Z-Men continues to be balanced. Each of the titles have a personality or something that sets them apart while all of them feeling very similar. The balance between the humor, action and drama is what sets Z-Men apart from other series. The issue itself starts off with the hive mind zombies attacking cars and even downing a helicopter which is a bit scary since it means this virus is no longer contained. It brings a new meaning to airborne. Back in the basement things get intense. We get a little bit of an overlap from the previous issue to put us back in the action. Clancy and the deputy are in a bad spot and Teddy is asleep in the car. The bulk of this issue is action, but some bad shit goes down involving one of our characters.
This issue in particular feels the most like a zombie outbreak. Because Z-Men is behind on the storyline it’s really just getting to the outbreak night which is cool because it’s a nice throwback to the danger and the overwhelming feeling of the zombies. This issue handled that danger quite well. There’s really only one bit of humor in the issue as the rest is heavy on the drama. Now when I said balanced, it’s not perfectly balanced, but more like a recipe. Sometimes you have more of one ingredient than another, but the results are still a balanced in the end. There’s not much else to say about the writing other than it being consistent. I liked the fact that the hive mind has spread into another series.
The art for this issue remains some of the best of the line. There’s a lot of interesting panels in the beginning with the hive mind. The gutters are used to show movement and passing of time. I am curious as to why the hive mind seems to be so clean. I do recall the other issues having them be clean as well so I’m hoping that it’s a conscious decision and not something the art missed.
Overall this is a good issue. It’s been enjoyable from the beginning and while this issue doesn’t drive the story it gives a solid action moment and throws this series into the heart of the outbreak. Lastly, I still want to mention how damn beautiful the Double Take books are. The glossy covers and pages are a real treat to hold and frankly the best way to read the books.
Score: 4/5
Z-Men #3 – “The Thing They Carried” Story: Jeff McComsey, Bill Jemas Script: Jeff McComsey Layouts/Pencils: Kurt Tiede Publisher: Double Take Comics Price: $2.50 Release Date: 2/24/16 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital