The Undertaker, 1: The Gold Eater & Dance of the Vultures
Writer: Xavier Dorison
Artist: Ralph Meyer
Colorist: Caroline Delabie
Translator: Tom Imber
Publisher: Abrams ComicArts
Publication Date: March 2026
It’s a curiosity of world popular culture that Europe still has an ongoing taste for Westerns while the genre has seen significant decline Stateside. Setting aside the majesty of Sergio Leone’s cinematic approach to the genre in the 1960s, European comics have a long tradition of classic and contemporary takes. In Franco-Belgian comics especially, setting aside the ongoing comedic appeal of Morris’ Lucky Luke, we have Jean-Michel Charlier & Jean “Moebius” Giraud’s Blueberry, Greg & Hermann’s Comanche, and Alejandro Jodorowsky & François Boucq’s Bouncer to list as standout examples. It’s no surprise, then, to find another engaging French venture to the wild frontier with Abrams ComicArts newest release The Undertaker.
Written by critically acclaimed comics writer Xavier Dorison (Animal Castle) alongside art and colouring duo Ralph Meyer & Caroline Delabie (XIII Mystery, Clear Blue Tomorrows), The Undertaker series debuted in France back in 2015, published by Dargaud. It has proved pretty popular – accruing eight albums across ten years (plus bonus material). Abrams ComicArts The Undertaker, 1: The Gold Eater & Dance of the Vultures collects the first story arc in the series (albums 1 and 2 of the French release) in a single volume, providing a complete story to introduce readers to the character and his world.
Our lead is the mysterious Jonas Crow, a travelling loner and scoundrel eking out a living by handling the dead. He seems to have few scruples and will take on any funereal job if the coin is right. In this book, Crow is charged with the strangest job of all – a grotesque tycoon, made rich by gold-mining, requests Crow’s services to escort his body back to the very mine he made his fortune. That night the tycoon takes poison and literally swallows his riches to prevent anyone else from getting it. Word gets out among the desperate and corrupt townsfolk waiting for a post-mortem payoff, and Crow (along with two former employees and a pet vulture) have to race to get the newly deceased shyster to his final destination, and out with their own lives. The story is crazy – but some of the best stories are.
One of the most interesting aspects to Undertaker is that – despite it being a chase with a ticking clock – it makes ample room to ensure the main cast are more than stereotypes or cutouts. Sure “each comes with baggage and mysterious motivations”, but as their perilous journey continues we slowly understand more about their backgrounds, through allusions, brief flashbacks, or direct dialogue – including who Jonas Crow really is, and why he is so good with a gun.
The two female employees, Rose and Lin, are given creditable characterisation that in some ways utilises and subverts old stereotypes. One is seemingly desperately naive, and another purely practical. Neither are necessarily helpless damsels but two women surviving in a harsh world, despite the compromises they have been forced to make. Circumstances bring them to this moment, taking actions and making choices that shape the course of the story to bring the group literally and metaphorically to a different place by the final page. Plus: the three of them (and Jed the vulture) make for a bizarre character dynamic that is both entertaining and occassionally emotional.
Another great feature is the subplot of the mob chasing Crow and co. We see them devolve further into their depravity, while at the same time are contrasted by a member who struggles with the morality of their actions.
Ralph Meyer’s art brilliantly carries the story. He makes every character stand out, unique and recognisable, even in crowd scenes. The action sequences are satisfactorily frenetic, and Meyer confidently moves between dense multipanel layouts (one or two pages have thirteen panels) to much looser ones (four to six panels), expertly knowing how much the structure of the page influences pace and mood. And he is brilliant with backgrounds. Saloons, townships, the wide plains. All are impressive to behold and given a chance to sink in. Meyer’s draftsmanship is expertly matched by Caroline Delabie’s colour work – really knowing how to utilise light to enhance the mood and balance of each scene.
Tom Imber’s translation of the original text is fluid and doesn’t detract from the pace that the comic sets for the story – it has also had some editorial tweaks from the 2016 (digital exclusive) Europe Comics translation, softening some of the problematic parts in the original dialogue plus it has been re-lettered (by Cromatik) with a far more legible font. Besides being able to finally get this series in print in the English language for the first time, this feels like the best way to read the story.
One minor bugbear with Abrams’ edition of The Undertaker is the exclusion of a chapter separation or buffer page between each part in this omnibus. The overall story reads fine as one seamless whole but if you have the names of each part on the cover, why leave it out? Plus the original French cover for Dance of the Vultures (La danse des vautours) looks too cool to be excluded.
This 112-page hardcover is well worth your time and money – whether you are a fan of Westerns or solidly crafted tales with great art. You get a complete story in this book, and if you are hungry for more, the rest of the series is on its way too.
The Undertaker, 1: The Gold Eater & Dance of the Vultures releases March 31 from Abrams ComicArts
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