Assembled from work done in Anders Nilsen’s sketchbooks over the course of the year following the death of his fiancée, Cheryl Weaver, in 2005, The End is a collection of short strips about loss, paralysis, waiting, and transformation — a physical manifestation of grief.
The End is a concept album in different styles, a meditation on paying attention, an abstracted autobiography and a metaphysical travelogue, reflecting the progress of his struggle to reconcile the great upheaval of a death, and to find a new life on the other side. The book blends Nilsen’s disparate styles, from iconic simplicity to collaged art to finely rendered pieces.
This new edition of The End is substantially expanded and revised — it is almost twice as long as the original edition — incorporating new work from the past 15 years that adds greater perspective to an already intimate window into the way we grieve, a process that can span decades. The new material includes added content from the original sketchbooks, over a dozen pages of new comics, a new afterword by the author, additional notes, and over 20 pages of Cheryl Weaver’s work.
About the Author
Anders Nilsen is a cartoonist living in Portland, OR. He is the author of the graphic novel Big Questions and is currently serializing his next graphic novel, Tongues.
Praise For…
A strikingly universal response to an inescapable part of being human. ... Through straightforward drawings and simple dialogue, the artist explores, with a perspective gained through time, the evolution of his grief. — The New Yorker
Poignant, engaging, and philosophical, Nilsen’s graphic memoir documents loss and is a testament to grieving. — Library Journal (Starred Review)
As intelligently written and beautifully drawn—whether simply or intricately—as anything else this front-runner in his generation of comics artists has done. — Booklist
When such commemorations are undertaken as honestly, effectively and evocatively as here, the result is simply, devastatingly, unforgettably magical. — The Slings & Arrows
