Death Note (2004)

[デスノート]

Volume 4

Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
With the appearance of a second Kira, L invites Light to join his investigation.

Story/Characters:
The Joker has found his Harley Quinn this volume. The introduction of Misa does some really interesting things to the dynamics. Although it's easy to dismiss her as an airhead, she can actually be pretty smart, but she does have her ditzy moments that make her as much of a liability to Light as an asset. To prevent her from just being killed off by the ruthlessly pragmatic Light, we have Misa's Shinigami Rem. Unlike Ryuk, who only plays along with Light because he keeps things interesting, Rem is rock-solid in her loyalty to Misa and hates Light's guts because she sees him for exactly who he is. With L bringing Light in closer in a bid to prove his suspicions about Light being Kira, we have this tense stalemate where a single wrong move could end the game. And then we get escalation. I won't spoil it because it's one of the highlights of the series and it brings us toward the end of the first arc of the story.

Art:
I have nothing but good things to say about the art as usual. Misa is cute as a button and Rem has a pretty cool design that makes for a good contrast with Ryuk. We also get some great panels of Light looking like an evil scumbag. Good stuff.

Conclusion:
We get some interesting complications to the story which leads into some big plays that are a treat to watch unfold. If you're already hooked, I don't need to say it, but I'll say it anyway. Get it.

Rating:
Own It