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Doctors
This new graphic novel from acclaimed cartoonist Dash Shaw (Bottomless Belly Button) is his most taut book to date. Dr. Cho is the creator of the Charon, a device that allows his staff to take the form of a memory in a dead patients' consciousnesses, and bring them back to life, with one catch: the experience is traumatic and the process kills them again soon thereafter. But for some bereaved, the opportunity is priceless. So when Bell is killed in a random accident, her daughter hires Dr. Cho s team to bring her back. But what if Bell didn t want to come back? The dying unconsciously create the afterlife they want, or feel they deserve, in their minds before everything fades to black. Isn t that better than the reality, and no less meaningful than life itself? Can unconsciousness coexist with consciousness? Doctors is part science-fiction thriller, part family drama, part morality play for the 21st century, and quite possibly Shaw s best book to date."
95 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2014
2 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
About the author
Dash Shaw
69 books194 followersDash Shaw is an American cartoonist and animator, currently living in Richmond, Virginia.
Shaw studied Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He has been publishing short comics and illustrations in a number of anthologies, magazines and zines since his college years. In 2008 Fantagraphics Books published Shaw's first long format graphic novel, the family comedy-drama Bottomless Belly Button. Among his other notable works: BodyWorld (2010, Pantheon Books), New Jobs (2013, Uncivilized Books), New School (2013, Fantagraphics), Blurry (2024, New York Review Comics).
Shaw's animated works include the Sigur Ros video and Sundance selection 'Seraph', the series 'The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD' and the movies My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (2016) and Cryptozoo (2021).
Shaw studied Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He has been publishing short comics and illustrations in a number of anthologies, magazines and zines since his college years. In 2008 Fantagraphics Books published Shaw's first long format graphic novel, the family comedy-drama Bottomless Belly Button. Among his other notable works: BodyWorld (2010, Pantheon Books), New Jobs (2013, Uncivilized Books), New School (2013, Fantagraphics), Blurry (2024, New York Review Comics).
Shaw's animated works include the Sigur Ros video and Sundance selection 'Seraph', the series 'The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD' and the movies My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (2016) and Cryptozoo (2021).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
July 2, 2019
A small group of rogue doctors have invented a machine that brings the newly deceased back to the world of the living. Except sometimes the dead don’t wanna come back… and what the docs are doing isn’t technically legal or at all moral anyway…!
I kinda liked Dash Shaw’s Doctors but it definitely had its flaws. The explanation for why the machine exists - Charon, like the ferryman from Greek mythology who took souls of the newly deceased across the river Styx - is pretty feeble: to bring the rich back to put their affairs in order before they die again. What - that’s it? So it’s a temporary resurrection? What if they didn’t want to be brought back? Is that the only reason to bring someone back?
Later on there’s a patient who asks to be brought back when he dies of his illness. Ok, but then won’t he just die again anyway - the machine doesn’t cure illnesses like cancer does it? Also, are they actually dead and if so is Shaw saying an afterlife exists? What kind of religion’s afterlife - or is it different for everyone? Or are they alive in a coma and just stuck in their own brain? If you can reach them in the afterlife through The Charon, can’t you just ask them what they want to do with their earthly assets without having to bring them back, interrupting their idyllic afterlife and making them miserable, questioning reality?
Still, I liked the opening act where the character of Miss Bell isn’t sure what’s real and what isn’t - it’s very Twilight Zone-ish, and it’s a shame it didn’t last longer. I like the whole question of what reality is and whether it matters if something’s objectively or subjectively “real” depending on our experience of it. As Sheryl Crow sang, if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad (unless, y’know, it’s obviously bad like hurting other people).
I wasn’t that taken with our main character’s story with her daddy issues but it wasn’t terrible either. The idea to print the book on different coloured pages presented an interesting visual though some of the darker colours made it harder to read the black inked panels.
There’s the embryo of a potentially great Philip K. Dick-esque comic here but I don’t think Shaw fully realised it in the space he had. Doctors is still kinda interesting regardless of its shortcomings and I’d say it’s worth a look for fans of thoughtful sci-fi.
I kinda liked Dash Shaw’s Doctors but it definitely had its flaws. The explanation for why the machine exists - Charon, like the ferryman from Greek mythology who took souls of the newly deceased across the river Styx - is pretty feeble: to bring the rich back to put their affairs in order before they die again. What - that’s it? So it’s a temporary resurrection? What if they didn’t want to be brought back? Is that the only reason to bring someone back?
Later on there’s a patient who asks to be brought back when he dies of his illness. Ok, but then won’t he just die again anyway - the machine doesn’t cure illnesses like cancer does it? Also, are they actually dead and if so is Shaw saying an afterlife exists? What kind of religion’s afterlife - or is it different for everyone? Or are they alive in a coma and just stuck in their own brain? If you can reach them in the afterlife through The Charon, can’t you just ask them what they want to do with their earthly assets without having to bring them back, interrupting their idyllic afterlife and making them miserable, questioning reality?
Still, I liked the opening act where the character of Miss Bell isn’t sure what’s real and what isn’t - it’s very Twilight Zone-ish, and it’s a shame it didn’t last longer. I like the whole question of what reality is and whether it matters if something’s objectively or subjectively “real” depending on our experience of it. As Sheryl Crow sang, if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad (unless, y’know, it’s obviously bad like hurting other people).
I wasn’t that taken with our main character’s story with her daddy issues but it wasn’t terrible either. The idea to print the book on different coloured pages presented an interesting visual though some of the darker colours made it harder to read the black inked panels.
There’s the embryo of a potentially great Philip K. Dick-esque comic here but I don’t think Shaw fully realised it in the space he had. Doctors is still kinda interesting regardless of its shortcomings and I’d say it’s worth a look for fans of thoughtful sci-fi.
September 16, 2017
What is it that awaits us after death? In his graphic novel, Doctors, artist/writer Dash Shaw creates a world in which each afterlife is unique, generated from one’s own memories with assistance from a newly-invented medical device, the Charon.
Throughout Doctors, Shaw showcases skillful storytelling. The world he creates is inventive and fascinating. From the beginning, he successfully pulls in the reader with the story’s sense of mystery. One quickly wonders what is real as the initial central character of Miss Bell struggles to make sense of a series of confusing events in her life.
As the story surrounding Miss Bell unfolds, we learn that doctors have created (through the Charon) a way to prolong life after death, allowing one’s consciousness to live on temporarily in a joyous modern-day Elysium. Within the afterlife, doctors are able to communicate with the deceased and, when successful, are able to compel the person to return to the land of the living, at least for a limited time.
The happiness Miss Bell feels in the afterlife never seems to be replicated in real life, and the ethics of the Charon project are called into question by some of those carrying it out. As one gets midway through the book, the central focus shifts from Miss Bell to the doctors themselves. Conflicts arise between the father-daughter duo of doctors who run the Charon program, with tensions running high and no consensus ever reached. This father-daughter pair discuss, debate, and fight. Does the Charon help or hurt people? Should it be available to everyone or just the exceptionally wealthy? Does its very use cross the line into playing God?
Ultimately, Shaw supplies no easy answers to these questions. His intentions are not heavy-handed, and his message never feels preachy. The conclusions readers will draw may vary wildly and the experience of grappling with the philosophical quandaries presented in Doctors is not likely to be a simple affair. This graphic novel will be most appreciated by readers who enjoy uncertainty and the challenge of making meaning for themselves.
As for the art, Shaw's simple, clean style allows the focus to be on the story itself, which is ultimately the most compelling aspect of Doctors. The panels and pages are typically simplified by having Shaw’s illustrations appear transparent (they rest atop the ever-changing background color).
To suggest the evolving story’s mood, Shaw often changes colors from page to page and occasionally within select, especially meaningful panels. The effect is subtle but well done: Shaw conveys a wide variety of emotions at appropriate intervals through his selection of background colors and limited moments of additional, contrasting colors within panels. The only catch—and one that I suspect was unintentional—is that on some of the darker pages, such as those with a deep purple background, there is little contrast between the black of the text and the color of the page itself. This issue of literally making the story hard to read arises infrequently, and results in minor, but unfortunate interferences in the story’s forward progress.
On the whole, Shaw creates a memorable world with deep, compelling conflicts for his characters. Simply put: Doctors will make you think. For anyone interested in speculative fiction or examinations into the meaning of death and what comes after, Doctors is a fascinating and entertaining quick read.
Throughout Doctors, Shaw showcases skillful storytelling. The world he creates is inventive and fascinating. From the beginning, he successfully pulls in the reader with the story’s sense of mystery. One quickly wonders what is real as the initial central character of Miss Bell struggles to make sense of a series of confusing events in her life.
As the story surrounding Miss Bell unfolds, we learn that doctors have created (through the Charon) a way to prolong life after death, allowing one’s consciousness to live on temporarily in a joyous modern-day Elysium. Within the afterlife, doctors are able to communicate with the deceased and, when successful, are able to compel the person to return to the land of the living, at least for a limited time.
The happiness Miss Bell feels in the afterlife never seems to be replicated in real life, and the ethics of the Charon project are called into question by some of those carrying it out. As one gets midway through the book, the central focus shifts from Miss Bell to the doctors themselves. Conflicts arise between the father-daughter duo of doctors who run the Charon program, with tensions running high and no consensus ever reached. This father-daughter pair discuss, debate, and fight. Does the Charon help or hurt people? Should it be available to everyone or just the exceptionally wealthy? Does its very use cross the line into playing God?
Ultimately, Shaw supplies no easy answers to these questions. His intentions are not heavy-handed, and his message never feels preachy. The conclusions readers will draw may vary wildly and the experience of grappling with the philosophical quandaries presented in Doctors is not likely to be a simple affair. This graphic novel will be most appreciated by readers who enjoy uncertainty and the challenge of making meaning for themselves.
As for the art, Shaw's simple, clean style allows the focus to be on the story itself, which is ultimately the most compelling aspect of Doctors. The panels and pages are typically simplified by having Shaw’s illustrations appear transparent (they rest atop the ever-changing background color).
To suggest the evolving story’s mood, Shaw often changes colors from page to page and occasionally within select, especially meaningful panels. The effect is subtle but well done: Shaw conveys a wide variety of emotions at appropriate intervals through his selection of background colors and limited moments of additional, contrasting colors within panels. The only catch—and one that I suspect was unintentional—is that on some of the darker pages, such as those with a deep purple background, there is little contrast between the black of the text and the color of the page itself. This issue of literally making the story hard to read arises infrequently, and results in minor, but unfortunate interferences in the story’s forward progress.
On the whole, Shaw creates a memorable world with deep, compelling conflicts for his characters. Simply put: Doctors will make you think. For anyone interested in speculative fiction or examinations into the meaning of death and what comes after, Doctors is a fascinating and entertaining quick read.
July 5, 2019
This is a premise that has always fascinated me. I'm surprised we don't see it done more often. The premise is that we don't know much about the external world; we don't know if we can trust our senses. In this case a woman, unbeknownst to her, dies but continues her life in her own consciousness. This all happens while she's still on the operating table with doctors trying to revive her.
After she's unsure what reality really is. The fake existence she created unconsciously was better than her actual reality. The fact that it was fake is important only to the extent that her actual reality being real is of no significance. She would rather return to the fantasy that she thought was real. But the idea that a fantasy is better the reality makes all of existence seem unimportant and meaningless.
The book was like a fictional narrative of David Hume's philosophy - see especially his chapter on the self in the Human Understanding book. In that chapter Hume gets lost when trying to figure out what it means to say 'I'. How can 'I' say 'I' when I can't even trust my own senses? Hume finds solace in the idea that we all sort of revert to an uncritical acceptance of our senses; after we finish reading his book we will revert to our unbreakable faith that 'I' am 'I' and that I exist and that there is also an external world divorced from my consciousness (if I were to cease my existence, it would still be there).
In this book we are faced with the situation of not being able to simply go back to our faith in the common sense notion of reality.
This book is a more speculative and interesting take on this type of thing that say The Matrix and other movies that I've seen. For example, why doesn't Neo begin to doubt the reality of the 'real world' when he wakes up from the matrix? This story explores those doubts as well as the psychological horrors that would occur in absolute skepticism.
This is a comic that I think people like Camus and Sartre would enjoy.
After she's unsure what reality really is. The fake existence she created unconsciously was better than her actual reality. The fact that it was fake is important only to the extent that her actual reality being real is of no significance. She would rather return to the fantasy that she thought was real. But the idea that a fantasy is better the reality makes all of existence seem unimportant and meaningless.
The book was like a fictional narrative of David Hume's philosophy - see especially his chapter on the self in the Human Understanding book. In that chapter Hume gets lost when trying to figure out what it means to say 'I'. How can 'I' say 'I' when I can't even trust my own senses? Hume finds solace in the idea that we all sort of revert to an uncritical acceptance of our senses; after we finish reading his book we will revert to our unbreakable faith that 'I' am 'I' and that I exist and that there is also an external world divorced from my consciousness (if I were to cease my existence, it would still be there).
In this book we are faced with the situation of not being able to simply go back to our faith in the common sense notion of reality.
This book is a more speculative and interesting take on this type of thing that say The Matrix and other movies that I've seen. For example, why doesn't Neo begin to doubt the reality of the 'real world' when he wakes up from the matrix? This story explores those doubts as well as the psychological horrors that would occur in absolute skepticism.
This is a comic that I think people like Camus and Sartre would enjoy.
July 20, 2015
I haven't liked much of Shaw's truly experimental work, but this one, maybe the most conventional narrative structure I've read from him so far, is also maybe my favorite of his thus far, (which may say something about my own need for narrative from time to time). This is a part sci-fi tale about a future where we can bring back the dead, even briefly, and a fictional philosophical reflection on the afterlife, and life/death itself.
Charon is a device that allows the dead to return to life for awhile, to take the form of a memory in a dead patients' consciousness, though only for a time, since they become dead again. But for some bereaved, of course, it's a great opportunity, worth the time, effort, expense. Raises all sorts of moral issues, of course. But what this reveals about what Shaw knows about comics form and the subtle ways he subverts expectations, that's what I most liked here… and all the random coloring. Makes me take Shaw more seriously than I previously have done.
Charon is a device that allows the dead to return to life for awhile, to take the form of a memory in a dead patients' consciousness, though only for a time, since they become dead again. But for some bereaved, of course, it's a great opportunity, worth the time, effort, expense. Raises all sorts of moral issues, of course. But what this reveals about what Shaw knows about comics form and the subtle ways he subverts expectations, that's what I most liked here… and all the random coloring. Makes me take Shaw more seriously than I previously have done.
February 16, 2020
"We'll all dissipate, we'll all be nothing and everything." -Doctors
One of my favorite things about reading any Dash book is the color play. Somehow, someway, he always manages to create the feeling of each page with bright vibrant colors that scream their rage with every image. The art is always refreshing and I love the 1980's color pop happening all through out Doctors. It's rememisant of the lipstick paintings my aunt used to have on her walls when I was a kid. Doctors has some Artifical Intelligence components, the afterlife and what it means to die. This wasn't my favorite Shaw comic but it's still a confusing mind bending color distopia that leaves you wondering and second guessing what the fuck you just saw.
One of my favorite things about reading any Dash book is the color play. Somehow, someway, he always manages to create the feeling of each page with bright vibrant colors that scream their rage with every image. The art is always refreshing and I love the 1980's color pop happening all through out Doctors. It's rememisant of the lipstick paintings my aunt used to have on her walls when I was a kid. Doctors has some Artifical Intelligence components, the afterlife and what it means to die. This wasn't my favorite Shaw comic but it's still a confusing mind bending color distopia that leaves you wondering and second guessing what the fuck you just saw.
July 30, 2022
This is a really great comic that examines the existential implications of a sci-fi premise that would fit well in the TV series Black Mirror. The main themes it explores are the ultimately subjective nature of human perception of reality (see also: solipsism, simulation hypothesis, dream argument, Cartesian doubt, brain in a vat, The Matrix), the question of whether life has intrinsic value (see also: hedonism, medical ethics, the ethics of suicide and euthanasia), and the roles of profit and altruism in science and medicine (see again: medical ethics). Moreover, the whole thing is grounded with some more down-to-earth topics like family relations, bereavement and the inevitability of mortality. It's pretty heavy, heady stuff, but these are all fascinating subjects to me, and the execution is such that it's hugely compelling reading.
June 9, 2018
Unfortunately this story didn't appeal to me. While the premise was interesting, I personally didn't grasp any meaning that made witnessing the included morbid events worthwhile. Maybe that's the whole point, but these days I try not to abide by overly pessimistic attitudes towards any stage of life.
My one compliment is that the plot was presented much more clearly that I expected it to be. Within the first few scenes it became easy to follow, which I did appreciate.
My one compliment is that the plot was presented much more clearly that I expected it to be. Within the first few scenes it became easy to follow, which I did appreciate.
November 2, 2025
Dash Shaw nie przestaje zadziwiać. Tym razem serwuje historię z przyszłości, w której pewna firma specjalizuje się w przywracaniu bogatych ludzi do życia. Wiele moralnych i etycznych kwestii związanych z rozwojem nauki, ale też mistrzostwo w temacie konstruowania fabuły, w której mieszają się płaszczyzny rodzinnych relacji i pomysłowego sci-fi. Dodatkowo autor znów ciekawie bawi się kolorami towarzyszącymi minimalistycznej kresce. Czołówka bibliografii autora.
June 5, 2016
This is a fun and strange book that actually offers some rich philosophical consideration, … but it clearly shows less effort on the visual side, as other works by this writer/artist.
April 8, 2015
A very creepy and atmospheric adult graphic novel with illustrations that lend to the feeling of being frozen in time, almost as if you're looking into a diorama.
A woman begins living her life again for the first time since her husband's death when she goes for a run one day and meets a man who has slipped and fallen at the pool. They strike up a love affair, and she is blissfully happy. Except none of it is real. She is living in her after life, and her daughter is determined to pull her back into the living world with the help of Dr. Cho who has secretly developed technology that allows you to communicate with someone while they're in this liminal space and draw them out of it.
Was this book enjoyable to read? No, not really. But it is fascinating, and the feelings it evokes linger long after reading it. It also kind of reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer--that terrible season when Buffy's friends bring her back to life after she's been chilling blissfully in heaven.
A woman begins living her life again for the first time since her husband's death when she goes for a run one day and meets a man who has slipped and fallen at the pool. They strike up a love affair, and she is blissfully happy. Except none of it is real. She is living in her after life, and her daughter is determined to pull her back into the living world with the help of Dr. Cho who has secretly developed technology that allows you to communicate with someone while they're in this liminal space and draw them out of it.
Was this book enjoyable to read? No, not really. But it is fascinating, and the feelings it evokes linger long after reading it. It also kind of reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer--that terrible season when Buffy's friends bring her back to life after she's been chilling blissfully in heaven.
September 8, 2016
Really liked this one, and story-wise, I thought this is one of Shaw's most thought-provoking books. In fact, the sophistication of the premise contrasts, in some ways, with the "simpleness" of the art. In Doctors, Shaw is also using colors in ways he did last year with New School. I'll have to go back through the book and see if there is a pattern to his use of certain colors. There's definitely reasons behind certain color shifts or changes.
9/4/2016 - Reread in preparation for my interview with Dash.
9/4/2016 - Reread in preparation for my interview with Dash.
December 5, 2015
Encouraging my long held belief that doctors are the worst
November 2, 2017
Loads of expressive, minimal, fluid lines. A story that goes creepy, cold, and resolves in a shrug with the faintest air of hope.
September 5, 2023
The book itself is as much an experiment as the bringing back of people from the dead in the story is. I couldn't tell characters apart for the life of me, and even being able to make out what was happening or what I was looking at in some of the panels was hard. The concept itself is interesting, and the plot explores it from a much more cynical angle than I expected, but ultimately ends on a note that just let me confused more than anything. It is luckily a tiny volume and a very quick read—I finished in 30 minutes—otherwise I might not have bothered finishing.
January 24, 2021
I’m really digging this guy’s work.
This is sci-fi. Nifty concepts explored both philosophically and practically. The author takes a “what if?” to its lengths another author that does this well is Junji Ito.
It is a tiny bit disorienting at first, but it is because we’re still learning to suspend disbelief. Once that happens, the story is very paranoid. Had me a little nervous myself.
As with the other work I have read by this author, it gets bleak. But it’s my jam, so I’m here for this shit 🕺🏻
This is sci-fi. Nifty concepts explored both philosophically and practically. The author takes a “what if?” to its lengths another author that does this well is Junji Ito.
It is a tiny bit disorienting at first, but it is because we’re still learning to suspend disbelief. Once that happens, the story is very paranoid. Had me a little nervous myself.
As with the other work I have read by this author, it gets bleak. But it’s my jam, so I’m here for this shit 🕺🏻
September 7, 2021
The story is not bad but could have been explained better. The way it is drawn, on pages of various colours, makes it a bit hard to read. In general, it's not bad, but not great either.
February 24, 2022
I'm nearly rendered speechless—this was a truly riveting read 👌 I'm happy to say that Dash Shaw hasn't failed me yet 🙌 What I find intriguing about Doctors, aside from its exploration on the meaning and consequences of an afterlife, are the tragic subplots of the three parents involved: Bell, Dr. Cho, and Clark Gomez. All three have brushed aside their respective children due to unfortunate circumstances in the past, which resulted in me detesting them (at least initially). Bell resented her daughter from bringing her back to life and separating her from an imagined lover; Dr. Cho, in his grief of losing his wife, deprived Tammy of fatherly affection and an opportunity to share Charon to the world; Clark Gomez left his children to fend for themselves in pursuit of financial success, and seemingly without remorse 😥 Shaw manages to humanize all three as they fade to darkness, and I'm left empathizing—and even grieving—for three grown adults who have messed up their lives to the very end and without any chances left to redeem themselves 😔 Doctors is genuinely haunting, and Shaw has quickly become one of my favorite comic writers 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
January 29, 2019
3 y 1/2 es un lindo libro no te vuela la peluca pero esta super bien.
January 31, 2015
I struggled with how to rate this. It's good. Doctors can bring folks back from the dead, but often they prefer their afterlives and the happiness they create in their own minds. The doctors' own struggle in life and ethics is central. Themes of life and death, isolation and happiness, and the emotional impact of others on our lives are all explored in one slim graphic novel.
That said, I didn't enjoy reading it nor is it groundbreaking. Too short to explore all these themes, it feels half-empty. Maybe that's the point but it doesn't make it a more interesting read.
That said, I didn't enjoy reading it nor is it groundbreaking. Too short to explore all these themes, it feels half-empty. Maybe that's the point but it doesn't make it a more interesting read.
July 12, 2015
Interesting concept, beautiful artwork, but the story was a little thin.
August 27, 2025
2 stars not 1 because it is something to look at, even though the full page colors were annoying and made some of the black hard to see; it's annoying and I didn't like it. no characters, everyone hates themselves, no one is interesting. and because we always got to get it in (p much required) homophobia:
[man]: "Does he have a personal assistant?
[daughter]: "One that he's probably screwing."
[man]: "I don't want to have to fuck Clark in his afterlife."
Also the randomista raid at the end -- like the prev dumb comic I read (Naked City which didn't go to the Chris Ware school of dumb but the Scott McCloud school of dumb) this is not at all how l*w enf*rcement works. these divas think p*lice are a plot point or some symbol of a certain order (even if that order is bad) rather than a real thing with a real system behind them. anyways-- read this so fast b/c I didn't track the characters all that well and I didn't care. it's baddddddd.
[man]: "Does he have a personal assistant?
[daughter]: "One that he's probably screwing."
[man]: "I don't want to have to fuck Clark in his afterlife."
Also the randomista raid at the end -- like the prev dumb comic I read (Naked City which didn't go to the Chris Ware school of dumb but the Scott McCloud school of dumb) this is not at all how l*w enf*rcement works. these divas think p*lice are a plot point or some symbol of a certain order (even if that order is bad) rather than a real thing with a real system behind them. anyways-- read this so fast b/c I didn't track the characters all that well and I didn't care. it's baddddddd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2017
An estranged father and daughter have developed the technology to resurrect the dead by entering into the "afterlife" (the last moments of consciousness experienced as an extended dream indistinguishable from real life) before everything fades to black. Unfortunately, this experience of restoring the person to life is thoroughly traumatic and most patients commit suicide only to feel disillusioned by the return to an afterlife they know is illusory. Dr. Cho cynically uses his technology for validation and financial gain, only to compensate for the wounds inflicted by the death of his wife. And his daughter feels perpetually thwarted by her father's negativity. This slender graphic novel is bittersweet but brilliant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2020
Dr. Cho, his daughter, and assistant have been using his invention, Charon, to bring people back to life. Sounds great, right? Well, apparently it's not that easy to convince people in the afterlife that the cozy memory they're living is indeed afterlife and that they must leave it to come back to life. Inevitably, most who are brought back are unhappy, and most die soon after one way or another. There's not real answer to the problem here, but along the way some fundamentals of human existence, what it means to be alive and happy, are explored. The art is stunning, the colors lush, though I still prefer a bit of space between panels.
Recommended for those who like swimming pools, climbing trees, skiing, and board games.
Recommended for those who like swimming pools, climbing trees, skiing, and board games.
December 27, 2017
This was a recommendation by the online database that I have access to via my public library. It's certainly different in terms of what I would normally read when it comes to comics but the premise did interest me a lot so I decided to give it a shot. It was interesting to say the least but it was a little difficult to follow it in the very beginning. Once I got a handle of what was going on, it did keep me interested. The artwork is certainly different and unfortunately not to my tastes but it didn't keep me from not reading it. I'm interested in reading other things by the author since I don't want to judge the author on just this work alone.
May 10, 2024
It's hard to discuss this book without spoilers.
The story revolves around a group of doctors who invented a machine which allows you to connect to a person in their near death time and bring them back to life for a short period of time.
Story starts in a dream like environment where we see one of the "patients" having the doctor bring her back to life.
The art in this book is pretty simple, but the experimental colors of pages and panels sets an interesting mood and a dream like feeling throughout the whole story.
It's a story that felt like "eternal sunshine on a spotless mind" but in comics.
Really loved it and it is the kind of story that will stay with me for long time.
The story revolves around a group of doctors who invented a machine which allows you to connect to a person in their near death time and bring them back to life for a short period of time.
Story starts in a dream like environment where we see one of the "patients" having the doctor bring her back to life.
The art in this book is pretty simple, but the experimental colors of pages and panels sets an interesting mood and a dream like feeling throughout the whole story.
It's a story that felt like "eternal sunshine on a spotless mind" but in comics.
Really loved it and it is the kind of story that will stay with me for long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2019
This was my first time reading a Dash Shaw work, and I loved it. Like someone has said earlier, Doctors is reminiscent of Inception and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It was concise, cinematic, and moving. Very artsy, in my opinion. His color choice makes it difficult to read at times, but it really didn't bother me too much. I also felt that the narrative gave me the same feels when I read some of Nick Drnaso's work - depicting the darker side of humanity that usually goes unseen. I can't tell if it was too short or just right - but I already want to read it again!
November 3, 2021
Doctors es una obra con mucho potencial y un par de momentos de brillantez que hacen que sea imposible abandonarla una vez comenzada. El momento de "la gran revelación" de una manera casual, nos hace cuestionar todo y confundirnos. El autor juega muy bien con esa sensación para luego meternos de lleno en su historia principal.
El dibujo, aunque a veces muy simple, se adecua a la historia y los efectos de cambio del color de fondo son un experimento interesante.
Solo se extraña la explicación de algunos cabos sueltos pero no es tan necesario para disfrutar la historia.
El dibujo, aunque a veces muy simple, se adecua a la historia y los efectos de cambio del color de fondo son un experimento interesante.
Solo se extraña la explicación de algunos cabos sueltos pero no es tan necesario para disfrutar la historia.
May 28, 2024
6.6
W "Doctors" Shaw zainteresowany jest samym konceptem (aka narzędziem), nie skupiając się nadto - a przynajmniej nie wprost - nad wieloma ważnymi, ciekawymi aspektami/pytaniami wynikającymi z przedstawionej sytuacji. Można mu jednak w dużym stopniu wybaczyć to zaniechanie - szczególnie, jeśli lubi się takie ćwiczenia z science fiction. A ciekawy zabieg z kolorowymi stronami nadaje komiksowi pewnej dziwności i świeżości.
W "Doctors" Shaw zainteresowany jest samym konceptem (aka narzędziem), nie skupiając się nadto - a przynajmniej nie wprost - nad wieloma ważnymi, ciekawymi aspektami/pytaniami wynikającymi z przedstawionej sytuacji. Można mu jednak w dużym stopniu wybaczyć to zaniechanie - szczególnie, jeśli lubi się takie ćwiczenia z science fiction. A ciekawy zabieg z kolorowymi stronami nadaje komiksowi pewnej dziwności i świeżości.
August 3, 2022
Uma leitura rápida e que por vezes foi desconfortável por conta de temas sensíveis como morte,suicídio,conflitos familiares e etc. Não sei se me agradam as cores aleatórias das páginas mas curti a arte. Achei uma história bem diferentona e ao mesmo tempo direta. Adorei e pretendo ler outros trabalhos do autor :)
March 4, 2024
This is a story with good bones, but whether it is Shaw's minimalist style, or just the nature of comics, it felt underdeveloped. Doctors create a Device that can pull you back from the afterlife, but the clients go insane since they can tell reality from their death visions. There were too many side characters in this short of a story. Interesting, but not quite enough.
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