A delightful and light graphic novel despite potentially heavy subject matter. Charlie's job is working in customer service for a multinational company focused on recycling dead bodies. We are taken through a depiction of what happens to souls after death and what we are left with is a joyful, touching story.

As with many comics published by this publisher, there is something different about the content in this one. There are discussions about the great beyond and the mundane tasks for those left behind.

Charlie is a spark of colour in an otherwise drab office where they deal with the conversion of the remains of dead people into things the family can keep as keepsakes. A child has a doubt about his mother’s soul and this question leads Charlie down an introspective path. This is where the discussion of life and rebirth becomes a little heavy, but there is a surprising plot twist parallel to what we are watching unfold.

I might not have liked the eventual turn of events, but it was definitely unlike many of the other books I have read recently.

I would recommend this to anyone who finds the blurb interesting and likes graphic novels. As usual, there are a few panels with a little more nudity than I find necessary, but it can be moved past quickly, and they are very few.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I enjoyed this story line of love and memories.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this book via NetGalley.

"Eternal Recycle, you die, we recycle, this is Charlie... Yes... Yes, that's right, ma'am. We recycle the deceased."

Originally published in French in late 2023, this is a quite imaginative and bizarre graphic novel for grownups. This book tells the story of a cute and sincere young man named Charlie as he grapples with the question of where souls go after death. A little more than halfway through the book, the story takes a really strange and drastic turn, becoming a reincarnation love story that I didn't really care for. I found this unrealistic fantasy disturbing and confusing at times. That said, I liked the main character Charlie, enjoyed the first half of the story more than the rest, and loved the illustration style.

Content warning: This books contains some nudity and sexual scenes I would have preferred not to have seen.

4.5⭐
I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this but I was pleasantly surprised! I had so much fun reading it. The idea was great and the art was beautiful. My only issue was that the ending felt rushed but other than that I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Many Lives of Charlie is an odd and charming graphic novel about a young man who works at Eternal Recycle, a company that recycles dead people. He is in the customer service department, and spends his time counselling the bereaved and helping them decide whether they would like their loved ones turned into trees or sports equipment. His days are punctuated by tannoyed instructions to take breaks for walking, eating or laughing, and he works with people who are civil but rebuff his attempts to connect with them.

Things change for Charlie when a bereaved child asks what happened to his mother's soul. He goes on a mission to explore the rest of the building he works in and find out what happens in the areas he's never wondered about.

This is a surreal story, with a gentle and optimistic heart. There is humour and sadness, but Charlie is a good and helpful person who is doing his best. My only quibble is that the text is so small that it was quite hard to read at times. However, the illustrations are lovely and the writing is very good. I happily recommend this book .

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

What a beautiful and powerful story this was.
Let's start by saying that the art in it is super pretty and I loved the coloring used.
It was very dynamic and changed based on the astmosphere and places this story was set.

The narration was very easy to follow and the read was quite a fast one too.

As I said this story was very heartful and honestly it's been a while since I ready a book this deep.
Usually it's easier to find stories that entertain more than ones like this.
The strengh of this book was indeed its story and what it wanted to tell us all.

A read that will stay with me for a while for sure!

Book 031 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Picture the movie What dreams may come meets Black mirror.. that to me is what made this interesting. Also, Charlie is so likeable.

Yay 4 stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Charlie, who works at a place that recycles loved ones after they die, is on a journey to find out what happens to a soul after death. I enjoyed the use of watercolors and concept, but the transition into the 2nd half felt a bit abrupt (still good though). Overall, this was a whimsical dystopian exploration of life after death where we see a glimpse of the corporate world of afterlife, heaven, hell, and reincarnation.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for my arc!

4.5 stars. I read this graphic novel after receiving a digital copy from NetGalley. The premise of this book is so interesting! Ebullient protagonist Charlie helps clients find purposeful uses for the remains of deceased family members. When a young boy asks what happened to his mother’s soul, Charlie’s routine is thrown off and he delves into deeper layers of understanding the afterlife and reincarnation. Overall I thought this was thought-provoking, unique, nicely illustrated and engaging.

I adored this book. The Many Lives of Charlie is a heartwarming and imaginative tale attempting to answer the eternal question - what happens to souls after you die?

Charlie is a worker at Eternal Recycle, a facility that helps you hold on to your departed loved ones in novel ways. There's definitely an element of dystopia, as office workers in Eternal Recycle are being encouraged to take dedicated and closely monitored breaks to walk, laugh, cry and eat to improve their well-being and efficiency.

It does get very Black Mirror at times, but that never takes away from the unrelenting joy that Charlie brings to every page. He is the sweetest character and his journey in this tale is truly beautiful. In this universe, heaven and hell are simply resting places before you reach the next step of your reincarnation journey, where you either repeat old patterns or learn and grow with each new experience. He tries to follow the thread of a soul for one of his customers, and finds more than he bargained for in the process.

I can't recommend this book enough. It was a pleasant surprise and has become a new favorite.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

I really enjoyed the first half of this novel with the vaguely alienated afterlife capitalism, optimistic naive protagonist, and increasing mysteries of creation. The second half devolved into a clichéd, bad romantic mess. Shame.

This graphic novel was so beautiful. It’s about death, reincarnation and what happens to the soul of someone who died. I loved the part of the souls being connected to each other and will always find each other in the next life. So beautiful.
The aspect of people working in a routine and being so inside this routine that they don’t step out anymore was very interesting too. It makes you think about our lives too.
The artstyle was very nice, though (probably intended) the artworks weren’t very colorful.
All in all a very nice graphic novel. I loved it.

An intriguing graphic novel that starts out very pleasant and asks where a soul goes after death and is a wonderfully illustrated story of what a person believes in, not necessarily from a religious view, but what is important to a person in their life. Does have some serious content near the end.

A Lovely Graphic Novel ! I loved the artwork and themes. Delightful, thought provoking and heartfelt.

Delving into the intriguing premise of forging connections through recycling, this novel sparks contemplation on the profound ties we share with our loved ones. Charlie, a compelling protagonist, embodies sweetness, naivety, and relentless dedication, navigating uncomfortable situations to assist those grappling with loss. This was an incredibly deep read, combined with beautiful art, it was a real treat!

Thank you so much to NG for the ARC.

There are surprising depths in this beautifully designed book, where I really liked the cover and the ink-effect drawings. We start in a situation similar to a typical multinational company, but the call centre employees are not dealing with complaints, but with the second life of the bodies of dead people. All this corporate atmosphere is enhanced by regularly introduced activities, as people spend time laughing, crying, walking and eating, while being mantraised about how important this is for their health. How absurd is that? But that's exactly why it caught me at first sight. Our protagonist is a stark contrast to the world, she stands out from the crowd just by moving, greeting everyone, being nice to everyone and always very enthusiastic. He is a real flower in the raging wind, trying to solve everything for his clients, but as a result he discovers the secrets that make the system work. At the heart of the story is the search for God and life after death. We walk through heaven and hell, and look behind the decisions. The only thing I might have skipped was the romantic storyline, but I found little else wrong with it. I highly recommend it.

Though this starts out light and is funny on the surface, The Many Lives of Charlie is deep and is such a fulfilling read.

Absolutely loved the illustrations and the book was great to read through. It was engaging, held my attention till the end and would be such a treasure in anyone's collection, if only for the brilliant artwork!

I don’t think this book was anything special to me really because I thought it was just drab. The arsehole didn’t really hit right with me and I just didn’t feel for the main character and it just didn’t hit as close as most of the things do so I probably won’t read another book from this if there is another one and are potentially might not read any more from this artist because I just don’t enjoy their art style and it just didn’t move me like it supposed to

Let me start my review by saying the artwork is beautiful. The story itself started out very odd but then ended on a sweet note. Maybe because this was translated from French to English and something was lost in translation? Overall it was ok. Even though I got approved from NetGalley (thanks to the authors and publishers) it never saved to my iPad so I had to buy a copy from Amazon.