“Honor for the Dead”
Creative Staff:
Story: Tim Daniel, David Andry
Art: Sunando C
Colors: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Jim Campbell
What They Say:
Some say it’s the destination, while others insist it’s the journey that shapes us.
One such journey–into Walt’s previous life–offers a glimpse of the man he was before his death. Is he destined to repeat every step here in the End After End?
Or will he summon the resolve to become the person he wants to be?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Writers David Andry and Tim Daniel delighted me with both of their previous works in very different ways and I’ve really been enjoying the way they’re working together here, crafting something mysterious and intriguing but adding some engaging character depth. The first couple of issues pulled me in pretty quickly without doing any kind of serious information dump but it teased enough and laid out some interesting ideas so that you wanted to know more while feeling like you got a handle on some basics. It also stood out strongly thanks to Sunando C’s artwork, which looks great here, giving me some early Brian Steelfreeze vibes that tickle my fancy. The look is distinctive yet at the same time has a kind of vague looseness about it that works for the story and setting itself. It’s got some really great character designs but has such an amorphous setting that it really delivers well.
With Walt knocked out the last time around, this installment spends a good chunk of time in his head as we get more flashbacks to his prior life. It’s one that shows his high school years in a difficult position as his parents viewed his art as just a hobby, enough so to throw him out after he graduates if he doesn’t go for something serious like a doctor or engineer in college. A flash forward shows him with his girlfriend after he had his art rejected again because he’s not pouring his soul into it but rather trying to do what he thinks will appeal rather than make people feel. It’s a difficult conversation as a couple as she tries to get him to realize commercial art can help him on his path to figuring things out, and that sometimes art only comes in fits of inspiration out of nowhere. So seeing him doing commercial art, and it being so appreciated by others, doesn’t do much for him because it’s not what he wants to create.
That kind of mindset helps to inform what’s going on with him on the other side. We see how Grink is trying to keep him alive even after the others have moved on and Stills has even offered to kill Walt because it’s the right thing to do for someone like him that won’t survive long in this place. Grink has this belief but even Walt doesn’t believe it when he wakes up and recovers. The tension between the two is palpable and you can see how Walt’s past is informing how he views his path forward here, and his desire to just wander off and face what may come. It’s a really interesting moment and a hard one because you see how Grink has faith in him and wants to see him survive, but Walt’s just in such a bad place at this point that he can’t help but wallow in it.
In Summary:
One of the things I love about this series is that I have absolutely no idea where it’s going to go. Are we going to learn what this battle is all about and the real stakes behind it? Why it’s happening as it does when people die? Is it even real or just a fever dream of Walt’s that will lead to his artistic inspiration when he wakes up. I’m largely taking things at face value with what’s going on and it’s delivering a good look at who Walt is in his past life and how he’s managing to survive, against great odds, in this new life that’s nothing but battle and difficult waiting for the next one. It’s a really strong read and it has such a fantastic visual design that I can’t get enough of it and hope it has a decent run ahead of it still.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Vault Comics
Release Date: December 7th, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
