Image Comics reviews 9/11/24 – Transformers #12, Geiger #6

Ain’t No Grave #5

Ryder traveled far and wide on a desperate quest to defeat Death at its own game. Only then would she be able to avoid her fatal diagnosis and be able to have many more years with her family. Death has rarely been the generous type and has Ryder confront the legacy she left behind — both for her husband and daughter as well as the victims she left in the wake of her days as an outlaw.

Writer Skottie Young crafts a terrific line “You might be the hero in your own story, Ryder. But to everyone else, changed or not you’re no hero. You’re the other thing.” It’s a devastating line that puts Ryder into a different perspective. It’s the old outlaw who’s found love and tempered their wild ways without having to pay the price. For Ryder the bill is due. But maybe Death will be merciful and offer Ryder another way out?

Artist Jorge Corona masterfully stages this encounter with Death, who is hauntingly rendered with billowy smoke, ribbons, wraps and his trademark scythe. It’s an amazing visual making for one of the most creative portrayals of Death while fully fitting into Ain’t No Grave’s Western theme.

Jean-Francois Beaulieu whips up some dazzling color arrangements with some mesmerizing reds and blues. The colors definitely provide that final showdown tone. Letterer Nate Piekos lays out some clean dialogue boxes and sound effects.

This was a very fun mini-series thanks to a creative team that was fully in lockstep with each other making for one of the year’s most captivating reads. If you missed out, this is definitely worth reading in a collected format.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

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