The zombies have invaded the friendly community of Neighborville and they want brains…BRAINS!!!! It’s up to Nate, Patrice, “Crazy” (I mean “Uncle”) Dave, and Dave’s modified plants to save the day. Are they enough? They have better be because the zombies are coming, and they are coming en force. BRAINS!!! (I need to stop doing that). So begins the story of Lawnmageddon, Plants vs. Zombies, a most beloved (and extremely time-consuming) game familiar to anybody who has wielded a smart phone (which includes myself). The Ladies and Gentlemen at Dark Horse Comics decided earlier in the year to make a comic story detailing the events of the game in a fun-filled family format. Something they are really good at I have discovered. Well the issues were successful and now a hard cover trade paperback of the whole story has been made.

This book is over eighty pages, but it may be the quickest eighty plus pages you may ever read. The story starts off as expected with the zombies coming out of the sewers, the ground, and I think even the sky (where do they get those balloons?). They swarm over Neighborville like a nasty gray fog with one thing and one thing only on their undead minds….BRAINS!!! (Dang it, I need to stop that).

Enter young Nate who with the help of his friend Patrice, escape from Nate’s treehouse and work their way up to Patrice’s Uncle Dave’s (better known as “Crazy Dave”) home. As it turns out, Dave has been anticipating this invasion and he has created several different plants to fight off the menace (and drive around the town in his car when they want). Many have escaped and are growing all over Neighborville. The plants must be rallied to stop the zombie menace, repel the sinister Zomboss, and restore peace to the town.

I had a lot (a whole lot) of fun reading this book. It was full of fine action, witty dialogue, and good laughs. Writer Paul Tobin has done an excellent job in capturing all the creatures in this story at their essence. From the brain craving zombies, to the plucky fun hearts of Nate and Patrice. All the characters are fun and even though the menace is real, the battle is light-hearted and friendly.

Likewise, Artist Ron Chan’s portrayals in all of the panels of the book are full and fun. You can look at these panels several times and get a real kick over all of the busy action going on between the zombies, the plants, and the humans in this tale. My personal favorite is the squash (SQUASH!!! Well, that’s a little bit better than BRAINS!!!). Both the writing and the art combine to create a thoroughly entertaining little video game into comic book tale.  My hats go off to Dark Horse Comics. You guys are really showing me something on the family friendly side of comics. Both of my boys enjoyed it as well.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Paul Tobin Artist: Ron Chan Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $9.99 Release Date: 11/06/13