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Death Vigil #1-8
Death Vigil, Vol. 1
Gifted? Join the Death Vigil in their ongoing war against the ever-growing power of the Primordial Enemy! Only catch is you have to die first. Become a corporeal immortal Death Knight and obtain reality-altering weaponry in the never-ending battle between good and evil.
Collects DEATH VIGIL #1-8.
Collects DEATH VIGIL #1-8.
284 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2015
49 people are currently reading
1758 people want to read
About the author
Stjepan Šejić
350 books1,541 followersStjepan Šejić is a Croatian comic book writer and artist, known for his work on the series Witchblade, Aphrodite IX, Sunstone, and The Darkness among others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
November 10, 2019
I just want to marry this volume.
I really enjoyed reading this. There's some mystery, action, bad-ass women, gorgeous art, a bit of romance even (*cough*), awesome supporting characters... what more can I ask for? Ah, this really was quite a surprise for me. I've read it last night and I'm still so hyped about it! Wish this story was at least a bit more popular! Also...love these two:
Stjepan Šejić je car. Nema dalje.
I really enjoyed reading this. There's some mystery, action, bad-ass women, gorgeous art, a bit of romance even (*cough*), awesome supporting characters... what more can I ask for? Ah, this really was quite a surprise for me. I've read it last night and I'm still so hyped about it! Wish this story was at least a bit more popular! Also...love these two:
Stjepan Šejić je car. Nema dalje.
October 17, 2015
I'm guessing writer/artist Stjepan Sejic noticed that a Goth-chick Death was the most popular character in Neil Gaiman’s bestselling The Sandman and decided to reuse the character for his series, Death Vigil. Eh, why not?
The reaper is a Goth-chick called Bernie who leads the Death Vigil, a group of immortal death knights, in a centuries-long war against the Necromancers. Our heroine is Clara, a recently deceased young woman, who discovers her boyfriend is a Necromancer and is recruited into the Vigil. She learns, she loves, yadda yadda yadda…
I’m not overly familiar with Sejic’s work – I know him only as the latest artist on Rat Queens – but, looking at his bibliography at the back of this book, he seems to be Mr Fantasy Artist! A shame then that his writing is not nearly as accomplished as his art. Death Vigil is a torturous read!
Pacing is the major issue of this book. Sejic overloads each panel with busy art and too much exposition, then crams too many panels into each page – the effect is overwhelming in a negative sense. I can understand the first couple of issues (this book collects the first 8 issues in the series) being heavy on the exposition because the story needs to explain things to the reader – who everyone is, what’s going on, etc. – but the info dumps never end; we’re still stopping for overly-long speeches from characters well into the final act of the story!
As a result, reading is a slow trudge. Sejic isn’t an experienced enough storyteller to know when to let the pages breathe. Maybe space out the constant dialogue and let the reader take in the visuals? Let’s have fewer panels in the pages, maybe work on editing down the info dumps to just the essentials and placing them within more dynamic settings than simply characters literally sat down listening to another lecture?
It doesn’t help that the story itself is hopelessly uninteresting. It’s a generic goodies vs baddies setup. There’s this crazy woman translating forbidden texts because she’s got a grudge against Bernie – she didn’t save her kid or some dumb thing – and the baddies are gonna use those texts to take over the world or whatever. It’s the kind of facile story you get with computer games and, coupled with the overall look and plot, I kept expecting a Capcom logo to appear before each chapter – Death Vigil’s very much like Devil May Cry minus the frenzied button-mashing!
And the dialogue – lordy! Is there anything worse than reading a writer trying – and failing – to imitate Joss Whedon or Brian Bendis? Granted, those two set the template for how almost every modern team comic sounds, but hardly anyone writes dialogue at the same level as those guys. Sejic certainly can’t and his tossed-off asides and bad puns are maddening to read over and over. For fuck’s sake, stop having your characters roll their eyes, raise their eyebrows, and pun!
I could go on about how indistinct the characters are – both goodies and baddies and how they’re written and how they look – and how stretched out and underdeveloped the plot is; how the final act is a sloppy mess with no narrative tension, the annoying Yu-Gi-Oh character’s soliloquies, why some people can’t see them because they’re dead but at a certain point and for no reason suddenly everyone can, and a dozen other things - but I’ll leave it there.
I will say Sejic’s art though is quite wonderful. Very precise, eerily beautiful, I love the colours and some of the action scenes are truly awesome. The art was the only thing that made reading the comic worthwhile.
Maybe the more hardcore fantasy fans will enjoy Death Vigil, but don’t expect the kind of quality you get from Rat Queens or Red Sonja – Sejic is a talented artist but he’s nowhere near the same quality as a writer or storyteller. For all its visual charms, I found the book itself enormously boring and uninteresting to read, lacking a memorable story or a compelling cast of characters. Can’t recommend it.
The reaper is a Goth-chick called Bernie who leads the Death Vigil, a group of immortal death knights, in a centuries-long war against the Necromancers. Our heroine is Clara, a recently deceased young woman, who discovers her boyfriend is a Necromancer and is recruited into the Vigil. She learns, she loves, yadda yadda yadda…
I’m not overly familiar with Sejic’s work – I know him only as the latest artist on Rat Queens – but, looking at his bibliography at the back of this book, he seems to be Mr Fantasy Artist! A shame then that his writing is not nearly as accomplished as his art. Death Vigil is a torturous read!
Pacing is the major issue of this book. Sejic overloads each panel with busy art and too much exposition, then crams too many panels into each page – the effect is overwhelming in a negative sense. I can understand the first couple of issues (this book collects the first 8 issues in the series) being heavy on the exposition because the story needs to explain things to the reader – who everyone is, what’s going on, etc. – but the info dumps never end; we’re still stopping for overly-long speeches from characters well into the final act of the story!
As a result, reading is a slow trudge. Sejic isn’t an experienced enough storyteller to know when to let the pages breathe. Maybe space out the constant dialogue and let the reader take in the visuals? Let’s have fewer panels in the pages, maybe work on editing down the info dumps to just the essentials and placing them within more dynamic settings than simply characters literally sat down listening to another lecture?
It doesn’t help that the story itself is hopelessly uninteresting. It’s a generic goodies vs baddies setup. There’s this crazy woman translating forbidden texts because she’s got a grudge against Bernie – she didn’t save her kid or some dumb thing – and the baddies are gonna use those texts to take over the world or whatever. It’s the kind of facile story you get with computer games and, coupled with the overall look and plot, I kept expecting a Capcom logo to appear before each chapter – Death Vigil’s very much like Devil May Cry minus the frenzied button-mashing!
And the dialogue – lordy! Is there anything worse than reading a writer trying – and failing – to imitate Joss Whedon or Brian Bendis? Granted, those two set the template for how almost every modern team comic sounds, but hardly anyone writes dialogue at the same level as those guys. Sejic certainly can’t and his tossed-off asides and bad puns are maddening to read over and over. For fuck’s sake, stop having your characters roll their eyes, raise their eyebrows, and pun!
I could go on about how indistinct the characters are – both goodies and baddies and how they’re written and how they look – and how stretched out and underdeveloped the plot is; how the final act is a sloppy mess with no narrative tension, the annoying Yu-Gi-Oh character’s soliloquies, why some people can’t see them because they’re dead but at a certain point and for no reason suddenly everyone can, and a dozen other things - but I’ll leave it there.
I will say Sejic’s art though is quite wonderful. Very precise, eerily beautiful, I love the colours and some of the action scenes are truly awesome. The art was the only thing that made reading the comic worthwhile.
Maybe the more hardcore fantasy fans will enjoy Death Vigil, but don’t expect the kind of quality you get from Rat Queens or Red Sonja – Sejic is a talented artist but he’s nowhere near the same quality as a writer or storyteller. For all its visual charms, I found the book itself enormously boring and uninteresting to read, lacking a memorable story or a compelling cast of characters. Can’t recommend it.
June 15, 2021
“We are the Death Vigil! An ancient order of Death Knights sworn to stop the enemy from entering and devouring the universe.”
Necromancers, that enemy is called. So there’s good guys with white hair and bad guys with dark hair. The good guys are almost all beautiful and on the bad guys side, they are generally less beautiful, with impressive monsters out of some videogame.
I only read this because I happened to see it and have loved (especially) the amazing art of Stjepan Šejić, including Sunstone (kind of a light s/m series) and Harleen, his recent story of Harley Quinn. Šejić, is a long-time fantasy illustrator,just getting attention in recent years as a kind of A-lister deservedly because of his art. Because I am not so much a fantasy reader (oh, except Monstress and Witch Hat Atelier) I was not such a fan of this, I never quite get what is going on, it goes on too long, and besides, the sales were terrible and the series was canceled. But it’s good, maybe better than my three stars if you are a fantasy fan, or a gamer. Šejić keeps things light with a sense of humor.
So first and foremost: gorgeous art, his use of line and color are amazing. And in all three of his works I have read so far, everyone seems to be gorgeous, color-coordinated with clothes and hair and backgrounds. Fantasy as an exercise in high swirling romantic style. I am not into dark fantasy but it is pretty to look at, swirling, swoony, passionate. Beautiful.
The lead reaper for the Death Vigil (the good guys) is a Goth-girl named Bernadette (Bernie) whose conception owes something to Neil Gaiman’s goth-girl Death. Recently dead Clara is the person we enter this world with, who Sam explains all the background world-making too.
Key stuff: magic scythes, veil rippers, destroying necromantic sigils. Two characters are gamers and throw gaming lingo; the monsters (chief among them, the Abyss!) look like game monsters, perfect. YA level, so no sex and no real violence.
So it’s good, but why check it out if there is no second volume?! The story is unsurprising: good guys vs bad guys, though it has likable characters and light, punning dialogue, pretty people. The guy can draw!
Necromancers, that enemy is called. So there’s good guys with white hair and bad guys with dark hair. The good guys are almost all beautiful and on the bad guys side, they are generally less beautiful, with impressive monsters out of some videogame.
I only read this because I happened to see it and have loved (especially) the amazing art of Stjepan Šejić, including Sunstone (kind of a light s/m series) and Harleen, his recent story of Harley Quinn. Šejić, is a long-time fantasy illustrator,just getting attention in recent years as a kind of A-lister deservedly because of his art. Because I am not so much a fantasy reader (oh, except Monstress and Witch Hat Atelier) I was not such a fan of this, I never quite get what is going on, it goes on too long, and besides, the sales were terrible and the series was canceled. But it’s good, maybe better than my three stars if you are a fantasy fan, or a gamer. Šejić keeps things light with a sense of humor.
So first and foremost: gorgeous art, his use of line and color are amazing. And in all three of his works I have read so far, everyone seems to be gorgeous, color-coordinated with clothes and hair and backgrounds. Fantasy as an exercise in high swirling romantic style. I am not into dark fantasy but it is pretty to look at, swirling, swoony, passionate. Beautiful.
The lead reaper for the Death Vigil (the good guys) is a Goth-girl named Bernadette (Bernie) whose conception owes something to Neil Gaiman’s goth-girl Death. Recently dead Clara is the person we enter this world with, who Sam explains all the background world-making too.
Key stuff: magic scythes, veil rippers, destroying necromantic sigils. Two characters are gamers and throw gaming lingo; the monsters (chief among them, the Abyss!) look like game monsters, perfect. YA level, so no sex and no real violence.
So it’s good, but why check it out if there is no second volume?! The story is unsurprising: good guys vs bad guys, though it has likable characters and light, punning dialogue, pretty people. The guy can draw!
August 20, 2020
Decent premise, executed in typical Top Cow fashion, in that it was kind of confusing and doesn't make much sense as a whole. I liked the art in general, but I hated the computerized monsters. They were too dark and muddy.
November 9, 2015
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
5+ stars, and among the best graphic novels I've read this year.
Writing is outstanding, the characters are exceptionally developed, and I love the amount of snarkiness and puns throughout this first volume. The artwork is fantastic, too. This is one of those comics that would make a great anime/cartoon.
I do have one question, though: when is the next volume coming out?
5+ stars, and among the best graphic novels I've read this year.
Writing is outstanding, the characters are exceptionally developed, and I love the amount of snarkiness and puns throughout this first volume. The artwork is fantastic, too. This is one of those comics that would make a great anime/cartoon.
I do have one question, though: when is the next volume coming out?
December 10, 2020
This!!! This is one of my favourite comics! The art is amazing, the story is really interesting and I adore the characters! 8 issues isn't enough I need more of itttttt! they're all so precious and I love them with all my heart, it's a shame theres no word on more cos it ended at a cliff hanger!!!
December 26, 2015
**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
This is wonderful! I actually had high hopes for this, but it turned out to be even better than I expected.
The drawings and the color palette are very beautiful. I think it's amazing that the same person did both the art and the writing, it just shows how creative someone can be.
Bernadette the Reaper recruits people who have just died to be part of the vigil, they become immortal fighters and share the same peculiar white hair. But Bernadette is not some grumpy and creepy reaper who likes to scare the hell out of people (even though she unintentionally does), she's just hilarious. She's sarcastic and very funny, I guess it's kind of to break the tension, since their "business" has to do with death after all. And Sam is also amazing, the relationship he has with Bernadette is great and one of the things I enjoyed the most, they can be very funny together. And this does have a lot of funny moments, everyone who is a part of the vigil is always making jokes.
Every member has a different weapon (feather, shovel, deck of cards, etc.) and they have to learn how to use it properly. Some of them can be used to open portals or even to summon a horde of bloodthirsty viking "zombies".
And we get to see the whole process of becoming one of them from the start, since Clara, one of the main characters, has just been killed by her boyfriend and recruited by Bernadette.
But there's much more going on than just the vigil. They have very strong enemies, who are hunting them to steal their weapons and get rid of the Reaper. So you can expect lots of fights and action.
Definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a fun and original story (with great art!).
More reviews on my blog: Lipstick and Mocha
This is wonderful! I actually had high hopes for this, but it turned out to be even better than I expected.
The drawings and the color palette are very beautiful. I think it's amazing that the same person did both the art and the writing, it just shows how creative someone can be.
Bernadette the Reaper recruits people who have just died to be part of the vigil, they become immortal fighters and share the same peculiar white hair. But Bernadette is not some grumpy and creepy reaper who likes to scare the hell out of people (even though she unintentionally does), she's just hilarious. She's sarcastic and very funny, I guess it's kind of to break the tension, since their "business" has to do with death after all. And Sam is also amazing, the relationship he has with Bernadette is great and one of the things I enjoyed the most, they can be very funny together. And this does have a lot of funny moments, everyone who is a part of the vigil is always making jokes.
Every member has a different weapon (feather, shovel, deck of cards, etc.) and they have to learn how to use it properly. Some of them can be used to open portals or even to summon a horde of bloodthirsty viking "zombies".
And we get to see the whole process of becoming one of them from the start, since Clara, one of the main characters, has just been killed by her boyfriend and recruited by Bernadette.
But there's much more going on than just the vigil. They have very strong enemies, who are hunting them to steal their weapons and get rid of the Reaper. So you can expect lots of fights and action.
Definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a fun and original story (with great art!).
More reviews on my blog: Lipstick and Mocha
April 17, 2018
Man, I ADORE this series! Stjepan is a superb writer and his art is on. point. He's one of my favourite artists out there right now. I can't wait to own this as a physical book!
October 14, 2015
This graphic novel was so much fun to read. It was really different and interesting. I liked the characters and plot a lot.
December 19, 2021
Dark, humorous, beautiful art, and great story. This is the full package.
I'd rate this an R for gore, violence, scary images, and some swearing.
I'd rate this an R for gore, violence, scary images, and some swearing.
November 23, 2015
Another masterpiece by Šejić, though I wouldn't consider this the strongest or most unique work in his recent portfolio. Death Vigil follows the adventures of Bernie the reaper and her group of handsome undead minions who battle the necromancers who serve the primordial evil of chaos, etc etc. Expect lots of monsters and tentacles and fangs--which is where the story really shines. That is, Šejić's artwork is amazing. Although his humans tend to suffer from sameface syndrome, the monstrous creatures he manifests are all unique and frighteningly detailed.
The story is somewhat predictable, what with the crazy cult members and quirky Vigil, but Šejić's sense of humour is what makes the story and characters click so nicely and makes this well worth the read.
www.bibliosanctum.com
The story is somewhat predictable, what with the crazy cult members and quirky Vigil, but Šejić's sense of humour is what makes the story and characters click so nicely and makes this well worth the read.
www.bibliosanctum.com
March 26, 2021
A super-exciting and fun to read graphic novel/comics about a group of people (Vigil) who are in war with Necromancers.
There is plenty of action but also lots of humour to lighten the mood (like Sam commenting on the fact that everyone is taking their shirts off when they are near him). So I laughed, but also rooted for the characters. I am glad that there was so much humour, because I think if this book was all seriousness I would have liked it less. It also made the characters, especially Bernie a bit more human and less a few thousands year old lady who seems very distant at times.
I wasn’t a fan of the necromancers, though most of them were just manipulated idiots. And really, I was pissed at the reasons why that woman was so gung-ho on getting the scythe. Really? You could have just thought a bit more but, noooooo. You only cared about one thing, and look where that brought you?
I was definitely shipping Sam and Bernie together, they make quite a couple and was hoping that Bernie would go for it. Yes, she is a few thousands of years old and Sam isn’t as old as that, but they were so cute together. I loved how they were always there for each other no matter the situation.
For a long time I thought that our Vigil was the only one around, but we find out that there are other Vigils as well and now I want to go to them.
I loved our girl, Clara. I loved seeing her get used to life as a dead girl, I loved her “weapon” and seeing her figure out what it was (her memory is a bit fuzzy) and see her use it to the full potential. She was such a great character and while I feel sad she died due to a dick boyfriend, I guess it is also good she did because she finally found a family, people who care about her and who love her. Haha, I do hope this doesn’t sound too terrible.
The battle near the end WOW WOW WOW. That was just one rollercoaster of awesomeness and I was already stuck in the book… well now I was even more. There is a ton of things happening, monsters popping up, monsters being eaten, battle plans brought to action, and so much more. And just when you thought things were over, haha, BOOM, betrayal and more battle. Holy crap!
The art, fantastic! Love it! Then again, Stjepan Šejić is one of my favourite artists. Sunstone was just as gorgeous as this one. I love how the artist is able to show emotions and does a great job with facial expressions.s
All in all, I now need the second volume. I need more!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
There is plenty of action but also lots of humour to lighten the mood (like Sam commenting on the fact that everyone is taking their shirts off when they are near him). So I laughed, but also rooted for the characters. I am glad that there was so much humour, because I think if this book was all seriousness I would have liked it less. It also made the characters, especially Bernie a bit more human and less a few thousands year old lady who seems very distant at times.
I wasn’t a fan of the necromancers, though most of them were just manipulated idiots. And really, I was pissed at the reasons why that woman was so gung-ho on getting the scythe. Really? You could have just thought a bit more but, noooooo. You only cared about one thing, and look where that brought you?
I was definitely shipping Sam and Bernie together, they make quite a couple and was hoping that Bernie would go for it. Yes, she is a few thousands of years old and Sam isn’t as old as that, but they were so cute together. I loved how they were always there for each other no matter the situation.
For a long time I thought that our Vigil was the only one around, but we find out that there are other Vigils as well and now I want to go to them.
I loved our girl, Clara. I loved seeing her get used to life as a dead girl, I loved her “weapon” and seeing her figure out what it was (her memory is a bit fuzzy) and see her use it to the full potential. She was such a great character and while I feel sad she died due to a dick boyfriend, I guess it is also good she did because she finally found a family, people who care about her and who love her. Haha, I do hope this doesn’t sound too terrible.
The battle near the end WOW WOW WOW. That was just one rollercoaster of awesomeness and I was already stuck in the book… well now I was even more. There is a ton of things happening, monsters popping up, monsters being eaten, battle plans brought to action, and so much more. And just when you thought things were over, haha, BOOM, betrayal and more battle. Holy crap!
The art, fantastic! Love it! Then again, Stjepan Šejić is one of my favourite artists. Sunstone was just as gorgeous as this one. I love how the artist is able to show emotions and does a great job with facial expressions.s
All in all, I now need the second volume. I need more!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
November 27, 2016
The personification of Death is nothing knew, but this incarnation of the grim reaper (Bernardette... or Bernie, as the other characters call her) is much more human. She's jealous and holds grudges, acts motherly and affectionate, and even takes a lover... I mean, at one point a character stumbles in on her dancing alone in her room singing along to her iPod.
Anyhow, she's been recruiting (dead) people who are somehow "gifted". That's not really explained, but then said people become part of the Death Vigil. They magically get a new uniform and weapons and honestly this is when this comic starts to feel like a video game. Indeed, the bad guys (mostly necromancers), summon monsters of varying degrees of difficulty, much like a video game. Two characters are even notorious gamers and throw in all manner of gaming vernacular, assigning one such character as the "tank" and others are on "DPS".
A lot of this feels Lovecraftian, the monsters, the necromancers, the word "eldritch" being thrown around, but there's just something kind of off. It feels like what H.P. Lovecraft would produce if he shopped entirely at Hot Topic, was a huge fan of anime, and religiously played MMORPGS. Now, wait a second, I know that sounds like a sick burn, but it's not, because something about this just works. And I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with any of that... except maybe Hot Topic. I don't care how old you are, just please don't shop there.
This volume is it's own fully contained arc, and even though it offers up very little in the way of new narrative, it does showcase an immensely entertaining story. So hey, if you feel so inclined, pick this up and feel the Bern(ardette). Sorry. I'm terribly sorry. That joke sucked and will be irrelevant real soon, I just couldn't help myself. I mean, you named your main character Bernie! C'mon, you're asking for it.
Anyhow, she's been recruiting (dead) people who are somehow "gifted". That's not really explained, but then said people become part of the Death Vigil. They magically get a new uniform and weapons and honestly this is when this comic starts to feel like a video game. Indeed, the bad guys (mostly necromancers), summon monsters of varying degrees of difficulty, much like a video game. Two characters are even notorious gamers and throw in all manner of gaming vernacular, assigning one such character as the "tank" and others are on "DPS".
A lot of this feels Lovecraftian, the monsters, the necromancers, the word "eldritch" being thrown around, but there's just something kind of off. It feels like what H.P. Lovecraft would produce if he shopped entirely at Hot Topic, was a huge fan of anime, and religiously played MMORPGS. Now, wait a second, I know that sounds like a sick burn, but it's not, because something about this just works. And I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with any of that... except maybe Hot Topic. I don't care how old you are, just please don't shop there.
This volume is it's own fully contained arc, and even though it offers up very little in the way of new narrative, it does showcase an immensely entertaining story. So hey, if you feel so inclined, pick this up and feel the Bern(ardette). Sorry. I'm terribly sorry. That joke sucked and will be irrelevant real soon, I just couldn't help myself. I mean, you named your main character Bernie! C'mon, you're asking for it.
February 3, 2016
Okay, why isn't this series getting more attention!? Death Vigil is FANTASTIC! So much charm and family, a little romance, plenty of danger, adventure, delightful character interactions and banter... You name it! Everything I want in a comic is here. The Vigil feels like the family it is. Everyone's a little weird, but everyone's accepted and loved. And then they go off to stop the monsters from coming into our world!
Bernie, aka. the Reaper, is adorkable and so gosh darn charming, you'll grin whenever she's in a scene. The main character, Clara, holds her own spotlight with the teasing, banter, and amusing reactions to things. Sam, who narrates for us, is a friendly bear of a man who's like the big brother you always wanted. The entire cast is interesting and, at the very least, the heroes will entertain you, if not steal your heart.
There's also a good amount in representation here. There's a Chinese girl, a middle-aged Russian man, an senior America lady with an impressive amount of power, a little girl who turns into the monster the other monsters fear, a lesbian, a couple of gamers, an African American woman... I mean, whoa! All of them are characters first, and the aspects that stand out about them aren't which minority group categories they fill. It's beautiful.
If you've read Sunstone then you know how funny Sejic's writing and characters can be, and how expressive his art is. If you haven't read Sunstone, then you should also read that ASAP. It's more "adult" (as in, NSFW) but it's not about sex. But also, please, do yourself a favour and READ THIS BOOK!
Bernie, aka. the Reaper, is adorkable and so gosh darn charming, you'll grin whenever she's in a scene. The main character, Clara, holds her own spotlight with the teasing, banter, and amusing reactions to things. Sam, who narrates for us, is a friendly bear of a man who's like the big brother you always wanted. The entire cast is interesting and, at the very least, the heroes will entertain you, if not steal your heart.
There's also a good amount in representation here. There's a Chinese girl, a middle-aged Russian man, an senior America lady with an impressive amount of power, a little girl who turns into the monster the other monsters fear, a lesbian, a couple of gamers, an African American woman... I mean, whoa! All of them are characters first, and the aspects that stand out about them aren't which minority group categories they fill. It's beautiful.
If you've read Sunstone then you know how funny Sejic's writing and characters can be, and how expressive his art is. If you haven't read Sunstone, then you should also read that ASAP. It's more "adult" (as in, NSFW) but it's not about sex. But also, please, do yourself a favour and READ THIS BOOK!
May 21, 2019
Nezaujalo na poprvé. Nezaujalo na podruhé. A nemožem ani povedať že by ma tak dlho bavilo pozerať na ten art, po čase mi ešte aj to začalo miestami liezť na nervy jak vyzerá tá mimika. A nakoľko nemám čas písať recenzie momentálne, v skratke:
Keby mám brať do úvahy jak je to kreslené a písané a hodnotiť to objektívne, je to skvelé a celkom chápem čo sa na tom ostatným páči, tak krásne 4*
Keby mám brať do úvahy svoj subjektívny pohľad na to, to ako ma to vrcholne nebavilo a nezaujalo, to že som to skúšala na viackrát a stále radšej odkladala, tak 2* aj to možno preháňam. A pre vlastnú informovanosť aby som sa toho už nikdy nechytila tie 2 musím hodiť aj do hodnotenia.
Keby mám brať do úvahy jak je to kreslené a písané a hodnotiť to objektívne, je to skvelé a celkom chápem čo sa na tom ostatným páči, tak krásne 4*
Keby mám brať do úvahy svoj subjektívny pohľad na to, to ako ma to vrcholne nebavilo a nezaujalo, to že som to skúšala na viackrát a stále radšej odkladala, tak 2* aj to možno preháňam. A pre vlastnú informovanosť aby som sa toho už nikdy nechytila tie 2 musím hodiť aj do hodnotenia.
April 5, 2021
Stjepan Šejić je můj nový oblíbenec
November 22, 2015
[I received a copy of this comics through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
This volume gathers issues 1 to 8, and while it's not necessarily the most original take on the concept (the Reaper as a sort of goth girl + the scythe), I pretty much enjoyed it no matter what. Because, well, let's be honest: I like goth chicks with scythes. Also I always have a soft spot for necromancy in general. And when it comes to toying with tropes.
I really liked the artwork and colours, although sometimes it was hard to differentiate between characters when their hair weren't distrinctly black or white, and the author/artist went a bit heavy-handed when it came to cramming a lot of details in a panel. Granted, I read a PDF copy, which didn't help (especially with panels on two separate pages—I had to change my display). It wasn't such a big problem in the long run, just at times. Overall, the art grabbed me.
The scenario itself was somewhat simplistic: the Vigil (good guys) vs. the Necromancers (bad guys), complete with mysterious writings in the hands of a semi-crazy scientist/archaelogist bent on transcribing them. Nothing too original, but... it still worked. Sometimes you don't need uber-original to be happy. There was action, and monsters, and cute monsters (Mia!), and Necromancers (some stupid, some definitely creepy), and puns (cheesy, but I've been known to be a much worse punster at times). Bad puns galore and characters dealing in death and horror, yet keeping a sense of humour? Count me in. Necromancers being both badass yet also highly ridiculous in how they always (always: even Sam, one of the main characters, keeps remarking about it) take their shirts off before running to battle? I am a simple being; this kind of stuff amuses me. It may be dumb, but it worked as far as I was concerned, possibly because I was in the mood for it.
Apart from the art and from smiling at the puns and all, what I also liked was the diversity. The people gravitating about Bernadette the Reaper were a family of sorts, all of different backgrounds and age, with strong bonds. A lot of female characters, too, and not the damsel-in-distress type: Marlene saves the day more than once, Grace looks frail yet is everything but, Clara actually gets back on her feet fairly quickly and embraces her power (which is fun, even though at first sight her weapon seems useless) instead of remaining "the typical clueless newbie who needs to learn all the ropes from Big, Burly Senior Male Characater"... That was refreshing.
Speaking of powers, while the scythe, knives and spade+pickaxe combination remain more "classical", there's also an interesting gallery here. James is a MMORPG player and his weapon is a deck of cards, which he uses as if he were playing Magic. Clara's a feather which can do other things than just write. Chiyoko and Vlado can't speak each other's language, but their powers work really well together, and they have developed other means of communicating.
I'll gladly pick the next volume. The subplot revolving around Clara, the mystery around Bernadette's origins, Sam and his relationships with his tools (and also the hand)... Those make me want to know more.
This volume gathers issues 1 to 8, and while it's not necessarily the most original take on the concept (the Reaper as a sort of goth girl + the scythe), I pretty much enjoyed it no matter what. Because, well, let's be honest: I like goth chicks with scythes. Also I always have a soft spot for necromancy in general. And when it comes to toying with tropes.
I really liked the artwork and colours, although sometimes it was hard to differentiate between characters when their hair weren't distrinctly black or white, and the author/artist went a bit heavy-handed when it came to cramming a lot of details in a panel. Granted, I read a PDF copy, which didn't help (especially with panels on two separate pages—I had to change my display). It wasn't such a big problem in the long run, just at times. Overall, the art grabbed me.
The scenario itself was somewhat simplistic: the Vigil (good guys) vs. the Necromancers (bad guys), complete with mysterious writings in the hands of a semi-crazy scientist/archaelogist bent on transcribing them. Nothing too original, but... it still worked. Sometimes you don't need uber-original to be happy. There was action, and monsters, and cute monsters (Mia!), and Necromancers (some stupid, some definitely creepy), and puns (cheesy, but I've been known to be a much worse punster at times). Bad puns galore and characters dealing in death and horror, yet keeping a sense of humour? Count me in. Necromancers being both badass yet also highly ridiculous in how they always (always: even Sam, one of the main characters, keeps remarking about it) take their shirts off before running to battle? I am a simple being; this kind of stuff amuses me. It may be dumb, but it worked as far as I was concerned, possibly because I was in the mood for it.
Apart from the art and from smiling at the puns and all, what I also liked was the diversity. The people gravitating about Bernadette the Reaper were a family of sorts, all of different backgrounds and age, with strong bonds. A lot of female characters, too, and not the damsel-in-distress type: Marlene saves the day more than once, Grace looks frail yet is everything but, Clara actually gets back on her feet fairly quickly and embraces her power (which is fun, even though at first sight her weapon seems useless) instead of remaining "the typical clueless newbie who needs to learn all the ropes from Big, Burly Senior Male Characater"... That was refreshing.
Speaking of powers, while the scythe, knives and spade+pickaxe combination remain more "classical", there's also an interesting gallery here. James is a MMORPG player and his weapon is a deck of cards, which he uses as if he were playing Magic. Clara's a feather which can do other things than just write. Chiyoko and Vlado can't speak each other's language, but their powers work really well together, and they have developed other means of communicating.
I'll gladly pick the next volume. The subplot revolving around Clara, the mystery around Bernadette's origins, Sam and his relationships with his tools (and also the hand)... Those make me want to know more.
December 3, 2015
This was provided by Netgalley as a read for review, but of course, does not alter my opinion. :3
I'm gonna be bold and say this is one of the best comics I've ever read in my life and although I'm glad there will most likely be more, I could be completely satisfied with just reading this as a standalone bind-up!
In the first couple of pages I wasn't sure if I was going to like it all that much and I really have no reason for why I felt that way, I just had a strange vibe. Man, was that vibe wrong.~
The plot was fantastic and something I've personally never read about before, creating an exciting and new experience for me!
I loved how all the issues felt like they flowed as smoothly as a novel and had such great transitions that you would naturally think this to be a graphic novel, rather than a comic.
Berne as The Grim Reaper was pretty cool and gave it a modern twist, but I think her past is left still unclear and although I love the air of mystery surrounding her (it just works for her character), I would love to find out more about her background and how she came to be the reaper and begin the vigil, seeing as it doesn't seem like the age-old, before time, deal I'm used to hearing about The Grim Reaper.
The other characters, both the necromancers, The Pale Court (Vigil) and the monsters were amazing and the balance between dark and Gothic scenes and modern humour was amazing.
The monsters where ethereal and fantastical to look at and seeing them on full page spreads, which I enjoyed very much, reminded me of a much darker and gritter Kaiju design (from Pacific Rim). Keeping with this topic, the art work was stunning and wonderfully drawn. You can tell a lot of thought and care went into it, but if I'm to be a bit of a nit-picker, I'd say that sometimes I found the backgrounds, and monsters, to be so vivid, surreal as they were, they looked like photographs and when a regular character was in that frame they didn't look as well detailed as the background and the monsters.
I think this was an awesome comic book, with an interesting take on death and the afterlife (without being religious) and the old mythical wonder of The Grim reaper!
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
I'm gonna be bold and say this is one of the best comics I've ever read in my life and although I'm glad there will most likely be more, I could be completely satisfied with just reading this as a standalone bind-up!
In the first couple of pages I wasn't sure if I was going to like it all that much and I really have no reason for why I felt that way, I just had a strange vibe. Man, was that vibe wrong.~
The plot was fantastic and something I've personally never read about before, creating an exciting and new experience for me!
I loved how all the issues felt like they flowed as smoothly as a novel and had such great transitions that you would naturally think this to be a graphic novel, rather than a comic.
Berne as The Grim Reaper was pretty cool and gave it a modern twist, but I think her past is left still unclear and although I love the air of mystery surrounding her (it just works for her character), I would love to find out more about her background and how she came to be the reaper and begin the vigil, seeing as it doesn't seem like the age-old, before time, deal I'm used to hearing about The Grim Reaper.
The other characters, both the necromancers, The Pale Court (Vigil) and the monsters were amazing and the balance between dark and Gothic scenes and modern humour was amazing.
The monsters where ethereal and fantastical to look at and seeing them on full page spreads, which I enjoyed very much, reminded me of a much darker and gritter Kaiju design (from Pacific Rim). Keeping with this topic, the art work was stunning and wonderfully drawn. You can tell a lot of thought and care went into it, but if I'm to be a bit of a nit-picker, I'd say that sometimes I found the backgrounds, and monsters, to be so vivid, surreal as they were, they looked like photographs and when a regular character was in that frame they didn't look as well detailed as the background and the monsters.
I think this was an awesome comic book, with an interesting take on death and the afterlife (without being religious) and the old mythical wonder of The Grim reaper!
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
August 17, 2020
This is so good! Why is there only one volume!!!!
May 25, 2018
Komiksy obvykle moc nehodnotím, aspoň ne slovně, ale tady jsem neodolal. A navíc to chci hodnotit pozitivně, takže proč ne. Death Vigil, který nedávno vyšel u nás, je fakt milá věc. Stjepan Šejič si příběh o smrtkách bojujících s nekromanty sám napsal a nakreslil a v obojím je dobrý. Ano, základní příběh není nic, co byste nečetli už mnohokrát, ale všechno vyvažuje krásná kresba s citem pro mimiku hrdinů (zvláště mu jdou rozpačité grimasy) a především sympatické postavy obdařené nadhledem, citem a humorem. I když jsou dost často jenom naťuknuté, jsou natolik zajímavé, že jsem fakt během soubojů doufal, že se nikomu nic nestane. Což se mi zase tak moc často nestává. Do toho jsou tam i vztahy, staletí trvající lásky a nenávisti, zrady a pomsty... ale fakt ten nejsilnější pocit, který jsem z toho měl, byl pocit pohody. Během osmi sešitů je odvyprávěný základní příběh... a i když jsou tam otevřené dveře dál, funguje to samo o sobě.
Jediné, co si myslím je, že se pro vydání v zemi, kde je Šejič neznámý, měla zvolit výraznější obálka (třeba některá z těch v zadní galerii), ale třeba právě tahle jednoduchá obálka zabere.
Jediné, co si myslím je, že se pro vydání v zemi, kde je Šejič neznámý, měla zvolit výraznější obálka (třeba některá z těch v zadní galerii), ale třeba právě tahle jednoduchá obálka zabere.
June 28, 2016
How many times we can say that death and gothic look didn't match? No one, is a combination made in heaven, and here this is doing in a really interesting way because EVERYBODY IS DEAD (or something like that). Even more the gothic essence is fortified with the colors and the illustrations (and not, you can use a lot of black and don't transmit that felling).
When you have an immortal fighters army that must fight against the necromancers you know that the things can be violent but never hope that could be fun...and it is. The most noteworthy part of this comics are women: fun, brave and sarcastic. So powerful.
Really recommended.
A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley
When you have an immortal fighters army that must fight against the necromancers you know that the things can be violent but never hope that could be fun...and it is. The most noteworthy part of this comics are women: fun, brave and sarcastic. So powerful.
Really recommended.
A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley
March 18, 2024
Ok, Stjepan Sejic is officialy one of my auto-buy authors - or artists.
I love the stories he tell.
They have diverse characters in so many ways, a lot of feelings, my kind of humour, and just everything I love in a story.
The beautiful art is just a bonus.
Death Vigil is one of his personal projects, and I'm so glad he got to publish a graphic novel of them, and that he's going to continue publishing it in 2017.
This is an really interesting take on the grim reaper myth, sprinkled with a bit of something reminding me of Cthulhu-mythos.
It makes for an action-packed story with humour, love and charactergrowth.
Some of the scenes really touches me, making me both laugh, smile, and thinking about shedding a tear.
I'm officially recommending his stuff to everyone.
I love the stories he tell.
They have diverse characters in so many ways, a lot of feelings, my kind of humour, and just everything I love in a story.
The beautiful art is just a bonus.
Death Vigil is one of his personal projects, and I'm so glad he got to publish a graphic novel of them, and that he's going to continue publishing it in 2017.
This is an really interesting take on the grim reaper myth, sprinkled with a bit of something reminding me of Cthulhu-mythos.
It makes for an action-packed story with humour, love and charactergrowth.
Some of the scenes really touches me, making me both laugh, smile, and thinking about shedding a tear.
I'm officially recommending his stuff to everyone.
April 17, 2017
I had such a great time with this comic. First of all, Stjepan Sejic is a phenomenal illustrator and has proven himself to be an amazing writer as well. This volume is plot-heavy, the characters are well-crafted, the action is really engaging, the enemy is appropriately scary, there is a lot of mystery surrounding one of the main characters and there is also a perky Grim Reaper - who doesn't remind me of Gaiman's Death at all; I can't really see any resemblance and I am a pretty big "Sandman" fan. Anyway, yes, this was fun, I really enjoyed it and will be hunting for the next issues.
October 25, 2020
This was just an okay graphic novel. I picked up because I love Stjepan Šejić's illustrations and generally love his story-telling too, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters here or care for the plot. It was a lot of action, which isn't my thing. I like more character-driven stories or ones that make you think, not ones that are basically just about a literal war between good and evil.
October 22, 2015
I loved this comic. It's an awesome urban fantasy with great art. The different character perspectives that are so much easier to do in comic form rather than novel, flowed brilliantly with the story. I loved the mechanics of the grim reaper and the veilrippers. So cool!
This one is definitely a buy for me. I can't wait for the next issue.
This one is definitely a buy for me. I can't wait for the next issue.
November 4, 2020
Great artwork, storyline not my jam
The Sejic's deliver on the graphic artistry every time. However, I couldn't relate much to either the heroes or antiheroes (vigils vs necromancers) so the plot didn't keep me that gripped. I could put the book down too easily. But not a bad read. One thumb up.
The Sejic's deliver on the graphic artistry every time. However, I couldn't relate much to either the heroes or antiheroes (vigils vs necromancers) so the plot didn't keep me that gripped. I could put the book down too easily. But not a bad read. One thumb up.
May 24, 2018
So good! A great premise, even better characters, non-stop action and humor and gaming references, amazing art, this book is the total package.
Read
March 27, 2025Quoth the Raven, Nevermore
4 ⭐️
4 ⭐️
July 11, 2019
I like it, but I stopped after 3 issues. If volume 2 ever gets made, I'll go back and read this whole thing.
Lovely art. Nice snarky dialog. Interesting layouts. Very wordy with small text, but that is OK if reading digitally.
Lovely art. Nice snarky dialog. Interesting layouts. Very wordy with small text, but that is OK if reading digitally.
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