Still on the Shelf #31

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Still on the Shelf #31 - Lady Death

CrossGen Month Part 5(of 5)

Often overlooked, and off in the corner of the CrossGen universe of titles are the CGE and Code 6 imprints. While CrossGen’s core titles all seem connected, if not in concept then in style, CGE and Code 6 have been Crossgen’s outlet for titles with something of a different creative vein.

While some books, like The Crossovers and Demon Wars, may be unfamiliar to the casual reader, a great many of you will recognize the names of some of the other books. 80s arcade fans will certainly recognize Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, which are mini-series based on the popular Don Bluth games. I know for certain people my age will be quite familiar with Snake Plissken. And we mustn’t forget Masters of the Universe.

Rounding out the Code 6 line is Brian Pulido’s Lady Death. I must admit, I never read any of Lady Death’s previous incarnations put out by Chaos! Comics. Fortunately, that is not a problem, as the title has been re-imagined for the Code 6 imprint. No messy back-story from another publisher to worry about.

Lady Death: A Medieval Tale is about the conflict between the Eldritch and the humans, which takes place in Eastern Europe’s Middle Ages. The Eldritch are a race of beings much older, but less numerous than humans. They wield powerful Chaos magic and are faster, but weaker than humans. They also have a severe allergy to iron – much like many different kinds of elves in our own fantasy fiction. They resent humans for their incursion into what they feel is their world, and fear them because they multiply so rapidly.

Cast of Characters

Hope was the daughter of Marion, a human, and Tvarus, one of the Eldritch. She was conceived during what the humans call the Novogrod Massacre, a bloody battle between the humans and Eldritch. Marion flees Novogrod after the battle, for fear of reprisals against her for consorting with the enemy. She continues to run and Hope grows, fearing that someone will notice that her daughter is indeed not all human. This would mean their death.

Hope eventually convinces her mother to return to Novogrod, intent on discovering something about her own past which her mother keeps so secret. The villagers eventually recognize Marion, and discover that Hope is indeed half Eldritch, and lynch them both.

Marion perishes, but Hope survives, though changed. While she once resembled a human, she now looks completely Eldritch, possesses their speed and skill with magic, and yet retains the strengths of humans. She sets out to gain vengeance for the murder of her mother, and some she encounters begin to call her Lady Death.

Her father, Tvarus, is the ruler of the Eldritch. Though the Eldritch thrive on war and the hunt of humans, for many years he has stilled his armies, keeping them from invading the human lands. The Eldritch become anxious, fearing the fast expansion of the human race, and itch to go and “thin the herd.” Tvarus’s attitude towards war makes him several enemies- enemies who would love to discover that he sired a hybrid-offspring, something strictly forbidden and considered blasphemous by their laws.

Wolfram Von Bach, formerly a Teutonic Knight, fought along side the humans during the Novogrod massacre. Disgusted at the corruption and lack of faith among the ordained, he has since abandoned fighting for the Church, and instead quests for God directly. Wolf encounters Hope just after her "rebirth," and agrees to guide and train her, as repayment of his debt to her father. Many of his old order consider him a traitor, and seek his death for consorting with an enemy and what they perceive to be a demon. He forged Blackheart- Lady Death’s blade, by merging an iron human sword, and a magical Eldritch blade.

Thoughts

Honestly, the CrossGen version of this title, on the surface, is far and away better than the old Chaos! version. Lady Death developed quite the reputation as the “fan-boy, pin-up, drool-fest,” and after browsing some Lady Death images online, the reputation was well deserved. Very little is out there online of this new version of the book- all you can find is Lady Death bursting out of scanty undergarments, wielding her sword. It speaks very well of Brian Pulido that he was able to re-imagine this book for an all-ages audience, and keep the heroine’s cloths on.

The story is a good one. It does fall on cliché from time to time (honestly, how many fantasy tales do you know of that doesn’t do that?), but there are some good points of conflict in this story. Hope truly does feel caught between two worlds. On one hand, she opposes the Eldridge; she finds their bloodthirsty attitude towards the humans reprehensible. On the other, the humans she hates because they murdered her mother. Both races despise the blood of the other in her, further isolating her from all aspects of her heritage. That very conflict is the most interesting aspect of this title, and it continues to drive the plot.

While the story, though good, is clearly a distinct style from what I have been used to out of CrossGen, the art remains very much consistent with the level of excellence I have grown to expect from this publisher. This dark story is presented with some really stunning imagery, and I have to credit the art team for that.

It seems clear that CrossGen, at least for the near future, will be drifting towards wholly independent titles, like El Cazador. If this is true, it is only natural that over time, we will see some wildly different styles on play throughout the CrossGen stable of titles. What this will mean for the quality of work CrossGen puts out, only time will tell, but if Lady Death is any indication, things will be just fine.

Multiple imprints under one publisher are nothing new, and it has been a boon to the comic industry. It has allowed publishers to experiment with other titles that would not normally fit into their line-up. Code 6 has given Lady Death a new audience with CrossGen fans, and as a result new life.

Bottom Line

Lady Death #9 is available in stores now. Lady Death #10 and the first trade will be out in stores next month. I must admit I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, considering how unappealing its initial incarnation was to me. The “all-ages” direction is certainly a big plus, revealing that the title actually does have a worthwhile story, without being distracted by pages and pages of breasts.

That wraps up CrossGen Month. Now that it is all said and done, I really do feel that CrossGen, though reeling a bit from the recent financial problems, does still have a future in the comic industry. They continue to put out quality stories with amazing art. All that remains is for the readers to start buying.

Credit where credit is due-
Lady Death – A Medieval Tale is
Written by- Brian Pulido
Pencilled by- Ivan Reis
Inked by – Marc Campos
Colored by – Chris Blythe
and Lettered by – Oscar Gongora

All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and © their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as a review only. Please, report any broken links!

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