Death & Sparkles

I still don’t know how I feel about this one. Part funny part serious, almost like a whimsical Neil Gaiman children’s graphic novel? But…not exactly that. It tried to be something different and succeeded but I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

Get ready for the world of Death and Sparkles. This graphic novel tackles many philosophical issues such as the temptations of fame, fickleness of celebrities, consumerism and ecology, as well as social media consumption. Despite all this the author manages to do a good job of juggling it all in an entertaining, funny way that readers will be sure to understand the message without becoming lost in the message.

When Sparkles, the last living Unicorn, has a fatal accident while promoting a product of socks, he comes in the contact with Death, a lonely otherworldly employee of the claims department. At the same time as Sparkles and Death's relationship a trio of alien lizards have arrived to try to educate Earth on recycling and proper planetary care. With Sparkle's death the extraterrestrial lizards are lured into the influencer lifestyle. Will this be the last of Sparkles?

First, I would like to thank NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy.

I loved everything about this graphic novel. The story is wonderful, and Sparkles and Death complement each other very well because they are very different.

Sparkles is the last unicorn and is world-famous for over-the-top stunts. Death is a loner because his touch will kill you, and he also hates paperwork. They meet because it is Sparkles' time. Sparkles thinks otherwise and fights to come back which leads Death and Sparkles on an exciting journey.

The artwork is amazing and works perfectly for a unicorn that barfs rainbows and Death who is allergic to flowers, which I guess is a side effect if you get stuck with a unicorn horn. I thought this graphic was very funny and look forward to more adventures of Death and Sparkles. I also can't wait to share it with my patrons. It is just that good.

Here's a fun sentence I never really thought I'd say: "Aw, I kind of want to hang out with Death." (I've always wanted to hang out with a unicorn, so that one was less of a surprise.) It's tricky to pick my favorite part of this book--the amazing art, or the fantastic characters. The one thing I'm sure of is how excited I am to add this book to my collection...and share it with some of my favorite patrons!