By Sam King
This story is supposedly about people who keep zombies, ghost storms, and vampires at bay, but so far I’m not feeling it. I thought the premise had a lot of potential, but the pace is dragging, and I can’t say I’m all that attached to anyone. The characters are nothing special, the art is lackluster for me overall, and I wish there were more action and less “suspense.”
Seriously, the pacing is killing me. There are two storylines going, and it isn’t until around issue #5 (Chapter 5) that we start getting some context for the storyline that opens up each issue. Is it interesting? Sure. Do I want to see if it goes somewhere worthwhile? Only if I have the time if I’m having a slow reading week as far as comics go. The predominant storyline that follows the opener is the one that we are here for. A group of “Gravediggers” are responsible for making sure that the dead stay buried. They are having trouble because more and more undead and other paranormal forces are starting to pop up and cause trouble. It is getting out of hand, and no one knows why. Cue issue #2 where we see that some group (The Black Temple) wants to call forth evil powers to change the world and they are labeling it as salvation to the richest people around. That’s not anything new. The Gravediggers seek out a witch when they aren’t allowed to do to their union, and begin trying to track down the Black Temple, as well as one of the main character’s daughter because she is caught up right in the center of trouble. Do I care though? Not really. When I say suspense, I don't mean anything all that suspenseful; I mean leaving the reader moving at a snail's pace with some strands of intrigue to hold onto as they trudge through the rest. I like good development and understand that some stories are best told a little slower than others, but I don't think this is one of them.
I can barely remember the characters’ names off the top of my head apart from the father, daughter, and the two witches on either side. I have a good memory, so the problem is that the cast just isn’t all that memorable. Do I care if the dad finds the daughter? Nope. They’re estranged, we don’t know why, so really, again, who cares? It is admirable that he wants to locate her due to all the craziness, but really, I’m waiting to see when they meet up and tempers flare. It’s bound to happen. So, what we have across five issues in this first volume, is four episodes for paranormal happenings, a whole lot of weird creatures beginning each sequence that I’m thinking are Earth’s future enslavers, and lots of drama that isn’t very fulfilling or entertaining thus far. We got one ghost storm, one vampire, and the opening had some zombies, then we got some steroid zombies. That’s it. The steroid zombies didn’t last all that long and barely seemed to put up a fight which was a major bummer. For a grave diggers union specializing in putting away paranormal undead, they sure are chasing a lot of breadcrumbs and not dealing with the undead. In some ways, I still feel like I’m waiting for something to actually even happen. There has just been an exorbitant amount of setup. I like mysteries and suspense, but this is so dragged out that I’m starting to wonder when we will get any kind of payoff.
The art is pretty hazy, which kind of fits the intentional grittiness of the story. There are random thin, faded color streaks across panels that don’t really feel like they should be there. Some sequences aren’t very clear, they’re purposely chaotic and messy in terms of lines. For some people, this art style may be really enjoyable, but I can’t really say that I’m into it. A lot of the hazed over streaks seem pointless and distracting.
What began as an interesting premise with an unexpected approach and the potential to be a really interesting comic has turned into a major snooze fest. I can only hope that the next two issues actually kick things up a few notches and really get the story rolling a little faster. I like zombies and paranormal things as much as the next person, but stories should not be told using a leg dragging zombie-like pace.
Score: 3/5
The Gravediggers Union vol. 1
Image Comics