Death Vigil #6
Publisher: Top Cow
Writer: Stjepan Sejic
Artist: Stjepan Sejic
Cover: Stjepan Sejic
For the past several issues, Sejic has kept the tone pretty light, but one look at the cover and you just know that things might not end well. Along with this foreboding image, we see the true motives behind Maria’s plan and that the Vigil has a traitor in their midst. Basically this issue is their Empire Strikes Back moment, where everything that can go wrong does, and it’s spectacularly laid out by Stjepan Sejic!
The conflict between the Necromancers and Vigil is expanded upon as Sejic does a fine job giving the story more weight. It is becoming more than about good vs. evil, plus several deeper connections are made that were unexpected. Since the beginning, Sejic has set up the Necromancers as the villains of the series. However, his revelation in this issue just might have a few readers actually siding with Maria. Or at least empathizing with her cause. This shift makes a great story even better, and also sends a ripple effect that causes a slight rift with the heroes.
Aside from the large scale battle taking place is the great character development happening along the way. Sejic doesn’t seem content on just giving us cool characters with jaw dropping abilities, but people we can connect with on some level. He provides several of those moments here, and both are written to deliver a slight gut punch along the way. Bernie and Clara’s argument was probably the one that has the most impact, because it also deals with decisions that Bernie made hundreds of years earlier. And although she attempts to validate her position, Clara clearly points out that certain members of the Vigil don’t see things as she does. It was a nice moment where Sejic places Bernie in a different role than what we’re used to seeing her in, and it’s nice to see that he’s willing to let her take her bruises along with the rest of the team.
As for most fans of the series and Sejic’s work in general, you already know that you will be privy to some of the best comic art around. He continues to nail it from start to finish with dynamic layouts that do as much storytelling as the art inside. A constant high point in Death Vigil are the creature designs and seeing what crazy monsters he comes up with next. There’s more of that here, but aside from Mia’s always impressive beast form is the visual hint that there’s a lot more to Clara than what we thought. This tease just makes you want to see what else he has up his sleeve for her! If you read the issue you know that previous sentence was definitely intentional.
Death Vigil #6 also comes to you with several more pages of story and art, but without a price change, which was even more impressive to see. So thanks to Sejic for giving a little extra to the fans with this issue. If you’re looking for something new to add to your reading pile, then Death Vigil is one of those titles to check out!
Infinite Speech
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