Line #263 ComicBook/DeathVigil


1	[[quoteright:309:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathvigil_01_1.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:309: ''Welcome to the "Dye After You Die" Club'']]
3
4	->'''Clara''': [[InfoDump Okay, real quick]]. Jon killed me! I was brought back by the GrimReaper, [[DontFearTheReaper who is a very nice lady]]. I joined her group of immortal warriors and am now fighting [[EldritchAbomination interdimensional monsters]] and the people who control them!
5	->'''Jane''': [[PrecisionFStrike Well, fuck you too!]]
6	-->-- '''All you need to know'''
7
8	''Death Vigil'' is a [[LovecraftLite action-horror-comedy]] comic written and drawn by Creator/StjepanSejic, of ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'' and ''Webcomic/{{Sunstone}}'' fame. It began publication in July 2014.
9
10	Our story begins with a man named Sam Lewis, who died trying to rescue two women from a mugger. But when TheGrimReaper showed up, instead of passing on, he was recruited into the Death Vigil - a group of fighters under the Reaper's command who protect the world from the forces of evil.
11
12	In December 2014, Sejic announced that the 8-issue initial miniseries will be followed by a four-part miniseries focusing on how James became a member of the Vigil and first met and befriended Mia, after which the main series would resume as a full ongoing. Poor sales in spite of its critical acclaim, compounded by Sejic's health and technology issues, threatened the second volume. However on December 4, 2015, Sejic posted on Facebook that he would be making one more attempt at the series with a second arc, while early artwork for volume 2 began to be teased in May, 2017.
13
14	After a long delay, and brief cancellation due to ''Sunstone''[='=]s slipping sales, Sejic announced plans to turn to crowd funding to continue ''Sunstone'' and revive ''Death Vigil'', as well as his other dead works. The first chapter of ''Death Vigil'' Volume 2 was released on Sejic's Patreon (to patrons only) on December 31, 2019.
15
16	Now has a [[Characters/DeathVigil character sheet]]
17	----
18	!!This series contains examples of:
19
20	* AffablyEvil: The Abyss is surprisingly polite, patient, and NiceToTheWaiter for an Unspeakable Horror From Beyond The Veil. It probably helps that he's getting pretty much everything he ever wanted.
21	* AffectionateNickname: Grace considers Bernie a surrogate daughter as Bernie reminds her of her daughter. She calls her 'Bette' instead of 'Bernie'.
22	* AlasPoorVillain: Despite her arrogance, and all the things she's done and lives she's put at risk (if not outright destroyed), it's still hard not to feel sorry for Maria Benes. She's ultimately a broken woman driven off the deep end of the Slippery Slope by her daughter's death, only to be swept up into events she didn't ''truly'' understand, and was so misguided she genuinely believed what she was doing was right. [[spoiler: It makes the means by which "Alicia" betrayed her and revealed that Bernie had been telling the truth all along that much more heartbreaking.]]
23	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Some species of Unliving like Banshees or True Primordials can talk perfect, modern English to the human cast. In contrast, Liches speak in BlackSpeech.
24	* AmnesiacHero: Not even Bernie knows what her history is.
25	* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler: "Alicia" rips off Maria's arm - and with it the sigils controlling her - in order to free herself.]]
26	* AncientConspiracy: The Pale Court has been lying in wait for millennia for the opportunity to manifest on Earth again. Maria's actions spur them to reveal themselves--and the Vigil--to the public.
27	* AndImTheQueenOfSheba: Bernie introduces herself to Sam as Santa Claus in the first issue, as if the dark cloak, ashen face, and scythe didn't give her identity away already.
28	* AndIMustScream: What happens to necromancers after they're sealed [[spoiler: except when Clara does it]].
29	* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: Inverted by [[spoiler: Wulf, who was Sam's mentor in the Vigil. And then Wulf's gifted surrogate daughter was killed in an accident and Bernie was unable to do anything for her. Wulf claims she refused him, and [[FaceHeelTurn didn't take it well]]]]. [[spoiler: It turns out that Bernie really ''was'' simply unable to help. The little girl's soul had already moved on. Which means that the ''thing'' egging Maria on is not her...]]
30	* ArtifactOfDoom: The Scythe. Even Bernie doesn't fully understand how it works, Maria implies there's more to its purpose than what the Reaper actually uses it for, and [[spoiler:Alicia]] calls it "The Shard" and is openly dismayed when Bernie is able to reclaim it in the final issue. The first series ends without explaining just what it is. All we do know is that it's the source of Bernie's power as the Reaper, is able to raise the dead who have the gift as Death Knights, and creates their veilrippers and clothes from their most powerful memories.
31	* AudienceSurrogate: Clara. Sam may be the main POV character, but most of what we learn about the Vigil's organization is presented through Clara's eyes. Sam's introduction is shown via flashbacks in parallel with Clara's experiences in the present.
32	* AuthorAppeal: A quick look at the author's deviantART page shows that he is ''definitely'' JustForFun/OneOfUs, and just like in [[Webcomic/{{Sunstone}} his other series]], his appreciation for {{Collectible Card Game}}s and {{MMORPG}}s is quite visible.
33	* BackFromTheDead: All of the Vigil members have been brought back from death by Bernie. Mia was also killed by her father as part of the ritual required to bind her with a primordial to save her from the disease which was killing her.
34	** Maria's plan for the Scythe is to bring her dead daughter back to life. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, it turns out her daughter's "ghost" is actually a ''primordial'' whose rise is part of the Pale Court's long game.]]
35	** [[spoiler: In issue 7, Clara manages to use her Veilripper to bring Sam back from death after having been killed by Wulf.]]
36	* BadassAdorable: Mia, the centuries-old Primordial who takes the form of a teenage girl when not fighting.
37	* BadassBoast: Clara gets one in issue 5, when [[spoiler: the Pale Court attacks New York]].
38	--> "Everyone, do not look at the monsters! Run! Don't look back. They destroy minds with eye contact. [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet And to the necromancers... run faster. Because we are coming.]]"
39	* BadPowersGoodPeople: Allistor is a necromancer and Mia is a Primordial, but they get along with the Vigil and fight alongside its members.
40	* BatmanGambit: Maria's plan is this. [[spoiler: She orders the Pale Court to attack multiple cities to lure the Vigil into the open. Most of the attacks are feints to tie up other members and keep them from concentrating, and to set up a situation in which they need to call Bernie for aid. The main attack is in New York where she hopes the majority of the Vigil gathers. During the battle she dispatches Wulf to the Vigil's main house to wait for the exhausted Knights to return after Bernie is summoned by one of the feints, which she orchestrates by having one of the Necromancers turn themselves into a Lich. Wulf is to then turn Allistor to their cause, at which point they can collect the Veilrippers she needs to capture Bernie's Scythe.]] The entire plan basically relies on ''everybody'' doing exactly what she wants them to, and any deviation could have scuppered the whole thing.
41	* BeachEpisode: Sejic has [[http://nebezial.deviantart.com/art/death-vigil-coming-this-summer-XD-449568019 a drawing]] of the cast on the beach on his [=deviantART=] page. He lampshades the scene, "because they totally look like summer types".
42	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: The necromancers' OneWingedAngel forms are titanic, Lovecraftian monsters. [[spoiler:Bernie]]'s form, in contrast, [[spoiler: has her keep her human form, only changing her [[GameFace face]] and clothing and sprouting black angel wings]].
43	* BeenThereShapedHistory: Bernie notes that the last known translation of the Dreamer's Codex was kept in the Library of Alexandria, and that that [[KillItWithFire had been taken care of]] long ago.
44	* BetterThanSex: Clara starts to say this about travelling through the Veil, but is shushed by Sam.
45	* BigApplesauce: The Pale Court invokes New York's importance to draw out and distract the Vigil.
46	* BigDamnHeroes: Hugin and Bernie in the first issue. In fact, Bernie has this as her hat; for the most part the members of the Vigil are on their own, but if they get in over their heads all they need to do is [[SummonBiggerFish call her name]].
47	** Allistor and Mia take a turn bailing Sam out of trouble as well.
48	** The Vigil as a whole does this when the Pale Court launches its full-scale attack on New York, spearheaded by Clara and Hugin riding in and accepting the Court's challenge on live TV.
49	* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler: Sam and Bernie in issue 8.]]
50	* BigBad: Maria Benes in the first arc, who is effectively leading the effort to take Bernie's Scythe.
51	* BigBadDuumvirate: Maria with Wulf, who's much more an equal partner in her plot than a mere Dragon.
52	* BigGood: Bernie, leader of the Death Vigil and not-quite-grim Reaper.
53	* TheBigGuy:
54	** Sam notes that while the other members of the Vigil can do clever things with their veilrippers, he just hits stuff. And he's certainly one of the biggest and physically strongest (human) member.
55	** Hugin plays with the trope. He may not ''usually'' look like much, being a typically-sized raven. But in combat he turns into a friggen ''dinosaur'', making him both one of the biggest ''and'' most powerful of the Death Knights.
56	** There's also Hector, who only plays a small role [[spoiler: when he falls into Maria's BatmanGambit and is forced to summon Bernadette away from the battle in New York]]. He's a ''{{bear\|s are bad news}}''.
57	* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Allistor accuses Bernie of falling under this belief -- that the Vigil is strictly good and necromancers are strictly evil. Lampshaded by James and Mia jokingly calling her a "Paladin".
58	* BlackEyesOfEvil: [[spoiler: When Wulf tries to attack Clara from behind, she shrugs off his posturing, with both her eyes, ''and'' the eyes in her sigils, turning ''black'' as the Primordial bonded to her surfaces. Normally, Clara's (and other Primordials') eyes turn ''red'' in this case. Suffice to say, it does ''not'' end well for him.]]
59	* BrickJoke: Early in the series Marlene is messing around with her cameras, trying to find a way to capture Bernie on film. In the final issue, Bernie is temporarily rendered visible to such devices, so Marlene takes the opportunity for a group photo. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Bernie blinks]].
60	* BroughtDownToNormal:
61	** Bernie is just a normal person without her scythe, and Maria fully exploits that fact to trap her and take the scythe for her own needs.
62	** Once sealed by a member of the Vigil, Necromancers are completely cut off from their gift.
63	* TheCavalry: The Reaper has no problem with being summoned for engagements her Death Knights can't win on their own.
64	* CameBackStrong:
65	** Every member of the Vigil. While they have some special gift that even ''allows'' them to be raised as a Death Knight, in life they were nonetheless all normal human beings.
66	** Mia was just an ordinary girl when she was dying of her illness. After being bound to a Primordial, however...
67	* CameBackWrong:
68	** When Clara was brought back as a member of the Vigil it's progressively made clear that ''something'' isn't right about her. [[spoiler: ''Especially'' with... [[BodyHorror whatever the hell it was she did to that Necromancer in Issue 6]]. Oh, and Clara's boyfriend was in the midst of performing the ritual Allistor previously used to bind Mia with a Primordial...]]
69	** Maria's entire plan was intended to bind the Primordial called the Thorn to Alicia's body, which is this trope all on its own. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Alicia's soul was ''already gone'' when Maria bound her, meaning that Alicia's body was just a shell, and the Thorn took control of her body ''entirely'']]. "Came Back Wrong" doesn't even ''begin'' to cover it.
70	* TheCameo: During Jon and Clara's date at the beginning of Issue One, there is a brief single-panel cameo of two of Sejic's other characters, [[{{Webcomic/Sunstone}} Ally and Lisa]], also having a nice dinner.
71	* ChekhovsGun: Bernie distracts a necromancer in issue four by introducing her presence, letting the other members of the Vigil seal his powers away. [[spoiler:She distracts the Thorn in issue eight similarly, giving the other members of the Vigil the opportunity to destroy it.]]
72	* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Gallows is visually based on Mitt Romney.
73	* CoolGate: The Vigil creates 'markers' to teleport between distances by using the Veil. Later, Clara discovers she can make portals with her veilripper without the need to set up a marker.
74	* CoolMask: Marlene wears a white mask that covers the upper half of her face when fighting against necromancers. Sejic [[http://comments.deviantart.com/1/425759188/3337591442 says]] she wears it because she has a life outside of the Vigil.
75	* CreepyChild: [[spoiler: "Alicia" is incredibly unnerving from the moment she awakens after being bound to the Thorn. Particularly how she continues keeping up the pretense of calling Maria her mother ''even after tearing off her arm''.]]
76	* CreepyCrows: Hugin "The Raven," the most powerful member of the Vigil.
77	* CursedWithAwesome: Binding a person to a EldritchAbomination nets the person {{Lovecraftian Superpower}}s in exchange for a ravenous hunger for what is implied to be people. People bound to a True Primordial share the same hunger, but for lesser abominations than themselves.
78	* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Alicia Benes isn't the one contacting Maria to get her to a resurrection. Her soul has long since passed on, hence why Bernie ''couldn't'' have her BackFromTheDead. Instead, it's [[EldritchAbomination the Thorn]] taking on her shape.]]
79	* DeadpanSnarker: Most of the Vigil, but especially Marlene.
80	--> '''Marlene''': Blink once for yes, twice for no. ''[=Gets a blank stare in response=]'' No, really, [[EyesDoNotBelongThere any eye will do.]]
81	* DeadToBeginWith: Every member of the Vigil. This actually happens ''twice'' in the span of the first issue - first Sam, then Clara.
82	* DeathDealer: James, aka "The Cardmaster." One of the few examples to ''not'' also be TheGambler. Good for him, since he doesn't [[OlderThanTheyLook look to be old enough]] to be admitted into any gambling establishment.
83	* DeathIsCheap: The obvious interpretation is that Bernie revives people who have died as members of the Vigil. The second interpretation that appears in issue seven is that [[spoiler:Clara can bring back Vigil members killed by necromancers]].
84	* DemonicPossession: Necromancers can fuse with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. They seem to have a symbiotic relationship with the abomination they host: they gain power and immortality and keep their free will and sanity (most of the time), but on the other hand they need to hunt on humans to satiate their hunger. And there are special cases, such as Mia (who, despite hosting a True Primordial, kept her free will thanks to her father acting as a controller) and [[spoiler:Clara, who is unknowingly hosting a True Primordial herself. Said True Primordial manifested a few times, once by saving Clara from a Necromancer, and the second time by helping her mend the mind of her ex-boyfriend. She even said "we" when doing the latter, though it seems she remains oblivious of his presence, and unlike Mia she doesn't have a fellow necromancer acting as her controller]]...
85	* {{Determinator}}: Sam is very headstrong -- crossing into LeeroyJenkins territory at times. He manages to overcome the paralyzing effect of Banshee screams multiple times when other Vigil members were all knocked out ''by sheer force of will''.
86	* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: Mia, a True Primordial, is chummy with the cast, despite being one of the most powerful beings in the ''Death Vigil'' universe. She plays [=MMORPGs=] with James and has a 'girl talk' with Clara.
87	* DirtyCoward: Slippery Simon, one of the necromancer flunkies Marlene and James take on, like his handle, would be on the run. Once he gets more powerful sigils, however, he gets overconfident in attacking Vigil members until backup arrives to take him down.
88	* DontFearTheReaper: Bernardette is generally quite warm, friendly, and personable. She also doesn't actually take lives -- just guards them and recruits the newly dead into the Vigil. Lampshaded in the first issue by having her point at a statue of the "classic" reaper and ask "Do I look anything like that?"
89	* TheDreaded: The mere mention of "The Raven" is enough to make most necromancers crap their pants.
90	* EldritchAbomination: In several flavors. In addition to the standard evil-forces-from-beyond-reality that comprise the Primordial Enemy, there are also beings ''called'' Primordials, of which Mia is one. [[spoiler: When she was dying of illness, Allistor bound the Primordial to her to save her life, one of several actions he took -- wittingly or otherwise -- that destroyed his friendship with Bernie.]]
91	** During the battle in New York, a Necromancer attacks Clara when she tries to cut off his escape. [[spoiler: Clara does...''something'' to him and kills him. She has also been seen to have Necromancer marks on her back. ''And'' Clara's boyfriend was performing the same ritual on Clara that Allistor performed on Mia when he bound a Primordial to her before Sam interrupted him...]]
92	* EtherealWhiteDress: Bernie introduced herself to the dead in all-white a few times, but she laments that too many people joked to her about being [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings "Bernie the White"]].
93	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gallows is a necromancer. All of his colleagues are necromancers. His boss is an EldritchAbomination. They've all done some pretty awful stuff in their day. And even ''he'' thinks that Maria's plan to turn the Orach loose in a metropolitan area just to draw the Vigil's attention was cruel.
94	* EyesDoNotBelongThere: When a necromancer activates their powers, glowing eyes appear inside the sigils on their bodies.
95	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Wulf was once a member of the Vigil, until he fell in love with Maria Benes and became a surrogate father to her daughter Alicia. When Alicia was fatally injured in a car accident, Wulf called on Bernie to bring her back as a member of the Vigil since the girl was gifted. When Bernie told him that there was nothing she could do, it drove him to joining the Necromancers as part of Maria's plot to steal Bernie's scythe to resurrect her.]]
96	* FamilyOfChoice: [[spoiler: When Allistor turns on the Vigil because he can relate to and understand the reasoning behind Wulf's FaceHeelTurn, he demands Mia leave with him. Mia, in outrage, refuses and tells him she's staying with her family, and chooses to stand with the Vigil over her father.]]
97	* FantasticRacism: The Thorn is disgusted by the existence of "impure" Primordials like Mia and The Abyss. The Abyss [[BoomerangBigot seems to agree]], at least to the extent of gushing over how much more "pure" and "powerful" the Thorn is than himself.
98	* FauxAffablyEvil: The Abyss is actually quite cordial. The Thorn, on the other hand, limits her affability to [[spoiler: continuing to call Maria "mother", even after she's ripped her arm off.]]
99	* FirstEpisodeResurrection: Sam dies a few pages into the series, and Bernie revives him as a member of the Vigil. The same thing happens to Clara at the end of the first issue.
100	* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: While Sam is the narrator and protagonist, most of the character development is focused on Clara.
101	* ForeignCussWord: Vlado's one line in issue eight is Croatian for "Oh, fuck.... We're in thick shit."
102	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
103	** All over the place regarding [[spoiler:Clara being the host of a True Primordial]].
104	** The true nature of [[spoiler:Alicia]] is also heavily foreshadowed: When reading Lana's memories while sealing her, Clara learns that primordial beings appear to prospective Necromancers by taking on the appearance of their (usually dead) loved ones. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that the Thorn - one of the four True Primordials - manifests to Maria Benes as the ghost of her deceased daughter, Alicia. She uses this form to manipulate her into completing her translation of the Dreamer's Codex, and binding her to Alicia's brain dead (and soulless) body.]]
105	* AFormYouAreComfortableWith:
106	** In the first issue, Bernie takes on another form to fight a [[OurLichesAreDifferent Lich]], though she doesn't want Clara to see it. From the sound of things, it may not much different from the [[EldritchAbomination creature]] she fights.
107	** Mia as well. She normally appears as a cute teenaged girl. However she's actually a True Primordial, making her one of ''the'' most powerful entities in the series. The sight of regular {{Eldritch Abomination}}s is enough to drive normal people insane. A True Primordial's true form is enough to ''kill'' any normal person who looks upon it -- and unlike Bernie, we have seen Mia's Primordial form. It is '''not''' pretty.
108	* FreakyIsCool: In [[http://nebezial.deviantart.com/art/death-vigil-mia-and-allistor-are-different-430364311 a supplemental comic]], Mia expresses FreakinessShame to James after not being able to fully revert her hair to normal after feeding. James thinks it looks cool.
109	* GameFace:
110	** Maria has one involving black tendrils emerging from her back and her eyes turning yellow, which she briefly shows when Gallows has been a bit too patronizing.
111	** When Necromancers tap into their powers, the tattoos on their body are covered in {{eyes\| do not belong there}}. [[RunningGag Much to Sam's constant annoyance, this usually leads to them taking off their shirts.]] Their (normal) eyes sometimes [[RedEyesTakeWarning turn red]] when they're about to go into battle. This has also been seen on Clara.
112	** Bernie's face cracks to reveal a more skeletal appearance underneath when she has to extend her powers. The reader never clearly sees what she looks like in this form.
113	* GodzillaThreshold: While so much as looking at {{Eldritch Abomination}}s is enough to drive a normal person mad, the sight of Mia going OneWingedAngel will ''outright kill them''. This is part of the reason why in Issue Five the Pale Court launches its attack in the middle of downtown New York City; the presence of so many innocent witnesses hamstrings the Vigil by preventing Mia from involving herself in the fight, thus stripping them of one of their most powerful assets. However the Vigil decides the threat presented by the Court's public attack is so great that they have no choice ''but'' to unleash her despite the risk of collateral damage.
114	** Bernie's nature actually ''invokes'' this: No matter how much she might like to, her scythe won't even touch a monster that's ''below'' a certain power level. Once again, the Pale Court takes advantage of this by sending a monster to New York that's too far below that threshold, [[spoiler: and sends one that she ''can'' fight as a distraction to draw her away as part of Maria's plan]].
115	*** Bernie's own OneWingedAngel form falls under this as well; as apparently even her ''Death Knights'' can't tolerate the sight of her, so she's only "seen" using it once against a sufficiently powerful threat.
116	* GoIntoTheLight: Bernie introduces the Veil to Clara this way, before quickly taking back the words as being inaccurate.
117	* GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: Chiyoko's veilripper is a pair of goggles that allows her to see through walls.
118	* GoryDiscretionShot: [[spoiler: "Alicia," The Thorn, tears off Maria's arm through one of these. The viewer still manages to see the bloody aftermath, however.]]
119	* GreaterScopeVillain: The Abyss/Lord Azra, who provides Maria with everything she needs and even is willing to overlook her planned betrayal so long as the Court gets what it wants.
120	* HeelFaceTurn: Allistor's backstory. [[spoiler: He and Mia lived in France during the 13th Century, and when he reported the sighting of a demon in the streets of Paris to the church, he was arrested and taken to the Seraphim (Necromancers), who recruited him with claims they were fighting a fallen angel. However as he worked on translating the documents and tablets they requested of him him he learned the truth and sought out Bernie's help. They struck up a friendship, but this started to fall apart over the discovering of a veilripper Allistor kept as a trophy from a Death Knight he had fought and killed before learning the truth about the Seraphim. When his daughter, Mia, was dying of illness he turned to the Necromancers but they refused to act to save her, and Bernie also rebuffed him. Instead, out of desperation he took it upon himself to use the Dreamer's Sigil and sacrificed Mia to forcibly bind one of the Primordials to her to save her life. Mia showed an appetite for other Primordials, so he turned her loose on the Seraphim. Bernie later came to deal with them both, but Allistor essentially stalemated her by threatening to turn Mia loose against the Vigil and their families, so she backed down and departed warning him never to cross her path again. Since then, Allistor and Mia have been staunch allies of the Vigil, though not members themselves. Mia and James are close friends and she's very well-liked by the rest of the Knights, while Allistor is at least respected. His relationship with Bernie remains frosty, however.]]
121	* HeelRealization:
122	** Maria Benes is shown to be fighting against one in Issue 5. It doesn't last, however, after a few words from "Alicia." It finally seems to stick in the finale, when [[spoiler:she learns that Bernie had been telling the truth about "Alicia" all along. It probably helped that Alicia ''ripped her arm off'' to free herself from her RestrainingBolt.]]
123	** Allistor gets hit ''hard'' with one in issue 7. [[spoiler: He betrays the Vigil after their victory in New York after Wulf plays on his own situation with Mia, as Allistor has never forgiven Bernie for letting Mia die rather than help him. It turns out he was ''badly'' mistaken. Upon reading Sam's memories, he learns that Bernie confided in him she ''was'' going to help Mia, but Allistor took action before she could do so. This leads him to finally agree to help the Vigil assault the Pale Court to rescue Bernie and recover the Scythe.]]
124	* HerBoyfriendsJacket: [[spoiler: When Bernie prepares to confront the Thorn as part of the plan to defeat it, she alters her appearance so the skull and crossbones logo on Sam's shirt is displayed prominently on her robes, and the Scythe takes the form of his veilrippers.]]
125	---> '''Sam:''' Copycat!
126	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Sam manages to regain his ability to move after a Banshee ambush in issue 6, and uses it to attack [[FaceHeelTurn Wulf]] and buy enough time for Clara to port the rest of the immobilized Vigil members safely out of range of the entity blocking Bernie from being summoned. It gets him run through by Wulf for his trouble, and Bernie is summoned away by Maria to steal her Scythe before she can try to help him.]]
127	* HeroesGoneFishing: Sejic takes the time to flesh out Vigil members by showing their lives outside of fighting monsters. Marlene dabbles as a GadgeteerGenius, Bernie dances to the tunes of Music/{{Nightwish\|Band}}, and James and Mia play video games.
128	* HiddenDepths: Allistor and Maria see Bernie as heartless for not helping their passing loved ones. While Bernie does put on a mask of confidence and aloofness in public, it's clear from her interactions with Sam that she's broken inside from so many (second) deaths.
129	* HideYourOtherness: Mia is a True Primordial, but she appears as a teenage girl, not only to hide her identity, but to prevent {{Muggles}} from going crazy at the sight of her.
130	* HorrifyingTheHorror: In a world invaded by EldritchAbomination, there are a couple of things that can make those accursed beings run in the other direction as fast as they can if they are clever enough to know what they are dealing with: True Primordials (such as Mia) and [[DontFearTheReaper Bernardette]].
131	* HorrorHunger: Mia craves lesser Primordials as food. She implies 'normal' Primordials eat people.
132	* HorseOfADifferentColor: Clara rides on Hugin to quickly reach New York without nearby markers.
133	* HowDoIShootWeb: Veilrippers are significant to their wielder in some subconscious way, and have some unique power or property that's not always apparent, and which the members of the Vigil have to figure out on their own. [[spoiler: Clara, for example, can use her feather to create portals, and she can also view the memories of anyone she touches with it.[[note]]Though Allistor also notes this as a trait of powerful Necromancers so it's unclear whether it's the Veilripper itself, or something unique about ''Clara''[[/note]]]] Despite years as a member of the Vigil, Sam has yet to discover the purpose of his veilrippers, so mostly uses them to pummel things. Though he can also use them to summon a [[HornyVikings boatload (literally) of]] [[OurZombiesAreDifferent draugr]] to help him in a fight.
134	* HumanityIsInfectious: Mia lost a large chunk of her humanity after being bound to a True Primordial and used as a threat against Bernie in the 13th century. Spending time with her father and James helps her regain her humanity.
135	* HumanoidAbomination: Mia, [[spoiler: after being bonded to a Primordial when she was dying in 13th Century France]].
136	* IHaveManyNames: Bernadette and Allistor have both changed their names multiple times in the past.
137	* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: Clara's veilripper is a pen that allows her to draw things into existence.
138	* ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: The Vigil are locked at the age they died; hence James being called "kid" despite having been in the Vigil longer than Sam.
139	** Necromancers as well; Allistor is still the same age he was as when he was first recruited by the Seraphim, while Mia, who was bonded as a youth to one of the Primordials in the 13th Century, looks no older than James.
140	* ImmortalImmaturity: Mia plays video games, has a teenage crush on James, and complains to her dad about having to finish her food despite being hundreds of years old.
141	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: This is [[spoiler:Wulf]]'s preferred method of dispatching enemies. He successfully does this to [[spoiler:Sam]] with his necromancy-enhanced veilripper in issue six ([[spoiler:he gets better]]), and he tries to kill [[spoiler:Clara]] with SpiderLimbs this way in in issue eight.
142	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Many veilrippers don't take the form of a weapon. Sam uses a {{shovel\|Strike}} and [[PowerfulPick pick]], Clara uses a [[ThePenIsMightier quill pen]], and James uses [[DeathDealer playing cards]].
143	* InLoveWithTheMark: The necromancer in the first issue genuinely fell in love with Clara at some point during his manipulation of her.
144	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Vlado and Chiyoko.
145	* InTheHood: Wulf is introduced this way at first, mostly to obscure his identity as a past Vigil member.
146	* InvisibleToNormals: Normal people can't see Bernie, and she can't be photographed, either. Marlene states to Clara that she has been trying to construct a camera that can capture her on camera. It turns out that she ''can'' be seen if she loses her link with the scythe.
147	* KillTheOnesYouLove: The trope is a requirement for binding a person to a True Primordial, since the ritual is fueled by the feelings of pain and betrayal that cannot be achieved in other manners.
148	* LamePunReaction: [[invoked]] What Sam thinks of Bernie's jokes.
149	** After Clara makes one, Sam points out that all the Vigil members seem prone to making them.
150	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Many of the drawings Sejic uploads onto his [=deviantART=] page depict characters and events not yet portrayed in the main comic.
151	* LockedIntoStrangeness: Joining the Vigil dyes the person's hair white. Wielding Bernie's scythe causes bleached hair and skin, although [[spoiler:that is reversible]].
152	* LosingYourHead: Gunnar gets decapitated during a fight with a banshee. Being a zombie, he's fine and will reassemble himself in about a week.
153	* LovecraftianSuperpower: Activating necromancer sigils causes eyes and tentacles to spawn on the person's body--not to mention the horrors that necromancers summon.
154	* LovecraftLite: Yes, the plot is about battling eldritch horrors from beyond reality, but that doesn't mean that the characters can't have some fun while doing it.
155	* MonsterFromBeyondTheVeil: The Pale Court reveals to Gallows that what Maria is reviving isn't her deceased daughter but a True Primordial.
156	* MonstrousHumanoid: Mia normally takes on the form of a teenage girl. Against necromancer forces, she turns into... [[http://fav.me/d8esouq this]].
157	* MundaneUtility: Clara discovers her Veilripper, the Starlock, can create magical portals, useful for hurling charging monsters to their doom. Also good for reaching into one and scratching your own back.
158	* MyFistForgivesYou: Clara gives Jon a bloody nose after she saves him from AFateWorseThanDeath, and Sam punches Allistor after he briefly sides with Wulf.
159	* MysticalWhiteHair: Everyone in the Vigil, as a result of being resurrected. Sam even calls this part of the package the "Dye After You Die Club". Hugin is covered head-to-claw in white feathers. And according to Clara, the carpet does, in fact, match the drapes.
160	* NaiveNewcomer: Clara is this, allowing her conversations with ExperiencedProtagonist Sam to [[TheWatson use her as the primary source of exposition]].
161	* NakedOnRevival: Subverted, much to Bernie's amusement:
162	--> Samuel, this scythe can remake a body. Did you really think clothes would be a problem?
163	* NebulousEvilOrganization: Judging what's been revealed so far, the villains consist of an uneasy alliance between [[EldritchAbomination The Pale Court]], who provides the muscle, and Maria Benes, who translates the codex.
164	* {{Necromantic}}: Maria's motivation for helping the Pale Court is to bring Alicia back after Bernie denied her help.
165	* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: Hugin ''really'' gets annoyed at people quoting or making jokes based on Poe's "The Raven".
166	-->'''James''': Quoth the Raven-
167	-->'''Hugin''': SHUT THE HELL UP, JAMES!
168	* NeverMyFault: Maria apparently realizes just how big she screwed up right around the time [[spoiler: "Alicia" tears off her arm to free herself from Maria's control]]. Wulf, however, refuses to believe what he's seeing, and assaults Clara [[spoiler: while insisting that Alicia is merely scared and and confused]]. He simply can't accept that they were wrong.
169	* NewcomerSavesTheDay: In the end of the first volume, it is the newest member of the Vigil, Clara, who saves everyone from the Pale Court's trap with her teleportation abilities and good old investigative skill, although this isn't the straightest example, as [[spoiler:she is all but revealed to be the host of a [[EldritchAbomination Primordial]]--who is even older than the Vigil itself and just happens to work with them at the moment without them knowing]].
170	* NightmareFetishist: Mia, an EldritchAbomination in the form of an adorable girl who eats other abominations.
171	* NoBodyLeftBehind: Sam points out that the creatures summoned from the Veil conveniently disintegrate after being slain.
172	* NobodyPoops: As Clara learns to her dismay, ghosts can't vomit, cry, or poop. This apparently extends to full-fledged Death Knights, as well: Sam notes in his narration that since joining the Vigil he doesn't need to pee anymore, which suits him just fine since the sound of zippers creep him out after hearing the undertakers zip up his own body bag after his first death.
173	* NonIndicativeName: "Necromancers" don't actually bring back the dead - though they think they do. Nor do they reanimate corpses. They're actually more like Summoners, bringing {{Eldritch Abomination}}s from beyond the veil, who then masquerade as their lost loved ones.
174	* NonProtagonistResolver: [[spoiler:Neither Clara nor Sam directly take down The Thorn. Bernie cracks open The Thorn's armor, and Chiyoko and Vlado shoot it down.]]
175	* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Gallows and the Abyss write Maria off at the conclusion of the final battle. However the last issue ends with Maria's regenerating arm breaking through the rubble under which she's trapped, indicating she actually survived.]]
176	* OhCrap: The series is so full of these moments it could basically be "Oh Crap: The Series:"
177	** A very subdued one by Allistor. After Mia show's him the Dreamer's Sigil drawn by Clara's boyfriend, he immediately states they need to warn the Vigil, despite the hostility between him and Bernie. Since Issue 5 implies [[spoiler:that Clara's boyfriend was attempting to use her body to bind a Primordial like Allistor himself did with Mia 800 years earlier]], his response is notably an ''under''reaction.
178	** They get much bigger as the series goes along, ''especially'' when Maria directs the Pale Court to wage open war against the Vigil in the middle of downtown New York in ''broad daylight''.
179	** Issue 6 again when [[spoiler: Wulf's betrayal and ambush - with ''multiple'' banshees, even one of which was able to paralyze Sam in the first issue -]] is revealed.
180	** A ''big'' one in issue 8 [[spoiler: when "Alicia" rips off Maria's arm, severing the RestrainingBolt that, like Heinrich's control of Mia, enabled Maria to maintain control of the Thorn while she was bound to Alicia's body: a ''True Primordial'' running loose with nothing to limit its power.]]
181	* OlderThanTheyLook: Almost all major characters, since both the Necromancers and the Vigil are immortal and stop aging. On the low end we have Clara who is one week older than she looks as of issue #4, on the upper end we have several people in the Really700YearsOld category. And then there's [[TimeAbyss Bernie]]. Most seem to stay at the same mental age, so technically-25-year-old James and technically-820''ish'' Mia engage in a teenage friendship slash light romance.
182	* OneWingedAngel: Interestingly, most examples of this here are good guys - the villains tend not to bother hiding in the first place.
183	** Bernie apparently has one, but we don't get to see it just yet.
184	** Mia normally looks like a cute teenage girl. But when it's time to get down to business she reveals her true form; a monstrous EldritchAbomination that ''literally'' eats other eldritch abominations for breakfast.[[note]]She's actually one of the Primordials, which Allistor bound to her body to save her life from an illness.[[/note]]
185	* OnlyOneName: Most modern characters are given a first and last name, while characters that have lived for a long time (Bernie, Allistor) only use first names, as they have forgotten their original names and/or change them around.
186	* OperationBlank: The names for the strategy used to combat The Thorn include 'Plan C', 'portalbombing', and, as James later dubs it, 'Operation Black Arrow'.
187	* OrderedApology: Clara asks this of Bernie after seeing Bernie's history with Allistor. Bernie nearly makes the apology, but she is interrupted by other Vigil members summoning her. [[spoiler:In issue eight, Bernie finally makes that apology of her own volition.]]
188	** [[spoiler: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Allistor needs to be prodded into it courtesy of a punch in the back by Mia, however.]]]]
189	* OurBansheesAreLouder: They appear as one type of Unliving. Their screams can knock someone back a few feet and completely paralyze them.
190	* OurHeroIsDead: [[spoiler:Sam is 'killed' again in issue six, only to be revived by Clara in issue seven.]]
191	* OurLichesAreDifferent: [[http://nebezial.deviantart.com/art/death-vigil-bernie-the-white-428305505 They're a lot uglier than usual]], for one thing.
192	* PathOfInspiration: The Seraphim of the 13th century were a circle of necromancers masquerading as clerics of God.
193	* ThePenIsMightier:
194	** Clara's veilripper, Starlock, is remarkably useful against necromancers despite being a quill pen, as it can [[ThinkingUpPortals Think Up Portals]] and access/heal memories. Sam, of course, mentions that Anubis also uses a quill and it's mightier than a sword.
195	** A cameo Vigil member in issue five uses a ink well and brush.
196	* PerkyGoth: Bernadette dresses in a BlackCloak and the effect of the scythe gives her pale skin and hair, but she is very cheerful to members of the Vigil.
197	* PoliceAreUseless: JustifiedTrope. The only thing that can kill agents of the Primordial Enemy is a member of the Vigil, so when [[spoiler:the Pale Court attacks New York City]], the police helplessly relegate themselves to minimizing the damage to civilians rather than getting involved personally.
198	* PortalNetwork: Vigil members place 'markers' in frequently-visited areas in order to teleport there using the Veil. The lack of a nearby marker in New York City becomes an issue when the Vigil has to arrive there quickly to stop a necromancer attack, until Clara reveals her veilripper can teleport them there.
199	* PowerIncontinence:
200	** Bernie doesn't exactly know why the scythe creates veilrippers in the shapes they have and why it doesn't act on enemies below a Lich in power.
201	** Sam, despite having been in the Vigil for twelve years while Clara joined, hasn't determined his veilrippers' special abilities. Therefore, he just uses them to bash necromancers.
202	* PowerTattoo: Necromancers gain their power from sigils tattooed on their bodies. [[spoiler: Clara also has one that she doesn't seem to know about.]]
203	* PublicDomainCharacter: The Vigil has Hugin and Anubis. In issue six, it's heavily hinted that Wulf is missing a Beo- in front of his name. [[spoiler: Issue 8 confirms it.]]
204	* Really700YearsOld:
205	** Mia looks 15. Sejic has noted her to be [[http://comments.deviantart.com/1/430364311/3357717526 820ish years old]]. Issue 5 reveals [[spoiler: she and her father lived during the 13th Century, when Allistor unwittingly was recruited into the Necromancers, and later bound a Primordial to Mia's body to save her when she was dying of an illness]].
206	** Bernie took out the Pale Court 3,000 years ago, and given that not even she can remember all of her history, she's probably [[TimeAbyss quite a bit older than that]].
207	* RedBaron: Everyone in the Vigil sooner or later has one, apparently. Sam is known and feared as "The Digger," Hugin is "The Raven," James is "The Cardmaster," etc.
208	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Clara's eyes occasionally glow red when she's really angry. This is the first indicator of Very Bad Things. [[spoiler:It's the first indicator that that Jon's attempt to link her to a Primordial, like Mia was to the Beast, was successful.]]
209	** Several Necromancers have been seen doing the same, and it's the color of the eyes that appear amongst their tattoos.
210	* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: Several examples, which are all implied to examples of HistoricalDomainCharacter instead.
211	** Hugin is named after Huginn of Myth/NorseMythology, who is one of Odin's ravens.
212	** Anubis, another member of the Vigil, is named for the God of Mummification in Myth/EgyptianMythology.
213	** Wulf has a lot of elements connected to Literature/{{Beowulf}}. [[spoiler:In Issue 8, he reveals this is because it ''is'' him.]]
214	* RestrainingBolt: Allistor's sigils act as one for Mia, helping her keep the Beast under control, particularly after she was first bonded. Maria's later do the same for Alicia, [[spoiler: at least until Alicia ''tears Maria's arm off'' to break her control.]] Notably, despite this, Allistor's control over Mia isn't absolute. [[spoiler: When he betrays the Vigil after Wulf plays on his sympathies, Mia rebels against him and remains true to the Vigil instead.]]
215	* TheReveal: Mia's backstory in issue 5 reveals just what it was that Clara's boyfriend was doing in the first issue: [[spoiler: He was attempting to use Clara to bind and control one of the Primordials. Considering that Mia ''alone'' presents a significant enough threat that Allistor was able to blackmail Bernie into leaving them in peace by threatening to unleash her against them]], this would have been a very, ''very'' bad thing.
216	** [[spoiler: Issue 8 reveals Sam and Bernie have been in love, and possibly in a relationship, for at least six years prior to the series. None of the other Vigil members so much as bat an eye at their BigDamnKiss right before the final battle. It ''completely'' changes how one reads their interactions throughout the series.]]
217	* RogueAgent: Wulf, who now works for Maria.
218	* RunningGag: Necromancers taking their shirts off to battle Sam ([[spoiler:or Allistor taking his shirt off to attack the other Necromancers attacking Sam]]). And Sam's exasperation with it.
219	* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: The Beast is bound to Mia, who can unleash it to combat and consume other Primordials.
220	** [[spoiler: Alicia even more so: While Mia's human soul has bonded with the Beast, Alicia's soul had long ago passed into death leaving her body an empty shell. The Thorn has total control of the body.]]
221	* SecretRelationship: [[spoiler: A meta example with Sam and Bernie, in which the relationship was being hidden from the ''audience''. While Bernie clearly cares a great deal for ''all'' of her Death Knights and personally takes any death among them nearly to the point of HeroicBSOD, throughout the series she's demonstrated a particular concern for Sam's well-being, which gets played for WillTheyOrWontThey {{Ship Teas\|e}}ing. And then issue 8 reveals to the audience that Sam and Bernie had been together ''all along'', completely changing the reading of their interactions earlier in the series.]]
222	* TheShadowKnows: A [[http://nebezial.deviantart.com/art/death-vigil-sketch-covers-batch-3-466370889 sketch cover]] shows Hugin as a bird with his shadow as his allosaur form.
223	* ShipTease: There's some mild teasing between Sam and Bernie, present right from the very first issue when Bernie seems to take unusual exception to the thought of Sam dying (again) [[spoiler: after she reveals that several other members of the Vigil have recently been killed. It's confirmed in issue 8 that Sam and Bernie are in love when he plants a BigDamnKiss on her right before she charges off to battle The Thorn, and that the ''other'' treasured memory he held onto when he was "dead" was of another kiss they shared six years ago while Bernie was {{Heroic BSOD}}ing.]]
224	* ShoutOut: James dubs one of their plans for taking down the Thorn "[[Literature/TheHobbit Operation Black Arrow]]."
225	* ASinisterClue: Clara uses Starlock with her left hand. It's implied she [[CameBackWrong isn't quite herself]] after Jon attempted to bind a Primordial to her.
226	* SophisticatedAsHell: The characters occasionally give this impression, mostly thanks to some inconsistent contraction usage. However, Mia's shifts from very mature to childlike in her demeanor is a much more deliberate case.
227	* SpitTake: Jane's reaction to seeing Clara riding a dinosaur on the news.
228	* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: One of the scythe's powers is to create veilrippers.
229	* StressVomit: Clara's initial reaction after being told that her boyfriend killed her and her soul is being used to keep a rift containing {{Eldritch Abomination}}s open. Unfortunately for her, the dead can't vomit.
230	* SummonBiggerFish:
231	** Bernie makes sure she's available for this, for good reason. At the start of the series, the Vigil has just lost two members who didn't summon her for help. Issue 6 reveals that the call is ''automatic'' and she can't resist it even if she wants or needs to. [[spoiler: This turns into a plot-point twice: first, she's summoned while about to try mending her relationship with Allistor, who subsequently sided with Wulf once Wulf explained his actions.[[note]]Wulf's surrogate daughter was killed in an accident and claimed Bernie refused to help her[[/note]] The second time is after Wulf fatally stabs Sam, and she's drawn away by Maria before she can act so she can steal Bernie's scythe.]]
232	** This is one of Sam's powers; see Gunnar and his band of draugr in the first issue.
233	** James's veilripper is a ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''-style card deck, which he uses, among other things, to summon creatures and spirits to fight on his behalf.
234	* SuperMode: Normally, Hugin is an average-sized raven, albeit pure white and sapient. When in combat, he turns into an allosaur.
235	* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Mia and [[spoiler: Clara]] both have one courtesy of the Primordials bound to their souls. Most of the time they look pretty normal, but when in combat or pushed too far the Primordial takes control and they go OneWingedAngel. Notably, it's the blending of their human souls (with Mia helped by her father acting as a RestrainingBolt) that keeps the Primordials on the side of angels. The entities themselves are in fact innately evil.
236	* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Clara's eyes turn yellow or red when she's angry.
237	* SuperSpeed: Marlene either has this or a FlashStep as an effect of her veilripper.
238	* SupportingProtagonist: Sam is the protagonist and POV character, but most of the character development and scenes revolve around Clara.
239	* TalkingAnimal: Hugin and Hector are both animals in the Vigil that speak English.
240	* TeamMom: Bernie fills this role for all her Death Knights, worries over their safety and well-being (''especially'' Sam's), and always puts herself on the line to help and protect them. She becomes deeply distraught whenever one of her Knights falls, especially if it's a situation she could have prevented if they summoned her.
241	** Grace is this among the Knights themselves, and fills the role of surrogate mother at home. In fact she even tries to be TeamMom for ''Bernie'', not letting a little thing like ''actual'' age[[note]]Bernie may ''look'' younger than Grace, but is [[TimeAbyss thousands of years]] old.[[/note]] get in the way.
242	* TearsOfRemorse: The deaths caused by Maria's ongoing plan puts her into tears. She gets over it, however, without a change of heart.
243	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Allistor and Bernie don't get along. [[spoiler: Turns out Allistor unwittingly joined the Necromancers after being duped into believing they were the good guys back in the 13th Century, only to discover the truth himself. He came to Bernie seeking help and the pair struck up a close friendship which was destroyed when Bernie discovered the veilripper of a slain member of the Vigil in Allistor's possession. Later, when Mia was dying, Bernie would do nothing to help her, so Allistor took it upon himself to save her by binding her to one of the Primordials. Bernie was essentially blackmailed into turn a blind eye and let Mia live -- especially since she turned to devouring other Primordials and necromancers -- but under the condition they never cross paths again.]] That said, they're still all on the same side, and despite Bernie's insistence otherwise, they have continued to interact with each other over the centuries.
244	** Maria Benes is only using the Pale Court for her own ends. [[spoiler: She wishes to become the new Reaper, at which point she intends to turn on and destroy her allies once she has what she wants.]] The Pale Court is fully aware of her plans, but are willing to go along with it until she gives them the translated codexes nonetheless.
245	* ThinkingUpPortals: [[spoiler: One of Clara's powers.]]
246	* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Necromancers contacted by Primordials start hallucinating their loved ones. In Maria's case, she completely believes Alicia to be real.
247	* TimeAbyss: As noted elsewhere, Bernie is at least 3,000 years old, and given that not even she remembers her origins or history, the actual number is likely quite a bit higher.
248	* TokenHeroicOrc: Heinrich / Allistor is a Necromancer allied with the Vigil. [[spoiler: He was recruited into the Necromancers when he tried to report the sighting of a demon to the church and was instead arrested and taken before the Seraphim, who deceived him into joining their ranks to fight the Vigil. Allistor learned the truth and turned on his masters. Unfortunately, his actions to save Mia from the disease which was killing her permanently soured his friendship with Bernie.]]
249	** Mia as well. She ''looks'' like a cute teenage girl, but is actually one of the Primordials [[note]]her father bound the Primordial to her body when she was dying of disease[[/note]] and an incredibly powerful EldritchAbomination who loves to chow down on ''other'' eldritch abominations. She's also very close friends with James (with evidence they share a teenage crush on one another), and is generally well-liked by the rest of the Vigil.
250	* TomeOfEldritchLore: Less "tome," more "giant stone slabs," but the Dreamers' Codex fills the role.
251	* TooMuchInformation: Gunnar, one of Sam's oathbound undead vikings, notes that the bloodbath about to happen isn't even enough to wash his armpits with.
252	* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Clara doesn't remember what she exactly did to kill Lord Asrah -- probably because of [[spoiler:the True Primordial acting through her]].
253	* TreacherousSpiritChase: [[spoiler:The Thorn disguises herself in the image of Maria's daughter in order to manipulate Maria into bringing her into the human world.]]
254	* UpgradeArtifact: The Scythe is the source of Bernie's powers, and Maria, the antagonist of the first arc, plots to take the Scythe and use it power to bring her daughter back.
255	* TheUnmasquedWorld: For most of history, the battle between the Pale Court and the Vigil has played out in the background and shadows. Beginning in Issue 5, [[spoiler: under Maria's direction the Court finally goes to full-scale and open war against the mortal world, launching broad-daylight attacks on several cities, including the heart of New York. The Vigil is left with no choice but to act.]]
256	* UnCancelled: Sejic announced early in December, 2015, that plans for the second arc had been cancelled as a result of the combination of poor sales, health, and technology issues. However this was reversed mere ''days'' later after widespread outpouring of support from fans and, of course, his wife.
257	* UrbanFantasy: The story features a fight against {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in a modern-day setting with fantasy weapons. When both protagonists and antagonists are immortal, of course they have to keep up with the times.
258	* WeakButSkilled: James relies less on brute force to beat necromancers and more on tactics drawn from his deck of cards.
259	* WeaponTombstone: The gravestone on issue six's cover has Sam's veilrippers on it.
260	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Maria's only goal is to bring her daughter back to life. And in the process she's made pacts with the Pale Court and necromancers, unleashed hell on earth in New York, and stolen the Scythe from Bernie. [[spoiler: And, apparently, [[TragicDream all for naught]]. What she's [[EldritchAbomination bringing back]] is [[OhCrap most definitely]] ''[[OhCrap not]]'' [[OhCrap her daughter]].]]
261	** Issue 7 hints that [[spoiler: Jon was performing the bonding ritual on Clara believing it was the only way to protect her from what was to come after talking with the spirit of his dead father. However the rest of the issue hints that, like Maria, he was being misled by a primordial all along.]]
262	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Allistor and Bernie were on better terms with one another before Bernie noticed that he had a veilripper as a trophy. She had kept a grudge against him for 800 years since.
263	* WhamEpisode: Issue six. [[spoiler: Maria captures Bernie and steals the Scythe, Allistor betrays the Vigil (though Mia rebels and sides with them), and Sam is apparently killed by Wulf.]]
264	* WillTheyOrWontThey: Bernie watches out for Sam more than anyone else, and Sam admits that Bernie's charm is one factor in his decision to join the Vigil. [[spoiler: They share a BigDamnKiss in issue 8, though Sam's monologue reveals they've already kissed once before, implying it's possible [[RelationshipUpgrade They Already Did, but have just been low-key about it]].]]
265	* WingedHumanoid: One of Bernie's forms has black feathered wings, possibly to give the appearance of an 'angel of death'. The imagery is used to at least intimidate and distract a necromancer until Allistor enters the fray.
266	* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Eye contact with Primordials drive regular people into madness-induced comas or death.

Context ComicBook / DeathVigil