The demon Kanisus has returned and has slain the Mortifera and recaptured the demons’ blood so he can raise a new army. The only ones who stand in his way are the two surviving Mortifera, Catherine and Ethan Gregor, and the demon they summoned to assist them in their fight, Durin.
I previously reviewed Issue #1, which can be found here.
Issue #2 picks up with Catherine, Ethan, and Durin off on a fun side adventure as they try to track down the artifact known as the Necrofix. I really loved this issue, which established the dynamic between the trio. Catherine is the snarky and take-charge leader, Ethan is the comic relief, and Durin is the big and kind of creepy enforcer of their group. I especially enjoy Ethan and Durin’s interactions, because Durin thinks Ethan is an idiot (He is, but he’s a lovable idiot.), but Ethan doesn’t let this get to him, instead calling Durin insulting nicknames in response. Issue #2 had a perfect balance between story progression, character interaction, humor, and action. I didn’t care for Issue #3 as much, because it loses this balance and focuses almost solely on action, though it still presents some great visuals and situations that kept me hooked into the story and already prepared me for Issue #4.
One aspect of Mortifera I find myself liking more than I thought I would is the different demon characters. Each demon the group has encountered is named and has a different and unique look. These characters all stood out and didn’t feel like Generic-Enemy-X, which I really appreciated. In essence, the book made me love to hate them. The same can be said of Durin, who I didn’t think I’d care for, but somehow the big, evil lug has won me over with—no joke—his charm.
The art in Mortifera has an animated feel to it. There’s something about the way characters express emotions and the way action scenes are depicted that captures this feel. This style, coupled with the fast-paced writing, gives Mortifera a real sense of motion. I blitzed through these issues on my first read through without realizing it; there was never any question about stopping until I ran out of story and was forced to. The animated feel and the dynamic between the characters gave me the impression of Mortifera as a medieval take on an Avatar: The Last Airbender-type story. I was sucked in and wanted to learn more about the world and characters and see their next adventure and then the next.
If Mortifera has one flaw, it’s the quality of the editing. Mortifera has quite a few typos and missing punctuation, which irked me, but probably isn’t enough for the average reader to notice (except I just pointed it out to you, because I’m a jerk), but given the quality of the story and the art, it’s a minor flaw and one easy to move past.
Since Mortifera has parted ways with Sea Lion Books, the creators have made the issues available for free over at www.mortifera.net, so there is no reason not to check out them out, though the option is still available to donate to help them continue to create this fantastic series. In addition, be sure and check out the awesome Mortifera animated comics release trailer and a video where Stephen Frost talks about the characters and the story.