THE ISLE OF THE DEAD – Review

THE ISLE OF THE DEAD, from Foundation 732 Productions on GlobalComix, draws inspiration from Böcklin’s Die Toteninsil to spin a yarn about a widow who escorts her husband’s remains to a lonely island for burial.

The Details

• Written by: Dillon Fields
• Art by: Diego Guerra
• Colors by: Diego Guerra
• Letters by: Diego Guerra
• Cover art by: Diego Guerra
• Cover price: FREE
• Release date: TBD

Is It Good?

THE ISLE OF THE DEAD draws inspiration from a work of art, and remarkably, nearly becomes a work of art unto itself. Guerra’s rich designs and settings capture the spirit of Böcklin’s painting, while Fields’ lonely story about a widower taking a funeral journey is eloquent and nuanced in its spookiness.

There’s no simple label to quantify this graphic novel. It’s a horror story in the same way Dante’s Inferno is a horror story. The protagonist, “the widow,” is a woman beset by grief after the untimely death of her husband. Following the local traditions for burial, she escorts her husband’s body to the Isle of the Dead, where a flock of monks carries the coffin to its final resting place. Along the way, the widow is constantly reminded to stay on the path.

There are monstrous elements to the story, but Fields’ plotting, pacing, and execution are layered with subtext and allegory. Every sight, sound, and smell the widow encounters could be interpreted in multiple ways, from the inevitability of death to the dangers of distraction. Every panel appears to have more than one meaning, and despite the typical size of this first installment (24 pages of content), it holds up under multiple readings where you’re likely to find something new.

The minor down point of the writing is the pacing. At points, the dialog is so sparse, and the character movements are so slight that you have to pause to consider what you might be missing about each moment. The sparseness gives you much to consider, but the story’s pace occasionally suffers for it.

Guerra’s art is gorgeous. The settings are richly detailed. The characters’ designs are full and textured. And the coloring is darn near perfect.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with a young widow coordinating the deposit of her husband’s coffin on a small boat. According to local tradition, she must escort her husband’s remains to be buried on the Isle of the Dead, an isolated island caretaken by a flock of monks.

The widow makes the somber journey to the Isle where the monks stand at the ready to take up her husband’s coffin and walk the long path to a final resting place. Along the way, the widow is persistently warned to keep her eyes ahead and to stay on the path. As the journey progresses, the widow spies sights of black rivers with foul smells, a treacherous harbor where broken ships come to rest, and vicious hydras ready to snatch up anyone who strays too close.

We conclude this first installment with a tiring walk, a gate kept, and a helping hand.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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