As a fan of superhero comic books, my comic book diet consisted mostly of the big two publishers' offerings. I would read a TMNT or G.I. Joe comic now and again, but I still mainly stick with mainstream superhero stuff. I try to consume other types of comics when I can; I thoroughly enjoyed Chew. But one can only read so many comics, and given that my day job requires a lot of my time, I find myself not having enough time to pour over every other title out there.
If you're like me, and you wanna give another comic book genre a try but only really have the budget or time to read one mini-series, I suggest you read Grimm Fairy Tales' No Tomorrow.
No Tomorrow is a 5 issue mini-series written by Raven Gregory, drawn by JG Miranda and colored by Liz Buenaventura. No Tomorrow, in a nutshell, is the story of when the goddess of death goes YOLO on the Earth. The main protagonist is Patrick Clay, and he's actually such a regular guy that when all of the craziness happens around him, it makes you feel all of that stuff could easily happen to you. And I relate to him extra well because he seems to be working in advertising, as well.
It's all about death and the mortality of man. There are no superhero punches or the comfort in knowing that a title's main character can't die without the mainstream news talking about it. It makes such a fantastic story feel grounded and real. So real, in fact, that every issue sent tingles down my spine. I can't say that for every comic book I've ever read. As for the pace, the story unfolds quite nicely, with questions getting padded on top of each other, adding to the intrigue and mystery. As with each passing issue, just enough is answered to keep you hooked.
To say it was a dark story would probably a bit of an understatement.
If I may, I'd like to say that No Tomorrow gave me the same vibe I get when reading Trese by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. Supernatural stuff happening in the context of actual real life always gets to me. To add to the feels, if you read No Tomorrow with the knowledge that Raven Gregory suffered loss before writing it, you will definitely see the mini-series in an entirely different light. You'll also want to read about that at the end of the first issue.
My only real complaint would be that some panels look like they were made as a storyboard for a TV show, where one would expect some audio or a few frames prior to the panel in question to fully explain what was going in the scene. It doesn't happen often, but there were a few frames that weren't all that immediately clear. Other than that minor gripe, it is a fantastic, gripping story that'll keep you at the edge of your sanity. If you like looking down the barrel of your own immortality, you should really give No Tomorrow a read.
If you want a copy, the TPB is now available on Zenoscope and Amazon. Locally, I'm sure you can ask your local comic book retailer to order it for you.
And if you're interested, Liz Buenaventura will be at Fully Booked Fort Bonifacio this Free Comic Book Day on the 3rd of May. She'll be around to do color commissions and signing books.