Goshena: Queen of the Big In-Betweena

In Greek mythology, Charon is the silent ferryman who transports the souls of the dead, an archetypal figure that represents the transition into the afterlife. In this graphic novel, Goshena is this figure of transition, except she’s loud and brash and threatens argumentative souls with being eaten by her pet frog, Jingles. Goshena meets her match when she encounters Soul #24, named for the number on his morgue drawer, because he can’t stop asking questions about why he’s there. Seemingly without any memory of who he is, or was, #24 seeks explanation from the world of the dead, even as he continues to overhear conversations from the land of the living. What makes the narrative engaging is not simply the premise, but how consistently artist Burdock’s surrealist canvas revels in the amusing meditations on death and the afterlife that author Bright offers. As a character, Goshena is an experience—one that readers should find themselves thoroughly enjoying. (BookLife)