No Turning Back Now — Reviewing ‘Cemetery Kids Don’t Die’ #4

The endgame is in sight as Bridie and her friends prepare for a grueling final boss fight like no other. No saves, no resets, and no hacks will help them this time as actual lives hang in the balance.

Cemetery Kids Don’t Die #4 brings the coming-of-age video-game horror series to a rocking conclusion. Grab some tissues or prepare to grab the edge of your seat as Zac Thompson, Daniel Irizarri, Gegê Schall, Brittany Peer, and Andworld Design do that thing they do so well.

Generally, I’m of the mind that readers need to experience comic books on their own, rather than spelling things out fully in a review. Just the way that I tend to approach these things. On certain occasions you’ll find a spoiler warning on these because there isn’t really any way to discuss said issue without talking about the proverbial elephant in the room. I bring this up because this is one of those cases where it’s best for the audience to read and experience the issue themselves.

Overall, this is a very solid ending to an incredibly beyond solid mini-series.

These types of slightly-outside-the-box takes on situations, characters, or tropes with a horror bent are done so well by Thompson. Wrapping issues of the world or relatable trauma in a package that ramps up the terror to multiple degrees. While never actually sacrificing anything in regard to character development or actual exploration of the overarching issues or ideas.

Here we get a bunch of action within the game, more body horror, some forward movement for characters, and an ending that instantly makes me think of things like The Twilight Zone. If you’ve read it or when you do, and if you’re familiar with even the idea of shows and films of that nature, I’m pretty sure you’ll see what I mean.

Just as with the previous issue, Irizarri and Schall switch off the artistic duties with each handling a different world. Finding two artists with similar styles tonally with notable differences, to tackle the real-world vs the video game world, is a great touch here. It allows the spaces to share many vibes while also standing completely alone. Glance at a video game right now and even the most photo realistic ones aren’t going to perfectly mirror the real world.

No matter which world we’re witnessing, the emotion and kinetic energy are spot on. Letting the characters and their world have weight, while also having a sort of animated whimsical styling that pairs nicely with the darker horror tones. Even the body horror and more violent moments have a slight toning down thanks to that whimsy. Don’t think that lessens their punch though.

Painful impact is felt with each moment, while the depiction makes sure to get the point across without moving into gory or overly graphic territory.

Tackling each space, Peer pulls from the same color well with noticeable adjustments. There is a slicker smoother, often more saturated, appearance for the real world. While the game world has rougher, toned down, less vibrant appearances in many respects. Shadows are present in all spaces but multiply to heavier levels for the game world.

A lot of hefty things are tackled in this series and the emotional weight is not just on the facial expressions or body language. It has to be heard and felt in the voices, as we create those voices in our minds. Those at Andworld Design are always good at bringing that level of energy to lettering. Switching up fonts or shifting bubbles to bring the most impact at any given moment. Letting voices find themselves and grow, while also bringing some visual quirks into the party.

Cemetery Kids Don’t Die #4 is now available from Oni Press.