You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife

By Katie Kidwell

“We can see death as our enemy, and many do. But we can also choose to see death as a great motivator, the muse that has sustained artists for tens of thousands of years,” (page 6) writes Caitlin Doughty[i], a mortician and death positivity activist, in the foreword to You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife. The writers, illustrators, and letterists of this eclectic graphic novel anthology bring their art together to create “a memento mori for the modern age,” (page 6) as Doughty describes it – a work gently reminding us that death is inevitable, equalizing and instructive.

This well-rounded collection won Best Anthology at the 2022 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, and features works of fiction, non-fiction, mythology, and memoir. Some of the comics are straight-forward and informational, including “Good Mourning” by Karoline Grøvnik, which highlights Victorian rituals after death, and “Peat, Bone, Oak” by Laura Ketcham about the science of bog buried bodies. Others focus on culturally specific myths and rituals; “Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld” by Ahueonao retells an ancient Sumerian myth, while “All Souls’ Day” by Danielle Chuatico depicts the Filipino tradition of visiting a loved one’s grave for the holiday. Some stories, while fictional, still capture such emotion; “Still Life” by Ale Green and Fanny Rodriguez depicts parents struggling with the loss of their daughter while “Agnes and Patty” by Holly Adkins shows Agnes navigating Patty’s decision to upload her consciousness into an android doppelgänger after death.

This collection is diverse in a handful of ways. First, there are multiple depictions of queer relationships and many kinds of racial and ethnic diversity. Second, there are many different art styles throughout, all carrying a lot of richness, despite being in grayscale. Finally, the stories’ tones run the gamut from gentle, encouraging, and funny to harsh, melancholic, and deeply painful. This is in part because many of these stories take a personal approach to death and dying, rather than focusing on more clinical aspects, such as specific illnesses, autopsies, cremation, etc.

Because of the range, not all the art styles or storytelling carried equal impact, though I personally believe there are a few standout stories. “Funeral in Foam” by Casey Gilley (story), Raina Telgemeier (art) and Jen Hickman (lettering) won Best Short Story at the 2022 Eisners. One of the funnier stories in the collection, it shares how spreading a loved one’s ashes morphs into memories that help process the grief and honor someone’s memory. In Oliver Northwood’s “Ghost Friend,” Dana continues to summon her dead friend, who delivers one of the most poignant lines in the anthology: “You don’t have to let me go. You just have to keep on living.” (page 17). I was also personally moved to tears by SE Case’s “Remember,” the story of a dying woman whose final moments center on her family and finding how to let go. Certainly, my own connection to grief informs my interaction with You Died. When I lost my mother, I experienced grief as both universal and very isolating. I found that these comics in their totality capture that duality; there is power in both their specificity and broadness. These comics offer a candid, refreshing look at death, dying, the afterlife (or lack thereof), and grief; I suspect that anyone could find their fears, pain, questions, and wonder about death reflected in this anthology. Overall, You Died is a beautiful way of looking at the inevitability we all face without minimizing or invalidating the pain it causes. I strongly recommend this powerful collection.

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Katie Kidwell works at a medical library and a public library while finishing up her MS/LIS at Simmons University. She enjoys watching & arguing about movies, reading books and comic books, especially about grief, and living just outside of Boston.

[i] Editor’s note: Caitlin Doughty has written From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death (illustrated by Landis Blair) and Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death (illustrated by  Dianné Ruz). Both these books could be reviewed at this website; please contact us at  contact@graphicmedicine.org if interested.