterpiece.
After surviving a brutal massacre, the last surviving heir of the town of Hard Hollow is kidnapped by the bloodthirsty bandit, Scary Harry. The spirit of Hard Hollow enlists Joe Death-a six-shooter-totin' grim reaper-to rescue the child. Joe ventures out into the Valley, a desert world with mountains on all sides whose heights reach into the heavens and fissures dive into the underworld itself. He meets all manner of strange characters, creatures, and monsters; each of them all too familiar with Joe's typical line of work.
Emerging writer Benjamin Schipper dives deep into this tale of the reaper with a name, employing a beautiful and quirky style that gives this macabre odyssey all the heart, humor, and tension essential to a modern masterpiece.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2023
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 18, 2023
So.
Bear with me.
There's this large.. man, is it a man? I don't really know, anyway - this large man who is now a sort of living dead/undead skeleton (we get flashbacks where he is a non-skeleton man), and this is the Joe Death of the title, and he travels around to do jobs for people, and people recognise him as being one of his people, and he is accompanied by a little character, who turns out to be a moth I think, but he is drawn in a way so that it took me a while to get that he's an insect, anyway - he has a little house on Joe Death, as in: literally ON him, a little house with a little bed and this moth gives Joe advice and helps him.. later on we get to see that other people also have their own little insect companions, in FACT there is a whole little insect world, where the insects know eachother and they have their own storylines, ANYWAAY an evil gang kills everyone in a village and steals a baby, and Joe Death has to get the baby back, Joe'll get a garden I think (???), and the baby has been stolen for a witch who turns up a little later and the whole thing ends on a cliffhanger, at least I THINK it's a cliffhanger.
And there are reams of text, lots of monologues and monologues disguised as dialogue, and normally I'd have a problem with that, but NOT IN THIS CASE, because the writing works towards some VERY atmospheric worldbuilding. It WORKS. It takes FOREVER to read, but it WORKS!
I really can't say I've understood everything regarding the story, but you might've already guessed that. Normally that could've bothered me, but here I just let it wash over me.
The art is a mix between creepy and goofy - yep, there's a lot of Mignolian shadow work, but the art also reminds me of The Yellow Submarine and Sesamestreet animations from the 70s..? You know the kind, inspired by the counter culture of the time, juuuust a little bit too weird for kids, making it slightly unnerving.
The artist writes at the end of the book that he hopes the book will do well, because we need more unconventional storytelling in comics, and I totally agree. And he says he has plans for many more books in the series, and I hope he gets to make them, because this first book starts a lot of stories, but doesn't end them. This feels like one of those books that will only grow in quality the longer the series becomes - it's the difference between a book full of promises and the rich, layered story I'd expect/hope this series would become.
4.5 stars!! Yes, a weird score for a weird book!! Read it, make up your own mind!!!
*tears off clothes, runs off naked*
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing a review copy through Edelweiss)
Bear with me.
There's this large.. man, is it a man? I don't really know, anyway - this large man who is now a sort of living dead/undead skeleton (we get flashbacks where he is a non-skeleton man), and this is the Joe Death of the title, and he travels around to do jobs for people, and people recognise him as being one of his people, and he is accompanied by a little character, who turns out to be a moth I think, but he is drawn in a way so that it took me a while to get that he's an insect, anyway - he has a little house on Joe Death, as in: literally ON him, a little house with a little bed and this moth gives Joe advice and helps him.. later on we get to see that other people also have their own little insect companions, in FACT there is a whole little insect world, where the insects know eachother and they have their own storylines, ANYWAAY an evil gang kills everyone in a village and steals a baby, and Joe Death has to get the baby back, Joe'll get a garden I think (???), and the baby has been stolen for a witch who turns up a little later and the whole thing ends on a cliffhanger, at least I THINK it's a cliffhanger.
And there are reams of text, lots of monologues and monologues disguised as dialogue, and normally I'd have a problem with that, but NOT IN THIS CASE, because the writing works towards some VERY atmospheric worldbuilding. It WORKS. It takes FOREVER to read, but it WORKS!
I really can't say I've understood everything regarding the story, but you might've already guessed that. Normally that could've bothered me, but here I just let it wash over me.
The art is a mix between creepy and goofy - yep, there's a lot of Mignolian shadow work, but the art also reminds me of The Yellow Submarine and Sesamestreet animations from the 70s..? You know the kind, inspired by the counter culture of the time, juuuust a little bit too weird for kids, making it slightly unnerving.
The artist writes at the end of the book that he hopes the book will do well, because we need more unconventional storytelling in comics, and I totally agree. And he says he has plans for many more books in the series, and I hope he gets to make them, because this first book starts a lot of stories, but doesn't end them. This feels like one of those books that will only grow in quality the longer the series becomes - it's the difference between a book full of promises and the rich, layered story I'd expect/hope this series would become.
4.5 stars!! Yes, a weird score for a weird book!! Read it, make up your own mind!!!
*tears off clothes, runs off naked*
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing a review copy through Edelweiss)
April 10, 2023
While I liked the art style it could be at times be hard to follow the story.
Combined with the equally unclear writing, such as characters repeating themselves (a strange stylistic choice or a printing error?) as well as unclear jumps between time, location and character meant events were just hard to follow, especially at the end. One key event happens off panel and was so unclear I wondered if my copy was missing pages…
I appreciate keeping things vague and unexplained can create mystery and intrigue but in this book the story telling choices just caused confusion and frustration.
Combined with the equally unclear writing, such as characters repeating themselves (a strange stylistic choice or a printing error?) as well as unclear jumps between time, location and character meant events were just hard to follow, especially at the end. One key event happens off panel and was so unclear I wondered if my copy was missing pages…
I appreciate keeping things vague and unexplained can create mystery and intrigue but in this book the story telling choices just caused confusion and frustration.
September 22, 2023
Reading the reviews here, it seems like most people are just utterly confused by anything that isn't clearly and explicitly spelled out for them. This book is full of ambiguity and nuance, both in its art style and its writing. It tells a beautiful, moving tale, yet with not-so-subtle Christian themes. Though I'm not entirely sure it sticks the dismount, it was definitely an interesting and thought-provoking read. I hope Benjamin Schipper gets to make more of these, and finds an audience with a bit stronger reading and art comprehension. An audience who wants to put thought into the art they consume (rather than just see big muscle guys punching and narrating their every simple thought.)
If you like smart comics, PLEASE don't pay any attention to all these dumb reviews, of which 90% are people saying "I dont get it. This was confusing."
If you like smart comics, PLEASE don't pay any attention to all these dumb reviews, of which 90% are people saying "I dont get it. This was confusing."
April 27, 2023
This is the most fun I've had reading a comic since I was introduced to Calvin and Hobbes when I was a kid. This is not hyperbole: I started reading this book and could not put it down. I read the whole thing cover to cover in one sitting. The art is breathtaking, and the story is infinitely fascinating. As far as critiques go, I noticed several spelling issues. There are instances where the words 'access' and 'bridgeman' are misspelled. There appear to be a couple instances where a sentence is repeated (not for emphasis). There's one instance where a speech bubble seemingly points to the wrong character who is speaking. There appears to be a spelling inconsistency in the town called 'Säugherdough Idway' (whether it has an umlaut or not).
Verdict: For the next book, I'd love to see a smaller font that doesn't require lots of hyphenating. I think bolding or italicizing the names of places would be nice. I have no problems with the art, or the story, just the odd misspelling or editing whoopsidaisy. Ultimately, if some freak accident occurred where my copy were sent out with no speech bubbles at all, I'd still love this book. The storytelling is so well done, and I can't wait to see what comes next!
Verdict: For the next book, I'd love to see a smaller font that doesn't require lots of hyphenating. I think bolding or italicizing the names of places would be nice. I have no problems with the art, or the story, just the odd misspelling or editing whoopsidaisy. Ultimately, if some freak accident occurred where my copy were sent out with no speech bubbles at all, I'd still love this book. The storytelling is so well done, and I can't wait to see what comes next!
August 10, 2023
The most verbose graphic novel I have ever read. Lucky me I enjoy an overly-talkative western. And that spooky, shadowy art style? Rad.
7/10
7/10
May 14, 2023
The art is great - like a mix of Mignola & Tradd Moore. The story is a bit hard to follow - could have used a good editor.
August 4, 2023
I found Joe Death to be visually stunning. Every panel and page is thoughtfully designed and carefully executed. Crisp contrasts flow around the spreads, defining shapes and details. Subtle, muted, rich color themes tie the contrasts together while vibrant pops of chroma draw the reader's attention to various focal points.
The characters are designed well, with strong relationships to shape and negative space. There are hints of the golden age of animation, art nouveau, classic western film, and the iconic art of Mike Mignola - and they all mesh well, creating a completely fresh visual style.
To me, the story seems to happen within the strong pairing between the heady, poetic language of the characters and the mysterious flow of the visuals. Throughout the first 3rd of the novel, I enjoyed the somewhat dense and enigmatic dialogues and the feeling of never really knowing where we were heading. I did begin to struggle to keep up the mental stamina I needed in order to continue to catch and tie together various key pieces of dialogue that were less than obvious to me. Because of this, I would catch myself not actually understanding where I was in the plot, if the plot had changed on me, or sometimes if I'd potentially missed the introduction of a character I was now unsure about. To be fair, the drawing style resulted in drastic simplification of characters as scenes zoomed out, which may have led to me not always knowing right away who was who.
There are some very deep, existential and spiritual themes being unpacked within the story, though, and in the moments where my brain was clicking with the prose, I felt the want to pause and think on it for a moment. And amid the darker themes, there is a thread of true redemption woven through.
As a slower reader myself, I probably would have enjoyed a little bit more everyday chitchat and small talk sprinkled within the dialogue. Some clearer, less than poetic, everyday talk of where we were heading and why. But there is a great deal of depth to the dialogue. I'm certain that I would benefit by reading through it a second time, now that I've gotten a better handle on some of the quirks in its phraseology.
I'll note that though the art will likely appeal to young readers due to its visually striking cartoon sensibilities, it is very much a story aimed at older readers and adults. The plot can frequently be deep and dark, and there are mature visual themes and some brief heavy language.
Hopefully the story will have the opportunity to unfold further in subsequent novels.
The characters are designed well, with strong relationships to shape and negative space. There are hints of the golden age of animation, art nouveau, classic western film, and the iconic art of Mike Mignola - and they all mesh well, creating a completely fresh visual style.
To me, the story seems to happen within the strong pairing between the heady, poetic language of the characters and the mysterious flow of the visuals. Throughout the first 3rd of the novel, I enjoyed the somewhat dense and enigmatic dialogues and the feeling of never really knowing where we were heading. I did begin to struggle to keep up the mental stamina I needed in order to continue to catch and tie together various key pieces of dialogue that were less than obvious to me. Because of this, I would catch myself not actually understanding where I was in the plot, if the plot had changed on me, or sometimes if I'd potentially missed the introduction of a character I was now unsure about. To be fair, the drawing style resulted in drastic simplification of characters as scenes zoomed out, which may have led to me not always knowing right away who was who.
There are some very deep, existential and spiritual themes being unpacked within the story, though, and in the moments where my brain was clicking with the prose, I felt the want to pause and think on it for a moment. And amid the darker themes, there is a thread of true redemption woven through.
As a slower reader myself, I probably would have enjoyed a little bit more everyday chitchat and small talk sprinkled within the dialogue. Some clearer, less than poetic, everyday talk of where we were heading and why. But there is a great deal of depth to the dialogue. I'm certain that I would benefit by reading through it a second time, now that I've gotten a better handle on some of the quirks in its phraseology.
I'll note that though the art will likely appeal to young readers due to its visually striking cartoon sensibilities, it is very much a story aimed at older readers and adults. The plot can frequently be deep and dark, and there are mature visual themes and some brief heavy language.
Hopefully the story will have the opportunity to unfold further in subsequent novels.
April 24, 2023
I enjoyed the imaginative and bizarre world created by the author but the narrative was too disjointed.
December 10, 2023
i had never heard of this before but i saw it at the library and picked it up! would definitely want to read more
December 11, 2022
trigger warning
When a child disappears, Joe Death gets tasked with finding the boy and saving him.
We have a tall guy with a hat and his sidekick, a bug, travelling on horseback through a weird world.
The drawing style is very abstract, and I did not get along with it at all. Similiarly, I had problems following the narrative, especially when it jumped from one pov to another.
Did not care for the story or the characters at all and only read on to finish this volume.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
When a child disappears, Joe Death gets tasked with finding the boy and saving him.
We have a tall guy with a hat and his sidekick, a bug, travelling on horseback through a weird world.
The drawing style is very abstract, and I did not get along with it at all. Similiarly, I had problems following the narrative, especially when it jumped from one pov to another.
Did not care for the story or the characters at all and only read on to finish this volume.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
April 12, 2024
I’m not quite sure I followed the story completely but I enjoyed it. I also didn’t know I needed to see an art style combining Fleischer cartoons and Mike Mignola until now and I’m delighted I found it.
October 20, 2023
Every once in a while I come across a book that genuinely excites me by daring to be different. With publishers increasingly playing it safe with what they put out, it’s a phenomenon that seems to happen less and less. I can recall delighting in the discovery of District 14 from Humanoids, the work of Joe Daly, and more recently Headlopper from Image. All of them have a style of their own that sets them apart from the crowd, but they also, somehow, manage to capture a sense of nostalgia in their art.
This is something that Benjamin Schipper has achieved, too. It tells a completely original story that mixes fantasy, western, and the wide-eyed rubber-hose animation of the 1930s.
There’s also an inescapable similarity with Mike Mignola, but the end result is something altogether of its own.
Following a mass killing, and the abduction of a mother and child, an eerie skeletal figure undertakes the task of righting the wrong. It’s a story of demons, witches, redemption and justice, and it plays out in a world oddly juxtaposed between cute and friendly cartoon faces and brooding, sinister danger.
The lead character himself is an oddity, arguably designed in the first place to resemble the grim reaper, but as the backstory fleshes him out, it reveals that there’s far more to him than that. And he’s no lone cowboy or lawman either. His constant companion, living in his chest cavity, is Bloo, a moth. The insects of this world live parallel lives to the larger creatures, complete with their own culture, despite the fact that we encounter several of them travelling with their giant-sized friends.
The second-level cuteness contrasts heavily with the demonic possessions and blood sacrifice, and perhaps in different hands it would jar too much to work, but Schipper pulls it off. And although he sets up situations, he’s in no hurry to explain the reasons why this mixed-up world operates in the way it does. It’s tantalising, audacious and smart, where the added mystery helps keep it captivating.
Schipper’s cartooning, particularly when he goes wordless, is great visual storytelling, building the tension as it holds your gaze. I liked this a lot, and I really do hope he’s given every opportunity to expand upon the characters and scenarios he’s created here. We need more books as daring and entertaining as this.
This is something that Benjamin Schipper has achieved, too. It tells a completely original story that mixes fantasy, western, and the wide-eyed rubber-hose animation of the 1930s.
There’s also an inescapable similarity with Mike Mignola, but the end result is something altogether of its own.
Following a mass killing, and the abduction of a mother and child, an eerie skeletal figure undertakes the task of righting the wrong. It’s a story of demons, witches, redemption and justice, and it plays out in a world oddly juxtaposed between cute and friendly cartoon faces and brooding, sinister danger.
The lead character himself is an oddity, arguably designed in the first place to resemble the grim reaper, but as the backstory fleshes him out, it reveals that there’s far more to him than that. And he’s no lone cowboy or lawman either. His constant companion, living in his chest cavity, is Bloo, a moth. The insects of this world live parallel lives to the larger creatures, complete with their own culture, despite the fact that we encounter several of them travelling with their giant-sized friends.
The second-level cuteness contrasts heavily with the demonic possessions and blood sacrifice, and perhaps in different hands it would jar too much to work, but Schipper pulls it off. And although he sets up situations, he’s in no hurry to explain the reasons why this mixed-up world operates in the way it does. It’s tantalising, audacious and smart, where the added mystery helps keep it captivating.
Schipper’s cartooning, particularly when he goes wordless, is great visual storytelling, building the tension as it holds your gaze. I liked this a lot, and I really do hope he’s given every opportunity to expand upon the characters and scenarios he’s created here. We need more books as daring and entertaining as this.
December 27, 2023
What a peculiar experience. As graphic novels go, this one was a baffler. On the one hand, its style is remarkable...lush, organic, and technically excellent. Schipper plays about with paneling transitions, shading of speech bubbles, and the intentionally varying forms of characters in ways I honestly haven't encountered, and it was both fascinating and a little dizzying.
The narrative is...huh. It's just immensely difficult to follow. Characters surface and then vanish. Portentous exchanges occur, but then through lines blur and dissipate, then recoalesce in what appears to be a variant form. References are made to events and things without context. Add in the experimentation with paneling flow and character form, and it's...hoo. The effect is more than a little hallucinatory, and even having read it, I'm not entirely sure how I'd describe the story arc to anyone.
If you want a clean linear narrative, this may not be for you. If you're up for something well off the beaten path, you might find this engaging...and it certainly is a visual feast. A three point three.
The narrative is...huh. It's just immensely difficult to follow. Characters surface and then vanish. Portentous exchanges occur, but then through lines blur and dissipate, then recoalesce in what appears to be a variant form. References are made to events and things without context. Add in the experimentation with paneling flow and character form, and it's...hoo. The effect is more than a little hallucinatory, and even having read it, I'm not entirely sure how I'd describe the story arc to anyone.
If you want a clean linear narrative, this may not be for you. If you're up for something well off the beaten path, you might find this engaging...and it certainly is a visual feast. A three point three.
March 19, 2023
This was just an absolute mess. It's about this guy who goes after a missing child when the rest of his family is murdered in a West populated by witches and the like. After that I lost track of what was even happening. The book kept switching to new characters that didn't seem to have anything to do with the story. Everyone droned on and on, there's so much talking but saying nothing. There's a whole another insect world that I guess people there use like familiars. I had no idea what was happening. The art is really strange and hard to decipher at times.
The funny thing about this is the author writes a note at the end to readers to support him because there's not enough "different" comics out there. If the "different" comics are like this, I'll take the homogeneous comics instead. This was awful and this is coming from someone who likes a lot of strange and different shit.
The funny thing about this is the author writes a note at the end to readers to support him because there's not enough "different" comics out there. If the "different" comics are like this, I'll take the homogeneous comics instead. This was awful and this is coming from someone who likes a lot of strange and different shit.
March 31, 2024
More of a book of poetry and philosophy in comic book form than a comic proper, I thought this was a really beautiful piece of narrative. A bit difficult to follow sometimes in the way all art that is descended from Mike Mignola's style can be hard to follow, and full of long intense monologues, I enjoyed this book but found the work necessary to get the most out of it a bit beyond the energy I had available to put in while reading it this week. Maybe on another pass I'll get more out of it.
That said, the book is thoughtful in it's poetic style of plotting, and wrought with a lot of skill and passion. If you're looking for something fresh and wild like a desert after rain, it's absolutely worth your time.
That said, the book is thoughtful in it's poetic style of plotting, and wrought with a lot of skill and passion. If you're looking for something fresh and wild like a desert after rain, it's absolutely worth your time.
April 29, 2023
Nice art direction, fancy fantasy setting, quite completely marred with all of the text I had to read and understand. Entire walls of text, and flowery language that added nothing to the world and only forced me to concentrate on it more to keep track of what was going on and to whom and why, and at the end of the day it didn't make that much sense. If you'd cut the majority of the words out, simplified the text, let the art carry the story more, maybe keep better track of what's happening, and this could easily have been a four-star.
Shame.
Shame.
September 24, 2023
This book is long and creepy and goofy and so wondrously WEIRD. It's got long speeches and monologues and heaping walls of text that are beautiful alongside some bizarre weird abstract artwork. It builds a world with so much feeling and depth to it, pushing and pulling at bits of story I don't entirely understand but I can still feel what they mean.
September 11, 2024
"You have found the perpetual story! She is still being written, as we all are."
This novel is written and drawn with care, love and great intent. I can't say it didn't feel disjointed at time but not so much that I didn't enjoy it extremely.
I'll be sure to read any further entries in Joe's story
This novel is written and drawn with care, love and great intent. I can't say it didn't feel disjointed at time but not so much that I didn't enjoy it extremely.
I'll be sure to read any further entries in Joe's story
May 26, 2023
A graphic novel is supposed to tell a story using both images and words to tell a story. It’s pretty rare when one is unsuccessful in both areas…
June 8, 2023
DNF @ 54 pages in. Fun to look at, large incomprehensible.
August 21, 2023
Ugh.
This was an absolute shame. I do like the art style but following the narrative is a massive chore.
This was an absolute shame. I do like the art style but following the narrative is a massive chore.
October 27, 2023
Wonderful art - Loony Tunes mixed with Mike Mignola, classic “weird” Dark horse book.
Story is all over the place and doesn’t tie together well. It’s great to look at but a pain to read.
Story is all over the place and doesn’t tie together well. It’s great to look at but a pain to read.
May 19, 2025
nice to look at, hard to follow
March 15, 2024
this one just wasn't for me. I get it, but it just was not for me. I both liked and disliked the art in this. The colors were great. I definitely understand people saying the story is disjointed and unclear. Also the repeated text does really come off like a printing error even though I'm sure it's on purpose. It's not that the story is hard to follow but...it would have benefitted from being clearer or having more context text boxes or something. It sort of feels like this is volume 3 of a series and you just picked it up on a whim having never read the prior volumes.
The positive reviews implying that the people who don't like this book are dumb or saying they "don't get it" bugs me a little (no pun intended if you've read the book). It's fully possible to not like this book and still "get it". It's giving "if you don't like this classic it's because you're too dumb to get it" energy. Do better. Be nicer.
The positive reviews implying that the people who don't like this book are dumb or saying they "don't get it" bugs me a little (no pun intended if you've read the book). It's fully possible to not like this book and still "get it". It's giving "if you don't like this classic it's because you're too dumb to get it" energy. Do better. Be nicer.
January 29, 2024
This book is fantastic and borrows from a literary tradition. Most comics seem to recycle narratives found within the medium, but this narrative manages to extend itself to something beyond the comics medium. It is exquisite, and I think is an excellent narrative.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews