Coffin Comics 2019
Written by Brian Pulido & Mike MacLean
Illustrated by Anthony Spay
Coloured by Ceci de la Cruz
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
Lady Death and the Hellraiders are headed to earth to fend off the extinction level villainy of The Sect and The Trinity, and certainly we will get to that crucial story, but first lets delve back into the past, before Lady Death's "Cursed Sleep" began two decades ago and discover what diabolical treachery occurred during a rare peaceful moment in the Lady's undead life...
I love this book, I have been enamoured since the first time I laid eyes on my first Lady Death issue. She is one of the fiercest women you ever find and proudly strutting around in those heels and that two-piece makes her all the more so. My shop doesn't always get her books in but when they do one always finds it way home with me. I found myself thoroughly enjoying this when we see Ravenheart join the opening fray and what happens next. Though let's face it, if you aren't worked up for what's to come after a fight then you've got no libido or game.
The story & plot development that we see unfolding here as the information is released and how this engages the reader. I know it engages me because I keep thinking she is in Hell, ruling and in that condition? All kinds of things rattle around in your head and various ideas and scenarios come into play so the fact that the boys have engaged their readers so completely is a testament to some nice sets of skill and talent. The character development is completely engaging as well and the way that these characters constantly grow, change and evolve all before our eyes well that's exactly the way it is supposed to be. When the pacing is added to all this we begin to see the severity of the twists and turns and well may be a revelation or two. All of this creates a damn good ebb & flow to the story.
I am never disappointed by an issue of Lady Death and this is no different. Few books have the ability to make the reader go off-script as often as they do here, or with her in general. There are so many times I did in this issue alone and I have to say that it is one of those intangibles that keeps people coming back after they've been drawn in.
Oh my goodness gracious glory be, heavens to murgatroyd are these interiors something to behold. The linework is stunning as Anthony shows off this amazingly strong, steady and sure hand as he utilises the varying weights to create some absolutely dynamic attention to detail. The creativity and imagination that we see is marvellous and respect for making the sex scene erotic and tasteful and not cheesy and tawdry. There is also the fact that a turret can be lovely while surrounded by such evil creatures that captures the readers' eye and mind. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this stupendous eye for storytelling. Right now Ceci may be among one of the premiere colourists working today. She is able to take that base colour and show us the hues and tones within it as she creates these gradation effects as well as the shading and shadows they create.
There is always this great feeling of excitement and danger that comes with her and it's another part of why we love coming back. Just the way this is structured and how we see events unfold as the stakes get raised is beautifully handled. Plus the way the book ends leave you no choice but to return to see how this comes out. Okay we want to see how this plays out as the outcome is somewhat guaranteed proving it's never the destination but the journey getting there.