Book of Death #4 is the conclusion to the series and has Gilad facing off against Darque, the necromancer, in order to save the trapped Geomancer. Tama was able to pinpoint Darque’s location and despite having Gilad with her she’s still afraid to confront the one she calls the Corrupted One. The book she carries tells how Earth’s greatest heroes fell at the hands of the Corrupted One so she doesn’t know what she would be able to do against such an opponent. However, Gilad wants her to read the final prophecy in the book in order to draw Darque out so she recites it since she has it memorized. The final prophecy states that the Earth was barren and the domain of the Corrupted One. And since he tortured the world for decades and accumulated so much power it was finally time for him to venture to another dimension called the Deadside. The Earth started to heal and grow again in his absence but this was part of his plan so he could return to destroy new fields and corrupt life once again, growing ever stronger and repeating the cycle. Gilad tells Tama that she is stronger than she knows and that she will be able to defeat Darque. But will they really be able to change the prophecies in the Book of the Geomancers or is it all just inevitable?

This issue looks forward and even though Darque’s dominance is explained clearly and in an engrossing manner, I was still perplexed about how it tied into that recurring threat. Or maybe I missed it along the way. However, it laid out what was at stake clearly and since failure wasn’t an option for Gilad or Tama, it made the battle feel even more intense. That prophecy raised Darque’s stature immensely and explained why Tama feared him so much.

As a conclusion to this series this issue tied things up nicely. It created an organic starting point for characters to go on new paths as well as a satisfying conclusion for characters who only had a role in this series. This wasn’t a flawless event but just being a damn good one is enough.

SUMMARY

Book of Death #4 is a satisfying conclusion to the series due to the final battle against Darque and Tama’s impressive character development. The action is stellar, intense, and well worth the wait. I appreciate how things were tied up very well while offering a future with significant change for certain characters involved. Unity could’ve played a larger role or eliminated completely from this issue to give Punk Mambo additional exposure since they don’t do much. However, I’m excited about what’s ahead based on all the events that took place this series.

Release Date: 10/27/15

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Robert Gill with Doug Braithwaite