Well Death Vigil is wrapping up. Who’s to say if this series will continue another arc or volume, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I wanted more. This quickly became one of my go to series and I have applauded creator Stjepan Sejic for taking a very anime approach to the story and world and making it work with Western storytelling. What’s also impressive is how quickly Sejic is with his artwork. He has his endless webcomics that are hilarious, Sunstone, Rat Queens and Death Vigil on top of whatever else I’m missing. Now granted some of that is in the bag or on a different schedule, but he’s still cranking out some great work. But we’re here for Death Vigil! This could be the second to last issue, I’m not sure and I’m not going to look it up on the off-chance that I’m wrong and want to be surprised. Bernie has been captured and trapped by our mad and distraught mother. Bernie makes conversation with her trying to figure out what it is that she hopes to accomplish, all the while telling her that her daughter has passed on long ago. This is great because we start to see that something is in fact up with the daughter. Don’t worry we learn exactly what’s up and it isn’t good. You know it’s bad when one of the bad guys is explaining it with a smile.

We also learn why it is that Sam uses a Pickaxe and Shovel as we see him dying for the second time. He’s actually just a small boy, but we flash to a memory that he’s managed to hold on to. It involves his father and though it’s quick and doesn’t have a lot of buildup, Sejic effectively tugs at your heart-strings. You’ll have to see if Sam actually takes a dirt nap this time around, but come on… you should know already haven’t you been paying attention?

The rest of the issue can be described as Clara stepping up and becoming an even bigger bad ass. Seriously, there’s no way you can’t love her character. She’s gets closure, she receives a kiss from someone she’s saved and even sees her friend that thinks she’s joined a cult. It’s all great and again, she’s awesome.

This issue is tremendous. Just like the issue before and really all the ones before that. Sejic has never let up on the story and kept a great pacing that doesn’t burn the reader out. He really manages the pacing in a way that few other comics do. I go back to the anime influence because Sejic nails the soft moments, the intense moments and always manages to leave you wanting more just like a good anime.

His artwork is still fantastic and a huge part of the stories success. This issue checks in with every character we’ve been introduced to that isn’t already dead and you really get to see and appreciate how much he put into the art and designs of the characters and world. This is a beautiful series and I love looking at it as much as I love reading it.

I’m really looking forward to the next issue. It should be the big showdown or at the very least the beginning of the big showdown. I don’t know if all the characters are going to make it out of here alive, but we’ll see. I have my thoughts and bets on it. Otherwise if you haven’t checked out Death Vigil, give it a shot. It’s a rich world populated by realistic and deep characters.

Score: 5/5

Death Vigil #7 Writer/Artist/Creator: Stjepan Sejic Publisher: Top Cow/Image Price: $3.99 Release Date: 6/3/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital