Momento Mori by John G

A description from the creator, John G: 

On May 13th, 1995 I broke my spine when I was 16 in a BMX bicycle accident and I’ve been paralyzed from the chest down ever since. Over the past three decades I’ve traditionally drawn a self portrait on that day every year. Except in 2022. I was actually in the hospital on May 13th, so drawing a self portrait was not in the cards. However, that night I was paid a visit by an old friend.

I’ve known Death for most of my life but we got really well acquainted that day in 1995. Every now and again our paths cross unexpectedly and every now and again Death pays me a visit just to say hello. Just to check in. Just to remind me.

The term Memento Mori translates to “Remember to die.”. It’s a trope in art and culture that serves to remind us that we are not going to live forever. This is usually as simple as depicting skulls, coffins or an hourglass in an image. A good example of this in film would be Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, though I think this comic is closer in temperament to its spiritual descendant Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.

This comic recounts the conversation I had with Death that night when we left the hospital room and returned to the High Desert. This issue also includes a four page prologue, To Love a Crippled God, which tells the story of the Greek God Hephaestus and a back up essay called Derrick Jackson.