Review by Booklist Review
Eisner and Harvey Award--winning writer Zdarsky has partnered with Canadian illustrator Loo to create an epic jaunt through the multiple levels of the afterlife in this hybrid fantasy-action drama. Janice Chen is a normal girl with a new car, working for a ridesharing company. One day she picks up a devious passenger with a destination to the fiery pits of Hell, and he takes her along for the ride of her life! Zdarsky's exceptional, off-the-wall storytelling skills are accompanied by Loo's sharp, beautifully illustrated panels. The stunning coloring in these pages makes the artwork pop and elevates the story throughout. Originally published digitally, Afterlift won the 2020 Eisner for best digital comic, and this collection of the complete limited series is its first time in print. There's not much like this on the market, and with appeal for both seasoned comics fans and newcomers to the format, this is a must-have for public library comics collections. Buckle up and hang on to your seats, because you're in for a ride!
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dante's Inferno meets Uber in this intoxicatingly ingenious Eisner Award winner for Best Digital Comic, collected here in a trade volume. Demon Dumu has been sent to escort Suzanna, dead of an overdose, to his master Lucifer down below, and tricks rideshare driver Janice Chen into becoming their Charon across the River Styx. Hot on their trail are demons Pythazus, Zeniakra, and Gornaux, and Janice's only ally may be the fallen angel Twyzel of purgatory. Zdarsky (the Sex Criminals series) infuses his plot with clever moments (the clock on Janice's phone suddenly ticks to 666) and touching scenes where Janice must confront shame from her past and her own crisis of faith following a family tragedy. Artist Loo (The Pitiful Human-Lizard series) efficiently blends the mundane with the fantastic in character designs and adds dynamism to the many car chases. Going deeper than a simple good vs. evil narrative, the tale begs questions about organized religion and faith, and lands a tricky finish with emotional fidelity. The broader themes will appeal beyond just fans of the chase adventure genre--though they'll find plenty to cheer on here, too. It's a weird, wild ride well worth taking. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Late one night, ride-share driver Janice Chen picks up a charming fare who quickly reveals himself to be a charismatic demon named Dumu. After transforming Janice into a ghostlike entity, Dumu explains that she'll be restored only if she agrees to help him deliver the soul of a recently deceased woman named Suzanna to Hell. Janice initially agrees to Dumu's terms, but after realizing that she and Suzanna are both haunted by regret over past tragedies, the two women set out on a desperate race across the afterlife, in search of salvation. With a demonic horde in hot pursuit, they take refuge with Twyzel, an exiled angel with a sorrowful backstory of his own. A series of vicious battles and narrow escapes ensues before our protagonists find themselves standing at the gates of heaven, where they discover that vanquishing their pursuers isn't nearly as difficult as forgiving themselves. VERDICT Zdarsky (Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky. Vol. 4) delivers a richly imagined, action-packed story, in which artists Loo (Pitiful Human Lizard: Far From Legendary) and Alleyne deliver with vigorous flair. This collection included the entire five-issue series, originally published online and the winner of an Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2020.
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