This comic is pretty fucked up. I heard Kevin Eastman was going to be a part of this series, and I thought that this could bring some interesting light to the dead zombie world. The quick rundown is that a town in Louisiana gets hit with animals turning into zombies. Reading horror comics always brings about this point in the reader where too much gore is just too much gore. The funny thing about me is that I don’t mind the gore...only when it isn’t taking away the true theme of the story. This story seems a little too gore driven to really grasp the main idea. And having the gore center around animals makes me a little sick to my stomach. Ok I am wimp. I get that but something in my psyche makes animal abuse one of the worst possible things to watch. So this comic was tough to wrap the theme around when the ducks’ throats are being torn open. The story follows two brothers, Az and Tommy. Az is a hard-core metal band member whose only focus is fucking his gf and making some badass music. Tommy is the younger brother and seems to have something wrong with him. Maybe he is just weird, but I think he has a disease of some sort. The family is just a southern white trash family. It explores a family that not a lot of us get to see, so I will give them credit there. The whole outbreak approaches when some hunters get attacked by a deer they just nailed down. Again, they could have just shot the deer but instead blow the deer’s brains out; too excessive for me. Now the comic backtracks a couple of days in order to play the events before the attack. It is clear that Az and his buddies have something to do with this outbreak. It isn’t clear what, but these boys hold the key to finding the truth.
The art uses bold colors, by Blond, which adds a nice layer to the story. I really feel like I am in some sort of Everglades. I think this story would make more sense in Florida because it gives off that vibe, but I guess Louisiana works just as well. Qing Ping Mui’s art isn’t my style. It is way too disproportionate and makes every human look awkward. I could pass on the art.
I think the weirdest part about this comic is the fact that Obama may have a huge part in the series. He is on one of the variant covers, which tells me that he will play a key role in the animal zombie attack. Strange! I may check out the next couple of issues just to see what the hell is going on, but doubt I will enjoy them. Like I said, I don’t think this type of family is used enough in comics, because some states cultures do seem like a totally other country, but it was a letdown for sure. I guess if you dig zombies and the whole horror showdown between animals and humans then pick this up on behalf of us who can’t stand even reading non-fiction about animal torture.
Score: 2/5
Writer: Joshua Ortega Artist: Qing Ping Mui Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/25/13