You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife from Iron Circus Comics collects two dozen original short comics about death. The anthology’s theme of death positivity is a welcome approach to the subject, and the tone of the comics is gentle and playful. Bestselling author Caitlin Doughty leads the anthology with a short essay introducing the concept of death as an artistic muse, and editors Andrea Purcell and Kel McDonald have honored the creative legacy of memento mori by assembling an Eisner Award-winning collection of joyous and thoughtful stories about our movement through natural cycles of life.
You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife
Edited by Andrea Purcell and Kel McDonald
Iron Circus Comics
March 30, 2021
You Died offers a rich panoply of different cultural views on death. This diversity of perspectives allows for both respected traditions and more modern approaches. A representative story is A. Miru Lee’s “Third Option,” in which a woman of Korean heritage is welcomed into death by a Christian angel and a Jeoseung Saja, a Korean grim reaper. Instead of deciding between which culturally specific afterlife she will enter, the woman chooses her own path and passes away with a peaceful smile on her face.
The legacy we leave behind is a major theme of the You Died anthology. This is especially important as we remember those who have passed on while respecting the cultural ties they maintained. Writer A. Shinozaki and artist Cheryl Young’s “I Promise” is an autobiographical comic about the writer’s grandmother, who originally came from the city of Fukuoka in Japan. Although she suffered from dementia as she grew older, she still shared her culture with her grandchildren, who connect to their heritage through her death as they send half of her ashes to her family in her home country.
Other stories invite the reader into a lush world of plants, animals, and mushrooms that symbolize a natural cycle of death and regrowth. The anthology’s opening piece, Letty Wilson’s “What Eats Us,” dramatizes the process of returning to the soil through a conversation between an anthropomorphized mushroom and the spirit of a recently deceased mouse. Likewise, Shae Beagle’s “Herd” uses animal characters to discuss the journey into the afterlife as a majestic ancestor spirit welcomes a newly deceased fawn into a peaceful grove. His final line, “We are so happy you’re home,” is a warm expression of death as a connection to a greater natural whole.
You Died is especially notable for its integration of queer relationships into natural cycles and cultural traditions. While some of the comics incorporate elements of queer identity into a larger story, others directly confront what it means to be the one left behind by the death of a partner.
In Nadia Shammas and Lisa Sterle’s “You Called to Me,” a woman named Sophia is charged with caring for the greenhouse built by her recently deceased wife, Samira. The greenhouse is home to a flock of caged birds, and Sophia processes her anger and sadness by allowing the birds to fly free. The birds serve as a compelling metaphor for grief, while the greenhouse is a more complicated analogy for Sophia and Samira’s marriage, a glass house that had to appear perfect to the eyes of a society suspicious of lifelong queer relationships.
Each of the various styles of art in You Died is unique. The majority of artists employ a soft and gentle style, and the anthology’s pages are filled with plants, flowers, feathers, and smiling faces. The comics are all monochromatic, and different artists take advantage of the contrast between black and white in various ways. Some lean into the dark of night, while others emphasize the brightness of sunlight or linger in the twilight of gray washes. Some of the comics are reminiscent of American cartoons, while others draw more inspiration from manga.
I admit I found the 2022 Eisner Award for Best Short Story winner, “Funeral in Foam,” to be discordant with the thoughtfulness of the other pieces in the anthology. In this autobiographical comic, the over-the-top silly art style and hyperactive zany antics of the characters seem out of place for a story about a family attempting to scatter the ashes of a deceased relative. “Funeral in Foam” nevertheless speaks to the distinguishing strength of the You Died anthology, which is its ability to bring joy to the somber topic of death.
As a recent social movement, death positivity is well worth exploring through art and stories. Death positivity is connected to other social justice movements that seek to erase the stigma surrounding normal human conditions such as aging and disability by challenging the modern capitalist demand that “healthy” members of society be at their maximum productive capacity at all times. This message is also expressed by many of the comics in the “Death” issue of the quarterly nonfiction comics anthology The Nib, which Emily Lauer reviewed here on WWAC.
Death nevertheless remains a difficult subject for many people. You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife understands this tension and respects both the critical importance of the topic and the feelings of the reader. As befits the theme of positivity, the anthology’s tone is gentle and uplifting. With its range of unique and beautiful art styles and its entertaining yet contemplative stories, You Died celebrates a diversity of lives in its embrace of a fascinating array of afterlives.
