Creators: Joshua Hale Fialkov & Gabo Read if you like: The Matrix, Groundhog Day, Adjustment Bureau Current Issue: 1 By far the most recent book on this list (issue 1 came out July 9th), The Life After is nevertheless a deeply rewarding and utterly unique series. Created by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Echoes, I Vampire) with stunning art by Gabo, this series follows a nameless protagonist as he goes about the everyday monotony that is his life. It's only when he breaks free from the routine (to return a handkerchief that a girl dropped on the bus) that the world around him morphs and changes a dozen times over (from the Wild West to Victorian London and more) and he's surrounded by samurais and spacemen. And then Ernest Hemingway turns up. Hemingway tells our hero the truth that's ultimately going to drive the book: that they are in a purgatory for suicide victms, and that somehow he is able to set them all free. It's a brilliantly simple premise that reminds you of a dozen different things (there's even an ominous 'control room' overseeing events from a distance ala Truman Show) yet maintains a distinctly original feel. The Life After is a quirky, engrossing read.
