Death: The High Cost of Living

Summary: Once every century, Death of the Endless must spend one day as a human, so that she knows what life, and what mortality really feel like. On this one day, she encounters Sexton Furnival, a jaded and bored sixteen-year-old. Sexton thinks she's just some strange girl with a tenuous grip on sanity, but as he tags along, he can't help but be charmed by her joyful, whimsical, open approach to life. The day is not entirely full of wonderful things, however: Mad Hettie is pestering Death to find her heart, which she hid over a hundred years ago, and a creature who calls himself the Eremite is trying to steal her ankh, and so gain the source of her power. This collection also includes a brief PSA about AIDS entitled "Death Talks About show more Life."

Review: I don't know how anyone could read this and not come out smitten with Death. She's been my favorite of the Endless since her first appearance in the Sandman series, and seeing her actually getting to experience life as a mortal is thoroughly charming. There's something reassuring, too, in the idea that Death is a cute and perky Goth girl, someone who already knows you, and welcomes you, and is kind and will listen to you and cares about your life.

As a story... I don't know. Not all of the plot threads are thoroughly woven in, particularly about the Eremite, which you might think would leave things feeling somewhat unresolved. At base, there's not a whole lot to this story other than watching Death bubble her way around New York City trailing Sexton in her wake... but she's so charming that it's just about enough.

Again, I wish I'd read this one a little closer to where it falls in the timeline of the main Sandman series - not because it doesn't make sense out of order, but because I know many of the characters in this volume (Mad Hettie, for one) have shown up elsewhere, and it's been long enough that I can't remember the details. There's also a scene involving Hazel and Foxglove that gets shown in flashback/memory in Death: The Time of Your Life, so that was a neat little connection to what I'd already read (out of order). 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Most enjoyable as a character piece rather than a story proper, but if you haven't yet met Death, this can be picked up independent of the main Sandman volumes, and she's sure to charm your socks off. show less

3.75 stars

Sexton is 16-years old and thinking about killing himself. He is writing a note when his mother interrupts him and asks him to leave so she can do some spring cleaning. While out, Sexton meets Didi… who it turns out is Death personified, though she does “remember” her young teenage life as Didi. She appears to be a teenager like Sexton, so they spend a day and night just “hanging out” doing normal teenage things (while still aiming to do an odd errand – there is a 250 year old woman who has asked Didi to find and retrieve her heart for her).

This is a graphic novel, highlighting the character Death from the “Sandman” series.. I liked it better than the ones I’ve read from the Sandman series. The introduction show more by Tori Amos was odd. I also though the “afterword” comic on sex and AIDS was odd, but it was published I 1993, so I guess he was trying to get some factual info out there. But I liked the character who is Death, and her kind-of friendship with Sexton. I also loved her “look” – dark and goth. show less

Veramente fuori dal comune la Morte di Gaiman. E' una ragazza simpatica e un po' (tanto) dark, di ottimo carattere e amante della vita!
La caratterizzazione di Death è così strepitosa da avere sorpassato la popolarità di Sogno, il suo fratellino sulle pagine del fumetto cult Sandman.
Death è la seconda nata di una famiglia di personificazioni antropomorfe. Suo fratello maggiore è Destino e fratelli e sorelle minori sono Sogno (Sandman), Distruzione, Desiderio, Disperazione e Delirio. Gli Eterni (The Endless, nell'originale), non sono propriamente dei, ma personificazioni di concetti universali. Ciascuno di essi ha un suo reame e Death ovviamente è colei che preleva le persone per farle "proseguire" oltre la vita.
In questa miniserie show more che la vede protagonista assoluta si viene a conoscenza di come una giorno ogni secolo umano Death assume spoglie mortali per compendere il valore delle vite che prende.
La qualità della sceneggiatura di Gaiman è eccellente e i disegni a supporto puliti, lontano dagli sperimentalismi propri della serie Sandman che a volte si sono rivelati piuttosto disturbanti. Un volumetto da avere assolutamente per i fan di Gaiman e per quelli di Sandman. show less

A bit of fluffy fun about Death's one day each century as a mortal. Madcap and zany adventures in NYC ensue as Didi looks for Hettie's heart and shows a suicidal kid a good time. People die along the way, some songs get sung, and some toys get played with, people get record deals, Death loses her ankh. A bit meandering and padded but a good time nonetheless.

After its all over Death told me all about how to avoid STDs, but nothing about cancer :(

A suicidal boy encounters a girl who claims to be Death.

This is not, perhaps, a very well-plotted story. It's quite short, and not all the storylines get quite the amount of time they deserve. Sexton's gradual shift from life-hater to life-appreciator is handled very nicely as he spends the day trailing around after Death, but the stuff with Mad Hettie's heart and the Eremite never really pans out. They give us an idea of the kinds of problems Death may face on her once-a-century mortal days, but as full and complete storylines they leave something to be desired.

But, that aside, this is a great book. I like it a little bit more every time I reread it.

The whole thing rests on Death and her wonderful attitude towards life. Despite her show more role in the universe, she's not grim or morose. She's perky and cheerful and friendly, because she figures that it's much more fun to be nice than to be creepy. She's willing to trust people. She shows a genuine interest in everyone she comes across, and she treats them all with respect. She's an absolutely wonderful character to read about, and she really carries the show.

There are also a couple of nice little moments. I really enjoyed seeing how Hazel and Foxglove were making out after the events chronicled in A Game of You. And the girl with the gloves gets me crying every. Single. Time.

If you've enjoyed Death's appearances in her brother Dream's series, I highly recommend you check this out. The story may be simple, but the title character does more than enough to make up for any plot-based failings. show less

I snatched this title off the comic store's shelf as soon as I saw it. Like almost every reader of The Sandman, I can't get enough of Death, the little goth chick who meets everyone at the end of their lives. This character is perhaps Neil Gaiman's best idea so I bought this solo story of hers for that reason alone. It's a testimony to the charm of this character that she can carry this whole graphic novel just by being perky and scarfing hot dogs, while plot-wise nothing happens.

While involving several characters from The Sandman series, this is a perfectly self-contained read.

The two mini-series about the Sandman's sister Death were Christmas presents from Chris. Yay!Man, she is great. I know it's like, super precious that Death is this punk lady who is so great? But she is. I wish everything I said sounded like what she says. Also I wish everyone's hair looked like her hair. We would look much awesomer.In some ways it's so dated 90's, the Tori Amos intro (which is actually really nice) and the AIDS-awareness public service... comic. But this story is pretty fun, mainly because she is fun, and the continued canon-building around characters we've met before is after my heart.I like the idea that she "knows everyone really well". It's a good idea. And at one point in the middle every single thing "Didi" says show more is just so good, such a good thing to say, and the story's coming together, and it made me pretty happy. show less