Okay you got me. I’m glad I read Zombie Tramp #8 if only for the ending and what it sets up. This volume started off interesting, but then with the rotating art duties and Janey basically getting out of every situation the same way it made it a bit dull. Does that happen here?
Well kind of. She does basically get out of trouble the same way, but this time it doesn’t take up the bulk of the issue. We also get more of her backstory as she takes pity on a nerdy kid that reminds her of a guy from her past. A stereotypical nerdy guy that worked up the courage to ask her out only for her to turn him down. The events of this lead to what happened in the second volume of the series, remember the jocks and Janey’s best friend from high school? Well if you missed that volume it’s recapped for you.
The point is the character moments with Janey returned. That’s the thing about this series is that you can’t just sell T&A with it. You can’t. Granted the character is an undead Jessica Rabbit type meaning yes you’re probably attracted to a zombie woman right now, but without the heart of the character it’s too easy to throw it into the pile with other “sexy cover” books. Without the heart and the serious elements of this story the surface level complaints about it become true and that’s not what I want to see. I want to laugh, but then also have it be serious like this issue.
While a lot of the usual spells are used in this issue we see a few more as our nerd boy gets a hold of Janey’s book and uses a few against her. The real kicker is what he was doing with the book before Janey got there and what the consequences of that action will be on the series. I’m really interested in that and it could be the needed boost in drama that the series needs.
Again there’s an art change. I’m not sure if it was just a way to stay on schedule of or if they were looking to find an artist to take a volume on after TMChu returns next issue, but as much as I’ve liked all the art styles consistency would be nice. Granted all four artists have vibed about the same, but still I’d like to see them improve and develop with the series. As it is the same problems that have plagued each artist make an appearance here as well.
Winston Young definitely does the best with backgrounds, but there are still several times in which he relies on a solid color background for when Janey is talking and it stands out a lot. Other than that he does a great job with the character designs and while he doesn’t exactly illustrate Janey with any cute outfits, he at least makes her intimidating later on in the story.
This issue is an improvement upon the last two issues which were definitely the weakest in the series. And while I’d love to bump it up because of the potential the story now has, I can’t really review it based on potential. If you’re a fan of the series by all means add a point and if you picked up this issue as your first… well you’re very confused right now.
This is definitely a step in the right direction and I will be back next month as this issue washed a lot of the doubt out of me that I was having about the series.
Score: 3/5
Zombie Tramp #8 Writers: Jason Martin and Dan Mendoza Artist: Winston Young Publisher: Action Lab/Danger Zone Price: $3.99/$4.99 Release Date: 2/25/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital