BETTER PLACE
by Duane Murray ; illustrated by Shawn Daley
A boy learns lessons about growing up after his grandfather dies in Murray’s middle-grade graphic novel.
Eight-year-old Dylan Ranger is best friends with his grandfather. The boy’s mom, Eileen, a single parent, struggles to keep the family afloat. While she works as a real estate agent, Granddad and Dylan go on adventures as Red Rocket and Kid Cosmo, their favorite comic book characters. When the pair collide with a car while riding in a shopping cart, Eileen tries to convince her father that it’s time to live in a care home. Granddad wants to see Wise Oaks for himself, so he drives there for a surprise visit. Sadly, he becomes confused on the road, hits a tree, and doesn’t survive. When Eileen later tells Dylan that Granddad has gone to a “better place,” he assumes she means Wise Oaks. She tries to bond with her son in her father’s absence but remains distracted by work. Dylan decides to find Granddad himself, but when he gets to Wise Oaks, he isn’t there. Dylan instead meets an older man named Lloyd who is willing to go on an adventure. As they travel Wise Oaks’ grounds by golf cart, they approach another grassy property—and the truth about where Granddad has gone. Writer Murray and artist Daley offer a moving middle-grade tale that helps children cope with the loss of a loved one. Despite his mental fogginess, Granddad is a positive influence on Dylan, keeping him away from screens all day and using a swear jar. Granddad’s fate isn’t shown explicitly on page, and the scariest moment may be an argument between Eileen and Dylan in which she says her husband left because he “didn’t want to take care of you!” Daley’s deft illustrations are in ink-washed grayscale until comic book adventures call for color. Key scenes are single-panel pages and convey emotion beautifully (for example, when Eileen visits the crash site). Artists like Jeff Lemire occasionally lend their talents, and homages pop up, including one for The Death of Superman.
A finely crafted exploration of grief that children and adults should experience together.