The Palace of Ashes
Quick, without using the internet, answer this question: can you be buried in San Francisco when you die? Not that it’s something I’ve ever thought about, as I’ve never been there, but it must have crossed the minds of at least a few people reading this, unless you’re still young enough to think you’re immortal. It turns out that you can’t, and that has been true for a very long time. Who knew? Andy uses this comic to relate the history of that decision and what happened after. In 1902 burials were banned because they were running out of space for the living, and they finally got around to digging up the bodies in the 20’s. It gets even more grim, as they smashed most of the tombstones and used the bits to fill in walls and gutters. One building was eventually designated as a place to hold cremated remains, and was promptly basically forgotten until the early 80’s. The rest of the comic deals with the building finally being rediscovered and the quest of one man to return it to its former glory. I love the modern touches of the urns compared to the older ones (and the container that the main repairman is going to eventually use for his ashes is brilliant) and had no idea that this was even an issue. It makes sense, but the thought never even crossed my mind. This is a genuinely informative comic with some serious heart, and it’s well worth a look if you’re interested in San Francisco, society forgetting about the dead or mortality in general. $3
Posted by Kevin 
