A.D.: After Death Book 1 Review

A.D.: After Death #1 /

23 Nov 2016

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By Jesse Schedeen

Given that they run in similar circles and broke into mainstream superhero comics around the same time, it"s a little surprising that Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire haven"t directly collaborated on a comic book before. The closest they"ve come was the Rotworld crossover between Snyder"s Swamp Thing and Lemire"s Animal Man. And if there"s any one takeaway from the first volume of A.D.: After Death, it"s that these two should pair up more often.

A.D. has a pretty simple elevator pitch. It stars a man named Jonah Cooke who confronts his mortality (or lack thereof) in a near-future world where mankind has discovered the cure for death. But as Snyder and Lemire tend to be very character-driven storytellers, the concept and setting are secondary to Jonah himself. This first volume bounces between Jonah"s childhood and perpetual adult existence, devoting much more attention to what makes this character tick rather than delving into the nature of his world or the particulars of humanity"s death cure. It"s often frustrating to read high-concept sci-fi comics that seem more interested in world-building than establishing a compelling cast of characters or narrative. That"s not a issue here.

Again, Snyder and Lemire have similar storytelling sensibilities, and A.D. thrives because it taps into those shared strengths so well. Snyder tends to tackle his characters from a very intimate, sentimental perspective. It"s why so many of his superhero comics open with heroes reminiscing about experiences from their past. And Lemire"s stories often have an almost autobiographical, slice-of-life quality to them regardless of genre. That very much fuels their exploration of Jonah. The first chapter in this book sees the character reflecting on his first memory, a very dull, ordinary family vacation that nonetheless sets the stage for the conflict to come. It creates a strong, emotional undercurrent to the book and allows readers to become deeply invested in the character before the sci-fi setting takes hold.

A.D. also stands out because Snyder and Lemire take such a varied stylistic approach. Some chapters unfold as traditional sequential stories, while others are presented in the form of illustrated prose. Coupled with the nonlinear narrative, there"s certainly plenty of variety to be had in this book. More importantly, each section is expertly tailored to the type of story the two want to tell. The prose is reserved for those quiet, introspective looks at Jonah"s past. The scenes featuring an adult Jonah take a more spartan approach, focusing solely on Snyder"s nuanced dialogue and Lemire"s evocative artwork.

Lemire is really on fire throughout this issue. His distinctive style is a perfect fit for this story. His characters are warm and inviting and practically ooze emotion, His lush watercolors give the story a sentimental, wistful quality. The watercolors also stand out in a later sequence showcasing a bizarre, almost psychedelic storm cloud.

It"s impossible to understate the contribution of letterer Steve Wands. Wands" arrangement of the text in the prose sequences is crucial to their overall impact. He further enhances the impact of Snyder"s prose with his font choices, presenting the flashbacks in the form of aged typewriter text and a more traditional style in the sequential chapters.

As strong as this first volume is, it does leave a nagging sense that A.D. would have been better off published as a single graphic novel rather than three prestige format issues. That"s how it was originally announced, and the story definitely seems structured as one, continuous narrative rather than three discrete acts. The abrupt conclusion isn"t annoying so much as the lack of clarity regarding the overarching direction of the series. It"s clear that Jonah isn"t happy about his perpetual lease on life, but less so when it comes to what his actual intentions are or how he plans on dealing with that frustration. As much as this is a story where character trumps plot, a little more of the latter wouldn"t hurt.

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