Lady Death: A Medieval Tale #2
Review by Dindrane
Story:
Art:

Written by Brian Pulido
Pencils by Ivan Reis
Inks by Marc Campos
Colors by Chris Blythe
Lettered by Oscar Gongora

Published by CrossGeneration Entertainment
Price: $2.95

My Verdict: Check it out.

CrossGen Entertainment, now well-known for their innovative storytelling and stunning graphics, now brings us a restart of an old favorite, Lady Death. As a fan of at least the earlier Lady Death title in its previous incarnation, I think I may have been the world’s only female fan; I am therefore tickled pink--yes, pink--at this new chance for the Lady to shine and win over a new batch of fans, both male and female this time.

Fans of the original Lady Death series will be surprised, but not necessarily disappointed yet, to hear that at least this early in the series, there is as yet no mention of Hell or demon hoards. The lady herself is still Hope, still returned from the dead and looking much the same, and still spends a great deal of time angsting over the unfair murder of her mother, but that’s about where the resemblance ends. Instead of a demon father, we have a race known as the “Eldritch,” who are apparently something like the Unseelie court of legend. We also have the addition of Wolf, a Teutonic Knight who knew both of Hope’s parents and seems to want to help Hope, despite her Eldritch powers. Yes, okay, there are some plot leaps, as readers don’t get to know too much about how Hope returned from the dead or how she learned her new powers; we just have to hope that all will be made clear and trust in the skills of writer Pulido.

At this point in the series, it is too early to tell exactly what is going on with the Teutonic Knights versus the Eldritch peoples, or what path Lady Death herself will take, either dark or light. What we can tell, however, is that the trip will be a feast for the eyes and that the writers will be both imaginative and surprising. It is good to see that while Pulido has maintained a respect for his fine original tale of Lady Death, he did not feel as if he had to be bound by it. I look forward to seeing if he can avoid some of the pitfalls and sexist foolishness that befell the first series.

The art is everything you expect from CGE: brilliant, captivating, and artistic. The look is a bit like the old title, but with a fresh new twist and an individual stamp. I am also happier than I can express that at least in this issue, Hope’s wardrobe is much more befitting a warrior--not the brainless tart she could have been. She looks by turns the old, cold tyrant we’re used to and the fresh-from-the-grave innocent Hope who just wants her mother back and a few answers about where she came from and who her people really are.

In short, this is a promising start on a title that could have easily been butchered or just plain silly. I look forward to seeing how Hope evolves into Lady Death and what exactly that character will mean for this new version of the creative crew; after all, in this incarnation, Lady Death might defeat the evil in her blood, or the Eldritch peoples might be less evil than the devils in the earlier version. We’ll just have to wait and, well, hope.