I have to say that I just really enjoy this series. There are so many serious stories out there at the moment that’s it’s nice to find one that has drama and a story with real consequences, but then also lighthearted humor. Death Vigil has tons of these moments and maybe even too many for its own good, but in that way it reflects life. The characters are always “on”, but then aren’t we all in our day to day lives? Stjepan Sejic begins this issue with some time passing after our last issue. Clara has gone to her apartment to gather her stuff and say goodbye to her roommate/friend. You actually feel bad for the friend because Clara can’t tell her anything and is just up and leaving. There’s a humorous moment in which her friend asks if she’s joined a cult shortly after her new family the Vigil’s all come out carrying her stuff and sporting matching white hair. Is that the best joke ever? Maybe not, but it put a smile on my face.
After that we spend some time with Clara as she tries to figure out what is going on with her veilripper. She reveals that she can draw with it, but how she’s supposed to use it in battle is beyond any of them. They all give her the same basic response on how to figure it out, but it’s a great segment because we get to explore more of their personalities. It helps to keep the supporting cast, well supportive and not just cannon fodder for what I’m sure is a pending battle in the series.
Two more issues are also flushed out in this issue and let’s just say that their roles are interesting. There’s another set of two characters that are still a mystery, but we receive further details on them which all builds towards the larger plot line of the series.
What Sejic is doing well is building the anticipation of the coming threat. It’s hard to tell if it’s going to have a big payoff or not because this series it too new and it’s new territory for Sejic as a creator. Hopefully what he’s building towards will have a solid conclusion.
In a lot of ways the story reminds me of anime action/adventure storylines in which we get used to the characters and there’s a lot of humor and action. The thing is, there comes a time when characters die and the landscape of the series dramatically changes. That’s pretty spot on to what Sejic is doing with the story for Death Vigil, but we’ll have to wait and see. If that is the path that he’s taking it’s a smart move.
The artwork continues to be impressive on this series. Why aren’t there more talent like Sejic that can make a woman dancing to headphones look funny and cute at the same time. What I really like about the art is that there’s no cheesecake. I’m not saying that cheesecake is bad or that we need to get rid of it, but there definitely should be a balance in the industry. Sejic illustrates the characters in such a way that they look like they belong in our world; they’re that realistic with their design and body language.
This is Top Cow’s best series at the moment and it continues to hit on one of my favorite weeks of the month. There are so many great books this week and Death Vigil is definitely included in that statement. If you haven’t checked this series out yet then grab the back issues or purchase the digital issues because you’re missing out.
Score: 5/5
Creator/Writer/Artist: Stjepan Sejic Publisher: Image/Top Cow Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/10/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital