Proving again that the number of tales starring the undead is limitless, BOOM!’s latest issue of its zombie anthology offers another diverse trilogy of zombie action.
Kicking things off is a Civil War adventure in which the forces of the South are cut off and facing certain defeat, until a surprise turn of events gives them a much greater advantage. The weary General is called to witness a dead child who is raised to life thanks to the witchery of a slave woman. This gives the South an edge in battle and they use the corpses strewn across the battle field one more time. Writer Ralph Soll and artist Unai give this nice tale with a twist a great approach, with an easy pace and suitably grimy art, reminiscent of Kyle Hotz.
The second short story is the conclusion to the 2061 saga, by writer Kim Krizan and artist Jon Reed. The central conceit of this mini-epic is that zombies are mutated cannibals and are now running earth. Humans are mere pets in this new society and live primarily as slaves and gladiators for their undead masters. It could easily be a mini-series by itself, especially with scarily amusing touches such as humans in a meat market, or in cages below “1/2 Off Veal” signs. In this finale a group of humans manage to escape from the gladiator pit, leading a makeshift revolt which causes the zombies to shuffle off. They are then chased outside of the city, thrown off a cliff and into the heart of a nuclear reactor. That’s when things get slightly confusing. What appears to be the leader of the human army throws herself into the zombie filled pit because “if it comes into contact with normal particles it will spark a reaction!” Um…okay. Well, that’s what happens which then in one last moment of “what the?!” the horde of zombies appear to travel through space and time to 2061 B.C. It’s a rather stifling end to what has been a grand concept.
The last story, entitled “Population Control,” is written by Bryce Carlson with art by Axel Medelin Machain. Set in the town of Adler Creek, it centres on two life long friends amidst a dwindling population. Jules and Benton eventually have a disagreement about staying in their hometown or leaving, with the survival of both sun scorched men on the line. So they do what best friends should always do – make sacrifices for the other one.
The art in this issue is similar between all three stories. It’s not highly polished, but it works in the zombie context. This issue is not the best of the series, but as a whole Zombie Tales is always a pleasant surprise in this era of comic book decompression. Instead of long, drawn out epics lasting years, BOOM! wisely give us a snack-sized alternative.
For a preview of this ish, go here.
Now this sounds like an interesting way to breath new life into Wolverine. That guy has more series every month than you can poke an adamantium prong at, but a new venture coming in April looks set to present him in an intriguing manner. Official press release below.
Top Cow is making a name for themselves these days as a publisher of in-your-face comics. With The Darkness, Impaler, Wanted and now this series, they showcase brutal stories in which characters are thrust into gloriously bloody worlds. Like the best genre films of the 80s, these concepts revel in over the top violence, which make you wince and laugh in equal doses. In a fashion similar to the previously mentioned titles, Berserker knows how to wrap such blood letting in an engrossing story. That’s the key to books like this. Devoid of a great premise, they simply become mindless gore fests. Berserker is a head above (pun intended) such exploitation and delivers the goods in a brief package.
Jeremy Haun’s pencils with Dave McCaig’s colours really sell this tale. Sure there’s heaps of blood, but it’s not over the top. It all appears real and gives a horror edge to this military adventure. It’s filled with darkness and texture in the Afghanistan scenes and real emotion throughout its pages. By now, you’re guessing that this isn’t one for young eyes and you’d be right. Apart from the violence there’s also profanity one every page of this brisk tale.
I’ve read a few comic compilations as of late. They’re a great idea. DC’s Vertigo Trades (such as First Cut) which present first issues of ongoing series probably kicked off this mini-trend. Then last year they produced a few extra-sized Countdown Specials reprinting classic tales of the New Gods and Kamandi, amongst others.
The fine folks at the always informative Sci Fi Pulse, have a great interview with author Robert Weiner at their site. Weiner has written a book entitled Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications, which is available now from McFarland Publishing.
THE MERLIN PROPHECIES is the story of John Myrddin, an emotionally-disturbed shipwreck of a man living in New York City’s East Village. John hears voices, too many voices, invading his dreams, haunting his days. One voice in particular stands out: a woman’s voice. And one night that voice leads him to Central Park. There, in the middle of a lake, John has an encounter with an ethereal woman that changes him, and will change the world, forever. Because John Myrddin now remembers the truth: He is none other than Merlin and the woman is the Lady of the Lake, who has been waiting centuries to reawaken the fabled wizard of Camelot. Now Merlin is on a mission to find, and train, a teenage boy who may one day redeem the world. But an ancient evil is also stalking the boy…and if it finds him first, our world may be forever lost….
This issue is so pretty it’s making all my other comics jealous. An orgy of sights from Poltergeist, Ghostbusters, Judge Dredd and grand superhero epics, Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh concoct a tidy package of bombasticity (yes, I made up that word) unlike any piece of work you’ll find on today’s shelves. The four issue mini-series from Radical is yet another attention-getter in its already impressive arsenal of hot properties. Steve Pugh’s name comes before famed writer Warren Ellis’, and there’s a good reason. Hotwire is primarily Pugh’s creation, working from Ellis’ original story, but Pugh handles both chores brilliantly. Like any good writer/artist Pugh is totally in synch with his ambitions on the page and the fact that he’s been working on this title on and off for years shows. That devotion is obvious and Pugh can be glad that he stuck with Alice Hotwire. It’s paid off very well.
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