PDA

View Full Version : Death Talks about Life: a modern classic?


matt levin
09-17-2006, 09:49 AM
DEATH TALKS ABOUT LIFE

Wondering what others felt about it—would you join me to lobby DC to reprint the short comic, “Death Talks about Life”?
A modern classic, on the counter in 1994, it featured the then-hot ultra-cute Goth girl, Death (no less hot & ultra-cute today), from Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series.

Featuring writing and art from Gaiman and “Sandman”-artist Dave McKean, “Death Talks” is a neat little sidestep in the “Sandman” world of “the Dreaming”. John Constantine makes an embarrassed appearance with a banana.

“Death Talks” is Vertigo at its most genuinely dangerous: Death talks to each one of us directly, about sex, and the consequences of sharing sex without condoms: sex makes children. Sex also transmits diseases, one of them virulent and deadly. Gaiman writes a light, wry speech for Death—the writing’s never preachy or self-conscious: 'sometimes a banana is just a banana.' Death speaks matters of fact, there-it-is, you can make the intelligent choice.

Printed in black and white and tan, the eight-page pamphlet was a freebie to customers, with three columns of organizations to contact for further information or support printed on the back, and with a graceful cover portrait of Death as a maiden telling us: “Now, this comic contains WORDS, CONCEPTS, and maybe a few IMAGES that some people MIGHT find OFFENSIVE. If YOU suspect you’re going to be one of those people…. Just don’t read it. After all, the MOST it could do for you is to save your life.”
Isn’t now a good time for this classic to reappear?

Kid Monster
09-17-2006, 12:31 PM
I remember reading that in college and being impressed. It was certainly one of the smarter, more entertaining, and least-condecending "educational" comics ever. Too bad it took ten whole years for the comics industry to even attempt to do something about the rampaging disease that was killing people.

But then, mainstream comics are funny that way... always about 7-10 years behind the rest of the culture.

Reptisaurus!
09-17-2006, 02:20 PM
"Classic" might be pushing it.

Unless yer talking about "Cover your willy" safe sex ads, then it's certainly better than most.

Anyway, it was reprinted in trade with the first Death mini.