Book of Death #3

by Robert Venditti, Robert Gill, Doug Braithwaite, Brian Reber, David Baron, Cary Nord, Pere Perez, Clayton Crain, Stephen Segovia, Paolo Rivera, Dusan Markovic

“I have seen the warnings, screaming from all sides; it’s easy to ignore them and God knows I’ve tried. All this temptation, it turned my faith to lies until I couldn’t see the danger or hear the rising tide. She can take it back… …she will take it back some day” – Pink Floyd, The Division Bell 

Writer Robert Venditti’s has so far laid quite the foundation for this story to unfold; a story that truly begins to come together with Book of Death #3. From cover to cover, this third chapter in Venditti’s 2015 epic reads as Yin and Yang; light and dark as readers are presented with both sides of this tale. This contrast builds a sense of urgency in the reader as it is quite clear that there exists zero room for a stalemate. The potential for devastating loss is very real, and both the forces of good and evil are without a doubt at the top of their game. While not as action-packed as Book of Death #2, or as revealing as Book of Death #1; Book of Death #3 focuses on character development and getting to know the primary players on both sides of this story. Venditti knows what he is doing and where this is going. He is a master storyteller who never fails to entertain and surprise, and each issue has successfully moved this story along without plot-holes. A great story was promised, and a great story is being delivered.

Artistically, the combination of Robert Gill and Doug Braithwaite with colorists Brian Reber and David Baron is a an artistic dream-team that is impossible to fail with. Gill and Braithwaite are both incredibly talented and provide a solid comic book feel to this book. Gill’s work has a classic flair and style to it that should easily attract fans and Braithwaite is (and has been) on-point each and every time his pencils touch paper. Colorists Reber and Baron never disappoint. This issue has a number of natural elements such as flame, lightning, glowing magical glyphs, that are really eye-catching and add a significant amount of depth to each page.

The multiple variant covers for by Cary Nord, Pere Perez, Clayton Crain, Stephen Segovia, Paolo Rivera, and Dusan Markovic are of the highest artistic quality available anywhere really. These are some of the absolute finest artists in the industry today, each with a unique style that is vastly different from the others; yet in so many ways every bit as amazing.

Book of Death #3 is easily as strong as the first two issues of this epic, and does a fantastic job of paving the way for what is to come with the final events of Book of Death #4 next month. It is absolutely worth picking up and reading this series if you have not yet done so.