This book claims to be a parody, but a parody is meant to spoof something and be funny. Instead Hollywood Zombie Apocalypse thinks it’s making fun of the entertainment industry through the use of zombies. Unfortunately, the public’s interest in zombies seems to be waning at this point. That’s okay because the book doesn’t seem to be in touch with what’s going on in society. Evidence of this comes from the bland humor showing Shia LeBouf to be a prick (really? I didn’t know that), Tom Cruise to be a wacko (somebody call Access Hollywood with this news), and Justin Beiber to be an annoying, privileged little shit (grab the defibrillator—I am having trouble processing that revelation). HZA kicks off with a long, unfunny intro to two stoners living in Hollywood. One gets the part in a new superhero movie. The duo head out to the table read of the script. In a nearby restaurant, a young woman feasts on a new fad diet of treated seaweed that transforms her into a zombie. Costumed members of the cast (except the main character of the comic, Michael) realize that the outbreak broke out.

I am giving this book one point for two reasons. The first is the art of David Lorenzo Riveiro; that artwork looks crisp and well defined. I recognized the Hollywood counterparts rather quickly. The second reason for the one point saving this book from the nil was the gag with the cast of The Walking Dead. The premise made me slightly entertained, but the poor execution of the whole joke fell flat.

The book doesn’t scare, it doesn’t elicit any new forms of jokes, nor does it do anything effective with the Zombie genre. HZA does manage to fail rather well. Therefore, I expect to see this product licensed for a film, television series, and cartoon in the near future.

Avoid this book at all costs.

Score: 1/5

Writers: Ralph Tedesco, Joe Brusha Artist: David Lorenzo Riveiro Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $5.99 Release Date: 11/5/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital