With BOOM! Studios' latest launch, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1, offers a unique mediation on death and morality. The series focuses on Death, who finds herself out of a job when a young child is born that will bring about the advent of immortality. Now, Death has been sent to Earth in the body of Laila Starr and plans to deal with the child who put her livelihood at risk. Writer Ram V and artist Filipe Andrade have carefully constructed one of the most thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding new launches of the year, making The Many Deaths of Laila Starr a must-read title.

The story begins with three critical scenes that play out at the same time. In the first, a pregnant mother is rushed to the hospital to meet up with her waiting husband. In the second, a young woman sits on a window ledge while a man painfully tries to flirt with her. And in the third, Death gets fired from her job. As Death recoils from this startling revelation, she pleads with her boss to let her keep her position. However, he informs Death that the young child being born will usher in the secret to immortality and as a result, they'll be restructuring her department. Enraged, Death is sent down to Earth in the body of a woman named Laila Starr, and she encounters both the newborn and the young woman from the party, who has fallen under care of the hospital. From there, Death has to decide for herself just what she is willing to do in order to get her job back.

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Immediately, writer Ram V is able to build out an entire world from the ground up, playing with magical realism to create a story that is both familiar but unique. Death is witty and pithy, and readers may relate to her circumstances when she finds herself out of a job without so much as a "thank you." It is weird to find Death so endearing, but V pulls it off by imbuing her with a righteous anger that justifies her short-sighted actions. Readers are also introduced to the hierarchy of a world beyond life that's shaped by non-Abrahamic theology and mythology. These concepts are presented with an utter sincerity that make them easy to absorb and accept and helps the book keep a brisk pace and makes for a refreshing read.

Artist Felipe Andrade is known to fans for runs on various Marvel books, but this feels like his most dynamic work to date. Andrade turns Mumbai into a beautiful metropolis and fills all of his pages with dense details. Beyond that, his simple layouts help the vibrant character designs stand out. Many of the characters draw their visual inspiration from various religious figures, but Andrade is smart to give them their own visual style as well. Assisting him is Inês Amaro, and together the pair create a uniquely vibrant color palette that makes this one of the most visually interesting books on the shelves.

This pairs well with the lettering by AndWorld Design. The words often feel shaky, which adds a level of authenticity to the characters' voices. There is perhaps no better example of the synergy of art, color, and lettering design than the character of Minmun, who fades into the backgrounds while matching her speech balloons with her own outline.

Overall, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr feels like comics should feel in 2021. The series has a bold voice and isn't afraid to take risks with its characters. In the course of 22 pages, Ram V, Felipe Andrade and the entire creative team are able to build a full world of story and twist it on its head multiple times. The final sequence subverts expectations but feels entirely natural, enticing readers to come back for more. This is a book that demands every word of praise being sent its way and stands as a remarkable testament to the potential of comics.

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