Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham Death: The High Cost of Living #3 Finale Issue Incredible Key Turning Point Page 14 Original Art (DC/Vertigo, 1993)
Neil Gaiman's Sandman is one of most important comic book series in the history of the medium as it was one of the first to demonstrate the literary merits of graphic storytelling. It generated a huge crossover audience of fantasy readers and has remained a best seller in its various collection formats to this day. In the historic Sandman #8, readers met the series' most popular supporting character, Death, the sister of Dream of the Endless AKA the Sandman. The personification of Death itself, the character broke new ground by being depicted as a young goth-like girl who spoke like a contemporary young woman who just happened to be the grim reaper. The character's popularity led Gaiman to develop a spin-off mini-series, Death:The High Cost of Living, which was Death's first ever solo series. It was an extremely popular series that still has a significant number of fans, so the chance to own an original page from it that features the lead character in multiple panels, not to mention one of the most key turning point pages leading up to the series end was a no brainier for me at the time, as these pages simply do not come up!
In Death: The High Cost of Living, Death of the Endless spends one day every century as a mortal named Didi. I love what Gaiman has done with her. Death is the end, but she is also something we will all have to accept with open arms. There’s no escaping her and perhaps that’s why she is so welcoming here. It is fate that we will one day meet her. And she’s so likable; she has a big smile and an even bigger heart. The people she meets cannot resist her charm and easy going manner. They like her. They want to be around her and one day they will be forevermore.
In the series a young boy wishes for her. He is a typical teenager, broody, moody and full of self-loathing. He hates his life and he wants it all to end. Death appears. Instead of taking him she makes him realise that life is, in fact, worth living. His attitude was wrong. He failed to see beyond his own situation and understand that others were far more unfortunate than him. Death taught him a lesson: she taught him that life must come first.
On this page, Death realizes she's finally gotten through to Sexton, the depressed lonely teenager who starts to show appreciation of life, and is now time for her to head to Central Park to go back to the afterlife. This marks the first time we see Sexton show interest in life and perhaps more future adventures, which marked a huge turning point in the finale Issue. I believe this is also why Didi aka Death of The Endless feels her time with the living is now done.
Panel 3-"If I was really Death, do you think I'd tell you?" (Death with a smirk). An incredible key page to the renowned mini-series created in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Slight tear into panel 5 and light wear. Overall, the page is in very good condition.