Book Review - "The Beautiful Death": A fantastic post-apocalyptic graphic novel

I enjoy reading, and take immense pleasure from tucking into my Kindle after a long day's work. However, when I really want to treat myself I like to read Graphic Novels. I offer to the reader that this medium can provide unique experiences through a combination of word and artwork, and should be judged separately from "classical" literature.

The Beautiful Death from Titan Comics

As I love tales of dystopian or post-apocalyptic words, I chanced upon "The Beautiful Death", a new 5-part series from French creator Mathieu Bablet. This is titled La Belle Mort in French, which undoubtedly sounds more enticing. I glanced at a few scenes and was immediately reminded of some classic horror manga by the Japanese legend which is Kazuo Umezu, as well as the great Junji Ito.

Basically, this is a tale set on our planet, where insects of varying sizes have taken over and humanity, as we know it, has ended. We follow three survivors who are trying to survive in this desolate world, as they follow and repeat their routine of finding a shop or home to get some canned food. They haven't met anyone else in a long time.

Giant alien caterpillars? Source: Titan Comics

I won't give much else of the plot away, suffice to say that it is gripping and the relationship between the characters grabs you from the beginning. What I love about this story, and indeed much Japanese manga, is that you can't take anything for granted. The world and the protagonists are never black-and-white, but multiple shades of grey. Perhaps this is often missing in other graphic novels where there is often a hero we need to "root" for.

A desolate world awaits you. Source: Titan Comics

The world depicted in both the writing and the illustrations is barren and isolating, and the choices that the characters have to make are equally stark, leaving a "What would you do" theme throughout. The finale to the book left me gasping and has stayed with me for a while. In fact, it has rekindled my love of short-series books, as one can pick them up and finish them in an evening in the time it takes to watch a movie. I'm going to look out for this author in future, and indeed he has opened my eyes to other French artists in this medium.

If you have read this far, please feel free to share any books that you have read. I would be particularly interested in other dystopian or post-apocalyptic stories where the characters are complex and the reader is made to think.