Ain't No Grave, Am I Blue?
Creative Team
writer: SKOTTIE YOUNG
illustrator: JORGE CORONA
publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Reviewed by Rossano D’Angelo
Ain't No Grave is a five-issue miniseries that explores the delicate topic of death through a visual journey of grief in a Western-fantasy adventure.
In a desperate attempt to remain with her family, former outlaw Ryder, facing her own imminent death, embarks on a dangerous adventure to defeat Death. This series follows her violent adventure through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
The story begins with Ryder, alone and desperate, making her way through a desert in her quest to reach Death. As she goes on, she finds out that to make it to the end, she will need to face hard truths such as her violent past.
Written by Skottie Young and illustrated by Jorge Corona, this graphic novel invites readers to reflect on how we cope with grief and the pain that comes with it. This story balances Ryder’s quest of leveraging her shooting skills with the use of flashbacks. The storytelling is fluid and with color being a key component to the art.
Each chapter explores a different stage of grief, with a prominent colour representing each stage. This pattern becomes particularly evident in the fourth chapter, "Depression."
The chapter opens with a rainy blue sky, as the colour blue is often associated with feelings of sadness and depression. By the end of the issue, the intentional use of blue becomes evident once the ending changes to red.
This fourth issue stands out not just for its clever use of blue, but for the lack of dialogue. This allows the artwork to entirely drive the narrative, giving the reader freedom to interpret the story at their own pace.
The pain and loss is universal and Ain’t No Grave resonates with its discussion of tragedy and unique spin on the tale of death in a Western-fantasy scenario.