My Name is Death

[Colin_YNWA]

Well damnit, god damnit that was annoying.

No I'm not talking about Frazer Irving's round helmets the arts too good to get side tracked by trival design ideas like that. It's that I don't have the following Meg issues. 'My name is Death' is just the story that the character needed. It restored by faith that he could become a scary villian again rather than just a pantomine dame. Then just as soon as he appears he's gone.

Sure there is still some silly humour but there needs to be to prevent the switch becoming too jarring, but here's a Death with an agenda, with a plan and cunning. A menacing evil creeping spook worth his status as a serious villian.

Its annoying cos now I have to go and buy the trade to see where his goes, and damnit the cover of that (as listed on Amazon)



has always made me worry the the Cursed Earth segment returned him the silly character he'd become. Can you resure me people, can you tell me that the second half is as good and serves Judge Death well?

[TordelBack]

We can not.  Two words:  Las Vegas.

[Van Dom]

I can't remember this particular story...I don't think I got this far before burnout!!!
The last Judge Death-related stuff I read was the stuff about the Judge Death museum, where people took on the role of Death in Mrs. Gundersons apartment but always kept going insane and started becoming the role.
There were a couple of stories using this premise and they were very enjoyable.
I take it this story is after them?

[Dark Jimbo]

We can not.  Two words:  Las Vegas.

I respectfully disagree. Yeah, yeah, I know, it has a dog with the head of a man as Death's comedy sidekick, but if you're telling me that gleefully nuking Las Vegas and everyone in it off the face of the (Cursed) Earth didn't finally restore to Death a sense of real and comitted danger, a reminder that here was a fiend with absolutely no bones about genocide on a frightening scale... well, you'd be wrong, IMO.

Also, that scene early on when he stalks the Cursed Earth family through their farm was easily as chilling as its counterpart in My Name is Death when he arrives at the orphanage, and there was also that lovely scene when he bonds with the old mutie who lives in a pre-atomic war library. Yes, the comedy became much more overt again than in My Name..., (have to admit I wasn't too keen on the rather silly boxing match) but on the whole it was a more than fitting epic to bow out on, one that restored his dark majesty and gave a bit of much-needed depth to the character.

[radiator]

The My Name is Death gn doesn't have that cover - it's a Frazer Irving one, and yes I'm afraid the odd creepy moment aside, the following story does return Death to his comic persona.

John Wagner on whether the Dark Judges will return:

It's always a possibility, though try though I might I have difficulty seeing them as much more than music hall villains these days. I've come to know them too well, they lack the mystery element of their earlier appearances, which made them stronger characters. Perhaps in the hands of another writer they might blossom again (if blossom's the right word!). Someone else's vision, a new perspective.

[Colin_YNWA]

Damnit I want to go with Drak Jimbo's take if only to give me hope but even he says things like, dog with the head of a human and rather silly boxing match which don't fill me with confidence.

The trouble is I'm going to get it to find out anyway aren't I in the end, I'm so weak!

[Mike Gloady]

The trade's a good one.  Yes, there's stupid stuff, but there's been silliness to Death for a while and it's kept in check by the character's obvious darkness.  It's brilliant if flawed, but the flaws have been flagged up by others so no need to go into it any further.