Comic Review: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #4

BOOM! Studios

Writer: Ram V

Artists: Filipe Andrade & Ines Amaro

Letterer: AndWorld Design

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite comic books. In fact, issue #3 was the first issue I’ve ever given a perfect score to.  As the penultimate issue to this miniseries, Ram V and the rest of the creative team have a little more story to tell and a lot more heartstrings to pull.

After dying yet again, Laila finds herself in an old temple. Here she discovers that she can talk about the building, who has a story to tell about the man who has been a part of the temple’s life since it was built. After leaving the temple, Laila once again encounters Darius. It doesn’t take long for things to get uncomfortable as emotions explode.

Ram V has written yet another powerful issue here, with all of the grief and pain finally reaching a climax in this issue. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr has been full of death and sorrow, but nothing so far has hit quite as hard as the encounter in this issue. Ram V’s characters are incredibly easy to sympathize with, as most of us have experienced loss at some point. After reading this issue, it’s easy to understand why Darius is set to end death for humanity. Laila is also easy to connect to at this point in the story. Few characters develop this much in only four issues. She is almost a completely different person, but at the same time, she is absolutely still recognizable as the selfish god we met in the first issue.

While the main story arc is certainly compelling, it’s the smaller stories that hit the hardest in The Many Deaths of Laila Starr. Throughout the series, we have gotten small glimpses of the lives of others, and they always have a lasting impact on both the main characters and the readers. Ram V breathes life into inanimate objects like cigarettes and buildings, making them feel like complete characters. Learning about the relationship between the house and the person that it grew up with feels beautiful. Their tale is touching and it almost effortlessly evokes an emotional response.

There isn’t much more that can be said about Filipe Andrade and Ines Amaro that I didn’t say last month. The art in The Many Deaths of Laila Starr feels melancholy and beautiful. Every emotion feels real thanks to the incredible use of shading and attention to detail on the characters’ faces. The panel layouts are simple, but the way everything is framed in each panel completely captures the feeling that is needed to connect to characters. AndWorld Design’s lettering neatly ties everything together with fantastic choices in fonts that have a noticeable impact on the panels.

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr still has one more issue left, but the series has already cemented itself as one of the most important comic books of the last few years. Following a year full of grief and loss, this book feels absolutely necessary. Every character, setting, and moment in The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is pristine, making this book one of the standards for what the medium is able to pull off with the right creative team.