I’d never even heard of this comic before I came across it at my favorite local comic store‘s recent issues shelves. There it was, the only copy, with a post-it note stuck on the front that read “2nd best horror comic this year”. Second best comic of the year? With zombies? I had to read it!.

Holy shit. What a shocking, gory and sick comic…I loved every minute of it! Pieces of Mom: A Tale of the Undead one-shot was a pretty heavy read for a zombie comic. Touching on issues of abandonment and the breakdown of the family system. What you have here is a story of two brothers, one a very abusive older brother and one a younger passive brother, and their mother- a zombie. The younger brother spends most of his time trying to find food to keep his mother’s “unnatural” hunger fulfilled, while his brother spends his time bossing him around and wasting all of their supplies. Their father? He never came back one night from gathering supplies. Everything is “normal” until one day on a “food” run for his mother, the younger child comes across “something” he thought they had lost…forever.

This was a great read, written by Steve Niles (the popular horror comic writer, mostly known for his vampire comic 30 Days of Night), who seems to have finally hit his stride with this comic after a number of less than stellar, unoriginal horror comics over the last few years, and art by Andrew Ritchie that fits perfectly into this story with it’s scratchy rawness and muted colors. I welcome this creative teams chilling storytelling abilities and hope for more like this one.

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When Zombies Attack!! #3, published by Red Maverick Publishing, was a really fun read. Unfortunately, I missed issue #2 of this series, while reading issue #1 a few years back when it first came out. Honestly though, I didn’t feel as if I couldn’t take in this whole issue without the prior one. The art on this issue is a complete 180 from the first issue (again, not knowing the art style of issue #2), which really didn’t throw me at all, considering it had been so long since I read the first issue. Which comes to my only complaint about this comic. It takes forever between issues. Sometimes more than a year or so. But it’s still worth reading.

The story: When Zombie Attack!! is like the reality show COPS, but with zombies (with occasional vampires and werewolves). The reader follows the nightly routines of Officer Frank Hadely and his rookie partner Chet, of the Post Mortem Animation Control (P.M.A.C.) of Burke County. There’s always of good amount of action and gore, mixed with an ample dose of humor. I should really find a copy of issue #2. Overall, I would suggest this comic for sure for zombie comic fans looking for something a little bit different than other zombie comics. Just get ready to wait between issues. Each issue also has a great cover by comic artist Mike Huddleston.

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Tokyo Zombie is completely ridiculous. This comic is so over the top, I’m not even sure where to start. The zombies? The awkward sexual moments? The bond between student and master? The sheep? Creator Yusaku Hanakuma, master of heta uma (“bad, but good”) manga, has made one of the most original zombie stories ever created. It starts out with Fujio and Mitsuo, two warehouse workers practicing their martial arts on their break, but slowly turns into an all out zombie apocalypse as the two make a run for it. Mitsuo falls victim the zombie hordes, while Fujio manages to escape and go on to become one of the nation’s most famous zombie ring fighters. The wealthiest members of society have taken control of what little sanctuary the humans have left and have turned the poor into their slaves and throw out whoever disagrees to the outside world of zombie mayhem. While this is a very silly book, it also seems to contain some very heavy underlying comments on the social-political nature of class warfare (seriously!). Politics, slap-stick and gore! Perfect! This has definitely become one of my new favorite zombie comic of all time.

Tokyo Zombie was just published this year in English for the first time ever by the awesome people at Last Gasp. You can get this at any local comic book store or at your local book dealer. I can’t recommend the book enough. Everybody who loves zombies should read this.

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I’d been looking forward to reading Dead Ahead since I first saw it solicited a few months back. The day it came out I grabbed it off the shelf and read it as soon as I got home. The verdict? It was a big let down.

Quick overview (POSSIBLE SPOILER?): Issue #1 starts- people on boat. Zombie outbreak. Issue #1 ends- people on boat.

The story was generic, and really didn’t go anywhere over the course of the first issue. The art is…well, confusing. The lack of any format at all on some pages makes it hard to follow. The coloring is awful does nothing at all to compliment the art, while the lettering is almost unreadable at times. Black lettering on very dark blue backgrounds, making it very hard to read. I won’t be reading the last two issues of this mini-series.

Interestingly, there is a sketchbook in the back of the comic with black and white art by Alex Niño, the series artist (who illustrated comics for classic horror comics Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella and Heavy Metal back in the seventies and went on to draw for DC Comics and Walt Disney), that is much better than the artwork in the story. When I googled his artwork, I found his older work and black and white work to be heads above the art in this book. The coloring and set-up of the book really seems to of ruined his art for me in this piece of work. Personally, I’d skip this comic book and instead check out his older work.

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Now this is what a zombie comic should be. The Dead: Kingdom of Flies #1, from Berserker Comics, is full of action, gore, a great mix of drama and humor, and non-stop over-the-top insanity. It’s starts off with a group of firemen trapped in their firehouse during the first few days of a zombie outbreak. Through the firemen, their television set and the eyes of a few stranded soldiers stuck downtown in the middle of the outbreak, you get to see the apocalypse unfolding right before your eyes. Blood, brains, guts and all.

I couldn’t of been more happy with this comic. Simon Bisley’s interior artwork is brutal and completely nails the intensity of Alan Grant’s script. I really like the frantic feeling of the story line, and even though it jumps around a lot, it never feels rushed or disjointed. Top it off with a beautifully gorey cover by painter Glenn Fabry, it’s just an all around great comic. Lastly, I really need to mention colorist Andrew Brown’s great job on creating the perfect atmosphere for gut ripping and brain smashing fun. I can’t think of a single reason a fan of zombies and comics would not eat this shit up. Top notch.

-Shown above with the Forbidden Planet Exclusive Biz Sketch Cover

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I picked up Zombie Bob Gets A Job #1 a few years ago at a small press show near Detroit. I think it was $1 and it had a zombie on the cover, so I grabbed it. As I read it in the hotel room that night, it cracked me up. While it’s very short, only 12 pages, it has some great humor. The artwork is pretty good most of the time, with my main complaint being that you can tell in a few panels that the same amount of time was not taken illustrating them as others. Also, more backgrounds in panels would of been nice to see (I’m kind of a snob about comic backgrounds).

Overall, I would still suggest this mini-comic because it’s a cheap, fun read. Regarding it’s creator Jimmy Proctor, I’m having a hard time coming up with much info on him. You can check out his MySpace, his website, (both have almost zero info on him), or possibly reach him at: jimmy@nickelfreakshow.com if you are interested in trying to obtain a copy. Also, supposdely there is an issue #2, which I will try to find a copy of myself. If I can find it, watch here for a review.

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Santa Claus vs The Zombies is a short, independent comic produced right here in the ZRC’s home state of Michigan. It’s told in a rhyming style reminiscent of the classic Christmas poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” but avoids directly aping it. With a name like Santa Claus vs The Zombies you kinda know what you’re getting in to and I’m glad to report this comic doesn’t disappoint.

One would think that a 16 page comic about Santa Claus fighting zombies wouldn’t leave a whole lot of room for exposition, but author Jet Rosas does a wonderful job of keeping the story flowing and the pages turning. Erin, who is not a comic book fan, even found it surprisingly good and raved about it. The art is dynamic, colorful, and conveys a sense of motion and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. It’s also in full color which is a nice touch and shows off artist Angela Crouch’s work.

This review was difficult to write without giving away the story, but just take our word that it’s an awesome book that made us smile a whole lot. It will be available soon from Strange Holiday Comics and Comixpress. And it’s only $4.00! Order one for yourself and one to give away to a friend – I’m sure this will make a great stocking stuffer.

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Living Dead Glasgow #1 (Sex Gore Mutants Publications)
Zombie comics, just like films, have a tendency to reuse the same plot over and over. Zombies attack, people hide, zombies attack, people fight back, everyone dies/ goes to Canada or remote island. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic zombies vs. survivors story, but putting a new twist on it can really elevate the story. Living Dead Glasgow, by brothers Alan and John Simpson, was a fun read, but seemed a little light on character development. One thing it wasn’t light on was the gore. Tons and tons of gore, including limb tearing, head crushing and the classic eye-pecking bird. The kind of gore I expect from a zombie comic. I just want less stereotypical characters added to this awesomely gore-filled zombie book.

To me, LDG is like a mix of Return of the Living Dead, 80′s underground/ alternative comix and Herschel Gordon Lewis. The two page back-up story Bad Dog, by Gary Northfield, has a funny ending that made me chuckle. There is also a four page Zombie Movie Classics list in the back of LDG, with great descriptions of classic and newer zombie films, complete with DVD cover art. This comic is worth checking out, and as much as it seems like I was picking on it a little bit, I am looking forward to the second issue.

Second Opinion (by co-editor Erik Zempel)

I agree with Nate – the plot and character development is a little on the light side, but the important thing to remember here is that this is issue number one, so of course it’s going to be just an introduction.  I felt like the Simpson brothers were just setting the stage for a much longer story.  The art is great and has that underground comix vibe to it.  There are a couple of good bits of humor here and there as well.  Overall it’s worth checking out and I sure hope this series continues.

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