Joe Death and the Graven Image

Somewhere between Mike Mignola, A Fistful of Dollars, and Johnny Cash's Ghost Riders in the Sky, this tale is an adventurous take on the existential hitman, set against a dreamy western backdrop populated by witches, spirits, ghouls, and other monsters. Joe Death explores what it means for Death to undo what he does best. More importantly, what is the true cost of salvation?

After surviving a brutal massacre, the last surviving heir of the town of Hard Hollow is kidnapped by the bloodthirsty bandit, Scary Harry. The spirit of Hard Hollow enlists Joe Death-a six-shooter-totin' grim reaper-to rescue the child. Joe ventures out into the Valley, a desert world with mountains on all sides whose heights reach into the heavens and fissures dive into the underworld itself. He meets all manner of strange characters, creatures, and monsters; each of them all too familiar with Joe's typical line of work.

Emerging writer Benjamin Schipper dives deep into this tale of the reaper with a name, employing a beautiful and quirky style that gives this macabre odyssey all the heart, humor, and tension essential to a modern masterpiece.

In his own words:

Hello, I'm a writer and artist living in the United States with my wife Karen and our little black dog Willow. I write primarily from my own experiences and filter them through genres such as fantasy and science fiction. I like to think I see people before money, ideas before artwork, and relationships before networks.

The majority of my work is traditionally drawn in pencil on marker paper, scanned into Photoshop, and colored there. I do, however, work upon design principles, making my artwork fit the message of each project.

I've touched the hands of David Hockney and Jimmy Fallon, though not at the same time, and no, they wouldn't remember it, but I do.