"Day of the Dead #4" Comic Review

Mary Medina is bumming around New Orleans after getting a strange note directs her there. Talisman is in the city under similar false pretenses. It turns out the two are pawns in a dark plot to take over the Nexus and the four realms by the Order of Tarot. That plan will fall apart if they kill each other first.

This chapter of Day of the Dead includes some much needed exposition detailing Talisman's origin. Until this point, he's just been a mysterious guy following Mary around and pulling objects out of his tattoos. I'm not clear on Mary's background, as this series is my first real exposure to her, however Talisman appears far more interesting.

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The problem is that both characters are competing to be the most obnoxious person in the world. They get into big fights that would have been cleared up in about ten seconds if they just talked to each other. Instead, they rush in guns blazing with the lamest quips imaginable. Talisman is guilty of this as well, but he's got a glimmer of sense to him to realize that not everyone is the enemy. This strategy is the same one the two employ when going after the Order, so you can imagine how great that goes.

Although Mary is rather annoying, her character design is pretty awesome when she's in her full magic mode. Her face is painted up like a Day of the Dead festival. Her hair flares up like she's on Dragon Ball Z. Deathly lightening flies all around her. It's fierce and powerful, which is in direct opposition to how she handles herself through the bulk of the issue.

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The artwork as a whole is rather uneven. This is no surprise given that three different artists contributed to its creation. There are a few flashback panels that are colored like a faded photograph; however the style isn't all that different than the rest of the book. I can't tell who did which sections, but the pages are similar enough that it's not a jarring transition from page to page. The quality is just erratic with flat characters or awkward poses.

Day of the Dead builds to a dramatic and horror-filled climax and the book is only halfway through. The final pages reveal just how evil the members of the Order of the Tarot are and the lengths they'll go to get what they want. Or in this case, who they want. It's just that they're far more interesting and entertaining than Mary or Talisman are. I kind of want them to succeed.