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I tried. I really hoped this would get at least a 3-star rating. But, I can't get there.

This is a supposedly "sweet" love story about a --bisexual?-- gardener, who appears to be Middle-Eastern based on his skin color and name (but that is never made clear). He has a budding romance with a ghost named "Blue." Both guys have darker skin without explanation. It is likely that "Blue" is entirely gay, based on the fact he says Hamal likes boobs (implying that Blue might not), but that's really just a shot in the dark.

Hamal is a necromancer, unintentionally using his power to meet all the ghosts in his neighborhood, and thereby cultivate his relationship with Blue. But beyond learning that, and maybe a tiny bit about the rules for ghosts in this world... There is nothing deeper.

For all that Blue is scared of "the forest" and a Reaper character, we are never given an explanation for how the afterlife really works in this reality. No one explains what happens after a ghost is "reaped." Do they travel to an afterlife, or cease to exist? They don't explain what happens if the scary forest gets you. They don't explain WHY Hamal is a necromancer, or if there are any other mages in this universe. They don't explain why Blue became a ghost, although there is a single line to suggest that the way he died is that he was hit by a truck.

We know nothing about our two main characters' families, religion, or anything else. I don't just bring up religion because Hamal may or may not be Muslim, based on his name and appearance. Rather, religion would be a natural subject for these characters to talk about, what with their utter CERTAINTY of the existence of an afterlife. That should raise a bunch of questions about God, Heaven, Hell, etc. But these questions are never really raised, let alone answered.

Also, it is natural for young LGBT people to struggle with religion because sometimes they're not sure if their orientation is a sin. Or, we question if it were God's plan to create us this way. But here, the two main characters seem to have no problem with being gay. I'm not sure if that's because they're both so legitimately proud, or if it's simply due to the cold vacuum that is the substance of this story.

There's just... Nothing.

For all that this graphic novel tried to explore weighty issues of the afterlife, ghosts, unfinished business, necromancy, and gay romance? There just wasn't any real substance here. The romance felt like a relationship between much younger characters. They acted like I did as a 15-year-old gay guy. But Hamal and Blue are seemingly much older, if Hamal is working full time and Blue is described working as a teacher's assistant (which would require him to be at least 18 and possibly have completed some post-secondary school).

So, they're grown men acting like silly gay boys? Oooo-kay...

Disappointing overall.