Death Jr., Vol. 1

Death Jr. #1

by Gary Whitta, Ted Naifeh (Illustrator), Mike Mignola (Cover Art)

When a school field trip to the local museum coincides with coming-of-age angst and an overly inquisitive friend (a cute goth girl named Pandora), Junior releases something terrible on the world... and its up to him to fix it. Featuring an awesome cast of back-up characters including Stigmartha whose hands bleed when she gets nervous; Smith & Weston, two twins conjoined at the head and The Seep, a foul-mouthed, armless, legless fetus in a tube. He's your average, everyday, happy-go-lucky middle-school student... who just happens to be the son of the grim reaper.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror, Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Gary Whitta is an award-winning screenwriter best known for The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. He also co-wrote the Will Smith sci-fi movie After Earth, and was writer and story consultant on Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead. He is co-writer of the upcoming Star Wars movie Rogue One as well as the animated series Star Wars Rebels.

Reviews

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on the cheap at a Free Comic Book Day sale, mostly because it had a cover by Mike Mignola and interiors by Ted Naifeh. It was pretty cute and occasionally funny, but not up Naifeh's solo stuff. I really like the Beetlejuice-esque demons.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adorable comic book features the tale of Death Jr. - the spawn of the Grim Reaper - and his struggles to fit in at school. Lots of thoroughly amusing puns about death and wacky characters' names can be found on these pages. You will 'squee' in delight if you share my dark brand of humor.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! Some parts had me laughing and others made me not want to put it down!
I’m having a hard time figuring out who my favorite character is, though (haha).
While much of this story was a bit kiddish for me, I very much enjoyed the adult references to classic literature and the such.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say, making Death the hero in a story is quite compelling and a definite change in direction from most. I did enjoy this. I liked the multitude of themes it dealt with including friendship, growing up, doing the right thing, life and death, and family.

[Nick H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun little story, but it’s too one-note for me. None of the concepts are really taken far enough, and all the characters are cardboard cutouts. I’d kind of like to play the game after reading this though.

楽しいけどシンプルすぎる。キャラクターの深さが低い。ちょっとゲームを遊びたいけど

[Kelly K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started off as squee adorbs then it turned to deadly adorbs.
My middle school goth heart is happy.
I love.
Much amaze.
More want.
*grabby hands*

[Jenifer ♋ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido, más para público infantil pero cayó en mis manos y tuve que leerlo jeje.

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a blast with this. I should dust off my UMD and give the games another spin

[Erin Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Is. ADORABLE! So dang cute and hilarious. I laughed so much. Great artwork, great story, great messages about patience and friendship. Eager to read vol. 2

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanting to read through something out of the ordinary, the title caught my eye so I decided to give the comic a whirl. I found myself amused and drawn into the story.

The story begins with Death Jr., called DJ, going off to his first day at school. He lives in an average suburban home reminiscent of Leave It to Beaver. In fact, the Grim Reaper and Mrs. Reaper definitely have Ward and June-like personalities. At school, DJ learns that he is different from other kids, though he cannot see it. He befriends the other "special" kids: Pandora - who likes to open things, Stigmartha - who's palms bleed when stressed, Smith and Weston - conjoined twins, one with street smarts, the other a scientific genius, and Seep - an armless, legless body in a motorized bottle.

Though I found the characters funny, I found myself wanting more in Seep. His bad attitude and wore on me. Though he did prove his worth in the end, the character needs to be developed a little more. At the moment, he is little more than a cardboard cut out.

However, the overall story was fun. There is definitely several morals to the story of responsibility with power, growing up a little at a time, listening to your elders, friends are valuable and acceptance of other no matter their differences. The morals do not weigh the story down; in fact, they definitely help make the story. I never envisioned Ward Cleaver as the Grim Reaper until I picked up this book.

I do have a couple of other complaints. I noticed that Seep's wheels changed a time or two between panels from tracks to wheels. The artist needs to watch his panel continuity. Also a couple of clichés crept into the writing. I do not care if we occasionally speak in clichés in everyday life, I do not want to read it. The writer needs to remember to let his characters speak in their own words; they will be clever or not on their own.

I would definitely recommend this book as a fun read. Not my normal type of book, but it was definitely bizarre and entertaining.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for books about Death--as a character, at least. New Adventures of Death, Death Takes a Holiday--Death makes a great character in comics. In this one, we're mostly following Death's son and his friends (Pandora, Stigmartha, a pair of conjoined twins who share a brain, and something that I think was maybe a fetus in a jar?), who are trying to fit in while juggling the weirdness that comes with being friends with Death's kid. Who himself is trying to prove that he can do his dad's job, and that Dad Treat Him Like a Baby. We've all been there--we just didn't have the dangerous tools that DJ has.

The writing is okay--I'd pass it on to kids looking for something sort of goofy-fun--but what really holds this together is the art. Naifeh really made his name with Courtney Crumrin, and this is the same art style--it's a nice blend of goofy-cute and goth, appropriate for middle-school readers, I think. I'm going to go ahead and read volume 2 because it's already on my desk, but I don't think I'd really go out of my way for it. So, good, but not great.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ei ole helppoa olla kasvuiässä oleva poika amerikkalaisessa esikaupunkilähiössä, etenkin jos satut olemaan ulkonäöltäsi vähän poikkeava, koulussa kaveripiirisi koostuu lähinnä paikallisista friikeistä, ja isäsi ammatti asettaa sinulle monenmoisia paineita tulevaisuutta kohtaan.

Viikatemiehen pojan Death Juniorin elämä ei siis välttämättä ole sieltä helpoimmasta päästä, mutta muuttuuko tilanne paremmaksi kun salaperäinen, pitkään poissa ollut Mo-setä tulee mukaan kuvioihin? Ei tosiaankaan - mutta kun hätä on suurin, rientävät ystävät apuun, etunenässä goottityttö Pandora, jonka kyvystä (tai pikemminkin taipumuksesta) avata lukko kuin lukko on niin haittaa kuin hyötyä.

Gary Whittan käsikirjoittama ja Ted Naifehin kuvittama "Death, Jr" (Image, 2005) on nuorille ja nuorille aikuisille suunnattu sarjakuva, jossa yhdistyvät fantasia- ja kauhuainekset varsin viihdyttävällä tavalla. Soppaan on lisätty myös hyppysellinen huumoria: hihittelyä saivat aikaiseksi Viikatemiehen perheen kissaparat ja televisiokanavan haastattelema "Paikallinen kuollut kaveri" selkeine mielipiteineen.

Ja jos sarjakuvan kansikuva vaikuttaa tutulta, niin kyllä, Mike Mignolan käsialaahan se on.

[Cooper Mccay]

I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. Death JR. is about the child of the Grim Reaper who seems to kill everything that he touches. Death J.R is reffered to as Dj in the novel, the other main characters are Pandora, Seep, The Conjoined Twins and Stigmartha reffered to as Marty. These characters are Dj's friends that he meets by being grouped with for being different. The story continues with Dj and his friends trying to free his father Death from a box that is being kept by his evil brother Moloch. Will Dj and his friends succeed? My favorite line in the graphic novel was "Junior! You little Devil! Only Your First Day At School And You're Already Bringing Home The Ladies!" I thought that that line was hilarious. There is another part where Stigmartha pulls out a pad of paper and makes notes and says that this will make a great short story someday, then Seep says "Oh Sure If We Ever Get Out Alive, You Can Invite Us All To The Book Launch." I thought that was also funny because the characters are not supposed to know that they are in a book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death Jr. thinks he's ready to pick up a scythe but makes mistakes that his friends help him correct.

This is a cute, humorous graphic novel. Death doesn't understand why the kids at school think he's odd. He makes friends with the other misfits including a girl named Pandora who opens a box she shouldn't, letting out a spirit that has a grudge against Death Sr. There are several funny parts, including Death Jr. saying hello in the morning to his cat, Six, who quickly becomes Seven after the cat flees in terror from him and dies. His mother: "Do try to be careful this time, dear. The poor thing only has three lives left."

I loved the art when I read this years ago and realized on this re-read that it's by Ted Naifeh, whose work on "Courtney Crumrin" I adore.

There's a second volume which I was unaware of so I'm looking forward to continuing the story.

[Holly Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I add to reviews that have already been said? This is an amazing graphic novel. It was charming, witty, utterly well designed and engaging. DJ is a grim in training who comes across earnest and heartfelt (if a little dim) and the secondary characters make you root for them.

This is marketed to a young audience but that shouldn't put the adult reader off. There are themes woven expertly into the story and it has just enough pop to keep your interest. I particularly like the relationships between characters and a strong start, middle and finish.

If your looking for something a little spooky, a little fun, and wholesome look no further.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What kid hasn't felt like his father doesn't appreciate him, that he can do more than his father gives him credit for? Normally it leads to a few therapy sessions later in life, but it rarely leads to chaos on a worldwide and supernatural level! But that's exactly what happens when Death Jr - yup, DEATH is his daddy - makes a few blunders in this wacky graphic novel. I'd recommend this books to anyone who likes creepy characters, dastardly deeds, and some really weird looking illustrations. Great for middle school boys and reluctant readers.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so this concept is a little strange. I mean how nice can the grim reaper really be as a dad? As we find out in this book, it's a different kind of nice. It's a weird concept to have a comic book about the son of the Grim Reaper and there's another character named Pandora who can't seem to keep her hands off of locked boxes, chests, and other box-like things. It was cute and clever and still made you feel good at the end of the story.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm strangely fond of this graphic novel: there's something perfectly endearing about Death Jr and the author's simple decision not to try to explain what a young Pandora and other odd children are doing in the same middle school with him. I particularly love the idea of a scythe with metaphorical training wheels. An early image shows Death with a "World's Greatest Dad" coffee mug: that Pratchettesque moment alone makes it worth spending some time with these cartoony folk.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me a while ago and it's a cute story about finding your place in the world. DJ is off to school for the first time and doesn't realize he's just a little different. His dad is Death and he has trouble keeping his pets alive and lets face it, he's really just a bunch of bones. But he wants to have friends and he wants his dad to pay more attention to him. This leads to trouble and his new group of misfit friends band together to help him rescue dear old dad.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Ted Naifeh's Couurtney Crumrin series a while ago and really loved it, but didn't really get into other things I tried by him. I must not have looked hard enough, because Death Jr. is a gem. Making a young grim reaper into a sweet little kid is probably not easy to do convincingly, but he and Gary Whitta have done it here. The humor is sharp, the story and characters fun. I'll be recommending this at both my jobs every chance I get.

[Jacquie Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up knowing nothing and not sure what to expect and found myself laughing my way through the whole thing (loudly). This was adorable and hilarious and I loved all the characters. I liked how there were so many subtle jokes placed in the little details in the pannels, and really enjoyed the colorful art style. Definitely want to read more of this.

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains some non-graphic cat deaths (my kid can't handle that kind of thing, graphic or not). Otherwise, nothing too spooky in this one. It's a coming of age story with a different sort of hero and heroic pals. Appropriate for readers 12+.

If you liked Death, Jr., you should try the Gunnerkrigg Court series by Thomas Siddell or Nine Tenths: The Slider by Alex Anstey.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and quirky if a bit oddly paced, I liked the art, especially how differently Death was drawn than the rest of the world.
The story was interesting, it was clearly more an intro into the world than a strong, stand on it's own story and for that it worked quite well.
A good start and a series I am looking forward to reading more of.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of reminds me a bit of Invader Zim meets I Luv Halloween or something what with the art style and the tone I guess? Anyway, this was interesting good but interesting and of course weird. Good read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little book. I've never read anything by Gary Whitta before, but Ted Naifeh can be wonderful at times (Polly & the Pirates). Death Jr (DJ) and Pandora (Pan) are the best designed and most entertaining characters in the book, though Death the Elder is hilarious as well.

[Rowal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cerita: Gary Whitta
Gambar: Ted Naifeh

kerrenn!!
dunia horror fantasy nya naifeh emang mantebh deh!
hohohoho..

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful :) I love what a good father Death is.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute graphic novel about the Grimm Reaper's son and his adventures. Mostly really liked it because the art is by one of my favorite artists, Ted Naifeh.

[Teleatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good. In English we are doing Sci-fi and fantasy unit and we read this. I loved it, he is so adorable!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually cute. Way better than the video game it was based off of.