EYES ON THE LA MUERTA SERIES PART 1
Returning home from the war in Afghanistan, army veteran Maria Diaz wanted to settle into a quiet, peaceful life. Those dreams were shattered when her family was slaughtered by a death-worshiping crime cartel. Now Maria dons the guise of the vigilante LA MUERTA, seeking bloody vengeance against the city’s most ruthless criminals.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
La Muerta Lives! Volume 1 and Volume 2 were written by Mike MacLean and Brian Pulido with Interiors by Joel Gomez as the penciler and Ceci de la Cruz as the colorist. Both were lettered by Marshall Dillon and, edited by Brian Pulido with logo art by Jeff Moss. The trade paperback cover art of Volume 1 was done by Matt Merhoff and Ceci de la Cruz. La Muerta Lives! Volume 2 trade paperback cover art was done by Mike Krome and Juan Fernandez.
La Muerta Primeval #1 was written by Mike MacLean, illustrated by Joel Gomez, colored by Ceci de la Cruz, lettered by Marshall Dillon, and edited by Brian Pulido. The logo art was done by Jeff Moss and the cover art for my selected issue was done by Joel Gomez and Ceci de la Cruz. The project had a battalion of contributing cover artists who worked on many cover variants.
La Muerta: Infinityverse #1 – Premiere Edition is a pin-up art book with covert art by Joel Gomez and Hedwin Zaldivar.
THE BOOKS
La Muerta Lives! Vol. 1 – Trade Paperback collects Chapters 1 through 3 of La Muerta’s story. The book is printed on high-quality paper in full color over 160 pages in trade paperback format.
La Muerta Lives! Vol. 2 – Trade Paperback collects Chapters 4 through 6 of La Muerta’s story. The book is printed on high-quality paper in full color over 144 pages in trade paperback format.
La Muerta Primeval #1 – The European square bound graphic novel is the 8th chapter of La Muerta’s Story printed in full color on high-quality paper with 48 pages of story.
La Muerta: Infinityverse #1 – a floppy book format printed on high-quality paper in full color over 28 pages.
All La Muerta books were published in 2021/2022 by Coffin Comics founded by Brian Pulido. Expanding out from a love of world-building, Brian and his team created the “Coffinverse”, a shared universe of supernatural characters that includes La Muerta, Lady Death, Hellwitch, and many more to come.
THE STORIES
LA MUERTA LIVES! VOL.1
Maria Diaz is a US soldier returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan to be reunited with her family. Her brother has fallen in with The Zavalas, a death-worshipping crime cartel led by the nefarious Mama Z. When they see the family celebrating, they believe they have ripped them off.
Maria’s family is murdered in cold blood. She wakes out of a coma to find her family dead and gone. She seeks justice from the police, but she finds none. Daring the impossible, Maria chooses to avenge her family and send the Zavalas to hell, even at the cost of her humanity.
LA MUERTA LIVES! VOL.2
Returning home from the war in Afghanistan, army veteran Maria Diaz wanted to settle into a quiet, peaceful life. Those dreams were shattered when her family was slaughtered by a death-worshipping crime cartel. Now, Maria dons the guise of the vigilante LA MUERTA, seeking bloody vengeance against the city’s most ruthless criminals.
In this volume, La Muerta faces off against the legendary La Llorona and the ruthless criminal mastermind known as Brujo, and features the return of the nefarious Mama Z. Can La Muerta overcome and prevail? Or has she finally met her match?
LA MUERTA PRIMEVAL #1
When her former lieutenant mysteriously vanishes in the Amazon rainforest, urban vigilante Maria Diaz aka LA MUERTA vows to bring him home at all costs.
Joining a squad of ex-army rangers and a sexy riverboat captain, Maria ventures deep into the heart of darkness and faces an ancient, insidious evil bolstered by Lady Death’s DNA transforming the jungle itself into a house of hideous horrors. If Maria is to survive, she must surrender to a primordial savagery she never knew she had in her, but can she? Will she?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
VOLUME 1
In Volume 1 we meet Maria Diaz, a veteran with her own set of issues who faces tragedy on the first day back from hell that fuels her with a desire for vengeance. Pulido doesn’t shy away from exploring the darker side of humans, immersing readers in a world where justice is often delivered by the edge of a blade. The artwork by Joel Gomez and Ceci de la Cruz complements the narrative and tone of the story.
The La Muerta story is an unapologetic dive into the supernatural. As Maria embarks on her quest for justice, she becomes a vessel for death itself, a concept that transcends the typical superhero narrative. I feel sorry for her because in exchange for vengeance, she enslaved herself to death. I also got depressed by La Muerta’s world where there seems to be no hope, no one with morals and decency. Her moral compass guides her initially but with no free will she sometimes is just a few steps away from becoming the villain.
Pulido delves into Mexican folklore, infusing the story with elements of Dia de los Muertos, adding layers of cultural richness to the narrative. This fusion of the mystical and the macabre set the series on a unique trajectory, offering readers a unique reading experience.
VOLUME 2
Maria’s journey continues in volume 2, delving deeper into her newfound connection with death. Pulido masterfully navigates the complexities of his protagonist’s psyche, exploring the toll that vengeance takes on the human soul. The character development is palpable, and I find myself empathizing with Maria’s internal struggles.
After seeking vengeance, she is left with an emptiness that she tries to fill by having a physical relationship with a police officer. While the officer develops feelings for her, she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. Her life is controlled by her mind. After her revenge, she makes no plan, does not train, and is not vigilant to avoid her new enemies. Even though she has some principles it seems like she doesn’t want to make an effort to make a significant change in the city. She is as lost as the rest and is enslaved by anger, fear, and revenge. She’s no role model yet.
The art remains consistently captivating, with the team’s skillful use of color and shadow highlighting the emotional impact of each panel. As La Muerta’s story progresses, it becomes evident that Pulido is not content with crafting a simple revenge tale. Instead, he elevates the narrative by introducing moral quandaries and ethical dilemmas, forcing the characters and readers to confront the consequences of their actions. This moral depth adds a layer of sophistication to the series, proving that a story centered around supernatural elements can be intellectually engaging.
While reading the story I had a similar depressed feeling to reading Calico but at least with La Muerta, it’s about the people and their complexities. There is still hope for La Muerta to free herself take charge of her life and enforce justice.
PRIMEVAL #1
La Muerta Primeval #1 takes a bold step by exploring the origins of the titular character. Pulido explores Maria’s past, unveiling a story of tragedy and sacrifice. This installment serves as a crucial piece of the puzzle, providing context to Maria’s transformation into La Muerta. The art is as good as the previous issues skillfully capturing the essence of the character’s evolution.
What makes La Muerta Primeval #1 noteworthy is its ability to expand the series’ mythology without sacrificing the core elements that make it compelling. I took it as a standalone story that adds context to the main story which is why not reading issue 7 didn’t seem like a big deal. It was also a better read because the focus was on the relationship between La Muerta and her former combat team members and it takes place far away from La Muerta’s city. Pulido strikes a delicate balance between world-building and maintaining the intimate, character-driven narrative that has defined the series so far.
THE LA MUERTA PRIMEVAL CAMPAIGN
The Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for La Muerta Primeval #1 offered old issues from the La Muerta series and a large collection of cover art, prints, and trading cards. I chose the tiers that contained La Muerta Lives Vol.1 and Vol.2 which have the first 6 chapters/issues of La Muerta and the Joel Gomez edition of La Muerta Primeval. And I also got the digital editions of issues 1 through 6 and issue 8. Yes, in the end, I realized that I missed Issue 7 but thankfully it didn’t hinder the reading experience.
The campaign is managed by the Coffin Comics management team consisting of 10 team members who do an excellent job with marketing, campaign updates, and customer service. The coffin crew consisting of 3 team members in charge of packaging and delivery did a great job. They keep the (potential) backers engaged with games and prices during the campaign.
For physical backers, they offered free bonus stuff at multiple set milestones such as stickers, foil logo enhancement, 8 trading cards and prints, digital wallpapers, a fridge magnet, a full-color pin-up book, a double-sided bookmark, a mini calendar, a “thank you” letter and a “thank you” card. It’s a lot of stuff for investment in the project. You get your money’s worth and then some. The tracking number was timely provided and the one packaging containing everything as promised arrived in good condition.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Brian Pulido’s La Muerta series distinguishes itself in the independent comic book world by embracing the supernatural with a bold and unapologetic fervor for a mature audience. Through the La Muerta series, Pulido weaves a tale that transcends traditional superhero narratives, exploring themes of justice, revenge, and death.
With its compelling characters, moral depth, and visually arresting artwork, the La Muerta series proves that there’s ample room in the comic book world for stories that dare to tread the line between the living and the dead. And the outstanding customer service will motivate you to get more of La Muerta.
No worries I will be getting issue 7 and probably discuss it with issue 9. Issue 9’s crowdfunding campaign is already completed with products diligently delivered. So, look out for EYES ON THE MUERTA SERIES PART 2 coming soon. And don’t worry you can still find the main books and the remaining variant editions of “La Muerta” on the CoffinComics online shop. For more interesting titles check GRAPHIC NOVELS under the “EYES ON” series I documented my experience with crowdfunding entertainment and shared my notes on the products I received.
My notes are all set. Let me know what you think.
See you on the next page!
