The Great Beyond

By Léa Murawiec. Published by Drawn & Quarterly. 

Hardcover, 204 pages, Colour, 2023. 

How would you live with nothing but your name?

Manel Naher wants out. In a world where your name is currency, it’s tough to make ends meet. It’s even tougher when you share a name with a rising pop star. The city is unbearable—endless high-rises, social climbers left and right, and nothing but names as far as the eye can see. But Manel is looking a little bit farther, just beyond the horizon, and she’s even convinced her buddy Ali of how much more could be lying in wait right outside city limits.

When a sudden heart attack induced by diminished name recognition foils Manel’s plans, gradual change becomes a catalyst for a complete lifestyle overhaul. This stylish, absurd comedy of contemporary manners skewers the human condition in persistent self-promo. Sharp, architectural lines are accented by decisively mellow hues, building a humorously grim world unexpectedly bathed in nothing but light.

An exciting debut from a fresh perspective, The Great Beyond showcases newcomer Léa Murawiec’s command of comics language and satirizes a sprawling metropolis, its politics, and its extraordinary inhabitants.

Translated by Aleshia Jensen.

“Packed full of visual ideas, as well as some great, loopy showstoppers. The Good Stuff.”—Michael DeForge, Birds of Maine

“An exquisite read. One of the most inventive graphic novels I’ve seen in years. It will make you think about your name, the names of your loved ones, and what that means for a long time to come.”—Tillie Walden, Are You Listening? and the Clementine series

“A truly inspiring debut. The ideas are as provocative as they are playful. The cartooning is exquisite and exhilarating. I read it in absolute awe.”—Ezra Claytan Daniels, Upgrade Soul and BTTM FDRS