For fans of LGBTQ+ graphic novel love stories who enjoy action adventuregraphic novels and manga like Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and The World After the Fall.

Reaper spends his days completing his task of sending souls into the afterlife, until he meets a peculiar but familiar soul that has him questioning everything.

Waiting follows him everywhere, and Reaper’s spirit helper, Dog, seems to take a liking to Waiting. Reaper, however, has his reservations. 

Souls must be guided to the other side, and it’s his job to help them cross, but something draws him closer to Waiting.

Reaper prefers to live in ignorance of his past life, while Waiting insists that knowing who you were is important to understand where you come from—and who you may have left behind. 

Who is Waiting, and why is he so intrigued by the one meant to seal his fate? 

Through their journey together, travelling the realm in search of lost souls Waiting and Reaper unpack the bittersweet mystery of their previous lives.

This graphic novel collects the complete stunning WEBTOON comic series The Reaper and the Waiting.

Oh, my heart! I’ve been through the gamut of emotions with this one. What a beautiful, romantic story dealing with reincarnation, souls, reapers, and love that surpasses ages and time.

The Reaper in this story meets a spirit who seemingly can’t recall his name, so he goes by “Waiting.” But Waiting remembers the life he and Reaper shared together before their tragic deaths, and it was a time where love was ready to be shared if it wasn’t for a sudden betrayal, where Waiting is implicated as part of it. Waiting is innocent, and spends his afterlife trying to find a moment to convince Reaper that it wasn’t his fault, but Reaper does not want to remember his prior self.

And yet there’s something warm and familiar about Waiting that makes Reaper question whether or not he truly wants to abandon all memories and sense of self when his 60 years of reaping is done, or if he wants to keep the memories of his past life. In the meantime, Waiting struggles whether or not to share things with Reaper, including his love for him.

I’m not going to spoil what else happens, but I found this graphic novel to be deeply romantic, and the creator’s choice to weave in flashbacks in between the current story was a wise one, as it built up the mystery as to what happened in each character’s previous lives. So there’s love, politics, betrayal, and a sort of tragic vibe hanging over the story for most of it, that makes you take a moment to think about death and whether or not you’d want a restart with or without your memories of the life before.

The artwork is incredibly beautiful. Such great color work, with luscious backgrounds and settings, and unique character designs that make each person memorable in the story. As an aside, I thought Dog was a nice relief from the tension and tragedy of the story–he’s pretty funny at times and makes for a great companion. I like that he is an extension of the Reaper’s soul.

I’ve read a few stories regarding love and reincarnation, and this one in particular stands out to me. Though I’ve had the privilege of reading this digital ARC from Webtoon Unscrolled, when this becomes available in paperback in May, I’m definitely adding it to my permanent collection.

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The Reaper and the Waiting will be published May 6, 2026, in paperback form. You can get more information directly from the publisher and preorder from a wide variety of online book retailers. Preorders help, truly!