Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace of Death Review

 

Writer/Artist & Letterer: Tommy Devoid

Publisher: Titan Comics

Hardcover Price: $16.99

Release Date: September 23, 2025

 

When Carl awakens, he quickly realizes he's going to have a bad day. His cat informs Carl that he died during the night. Worse, Furball tells Carl that work continues after death. After all, he’s got a house to pay for, and a cat that needs to eat. How will Carl like death? And how will it differ from what he knew before he shuffled off the mortal coil? Let's leap into Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace of Death and see!

 

Story

With life firmly in his rear-view mirror, Carl gets in his car and wades through traffic. After a mind-numbing commute, he arrives at Afterlife Industries. There, Carl meets his coworkers and learns the ropes of his new job. Shuffling meaningless paperwork forms a large part of his day. Still, at least there's coffee. And unlike Furball's food, it's free.

 

Tommy Devoid shows us Carl's first day through his lifeless eyes. As he interacts with others, Carl frequently breaks the fourth wall to comment on his discoveries. Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace of Death is a fast read. Yet its insights into how many of us spend our days deserve contemplation.

 

As Carl navigates his first day of death, he discovers everything anew. Yet it has a feeling of sameness, much like life offered him before he died. Tommy Devoid's book portrays an everyday hero who navigates a routine dictated by others. There may be no escape from the endless drudgery. Still, Carl applies himself to the tasks at hand, accepts others' expectations of him, and never gives up.

 

Art

Each page of Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace of Death features two to four panels. In these square page layouts, Carl has a giant skull and a tiny body. He wears a long-sleeved dress shirt and a tie. A pinprick of white resides at the center of each socket, and Carl expresses himself with his eyelids.

 

Carl travels to work in a featureless car. Karen welcomes him with a smile and Human eyes. White streaks in her dark hair evoke the Bride of Frankenstein. His coworker, Myrtle, has eye sockets like Carl and binds her hair in a tight bun with a hairpin. His boss, Roger, has similar features to Carl. But he smokes a cigar, and short dark hair tops a head evoking a wedge of cheese. Perhaps the most telling signs of what awaits Carl at Afterlife Industries are his overloaded desk, piles of paperwork, and the mug he and Myrtle always keep nearby.

 

Generous-sized uppercase black letters relate dialogue, while lines connect the speaker with their conversations and musings. The style of humor is deadpan, much like Dilbert. But it's impossible to read Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace of Death and not think of Charlie Brown’s reflections on life. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

After Carl dies, existence marches on much as it did when he was alive. Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace of Death challenges us to live for today and accept the aspects of our lives that we cannot change. The book collects entries from Carl's webcomic in an easy-to-read format. Bonus materials include concept sketches and Carl's interview with his chronicler.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Never Been Deader: Lifeless Carl and the Not-So-Sweet Embrace ofDeath.