Humankind in one form or the other has always been obsessed with the dead. With the pain of the loss of loved ones writers have explored how one would bring back those we have lost?  Shows like The Returned pondered what would people do if friends and family who died returned to the living? Often, these stories would espouse the dangers of having these beings return and how they were not the same people.

Then there are stories like the award-winning animated film Coco. The movie actually explored a world where our dead loved ones lived. I often wondered after watching the movie how would it be if someone had the power to raise the dead? In Grimm Fairy Tales Day Of The Dead from writers Dawn Marquez and Joe Brusha, a new hero has this very power but some shadowy organizations are looking to use her gifts for evil purposes.

We are taken to New Orleans, where one unfortunate young lady is mystically taken to a graveyard, where she is sacrificed for a villain to gain powers. We are also introduced to Mary Medina, who is haunted by her powers and is looking for any distraction to lead her away from her worries.  She soon finds that though something was calling her to New Orleans, it wasn’t her talisman, as an evil energy has breached the city limits and are trying to steal her powers. As she makes a new ally, one whose unique powers are enough to save her but raises even more questions, on why these two even met in the first place. By book’s end, Mary and her new friend’s bond is stronger than ever, they have temporarily stopped the evil alliance, but also may have played into exactly what this treacherous group had been planning all along.

Overall, a well-developed story heaped high with excellent characters and even better story execution. Marquez and Brusha are at the top of their game with this series’ story. The art by the creative team is utterly gorgeous. Altogether, a marvelous tale that shows heroes can be from any walk of life.

Story: Joe Brusha and Dawn Marquez
Art: Dawn Marquez, Erick Arciniega, Robby Bevard, Jorge Cortes and Marco Lesko
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy