Comically Challenged: I, Zombie

I’m a lady that loves zombies. I worded that wrong. I don’t love zombies. I’m intrigued by them. I try and absorb all the Romero, Kirkman and Brooks I can so that one day I might be ready for the true apocalypse. But somewhere, located in what we’ll call my “duodenum”, there’s another side to me. The side that may one day have my flesh being torn apart by some unholy corpse. I enjoy humorous tales of zombies. Can’t argue with it, it’s science.  I know, I know; I’m not supposed to underestimate the threat.  Fact of the matter is projections of the zombie apocalypse can be fun and lighthearted. And I’m a fan.

Check it: I was pretty flippin’ excited going into today’s comic shipment for the release of Chris Roberson and Mike Allred’s creator-owned book I, Zombie. Everywhere you looked, there was the preview in the back of the books. It looked pretty sweet. Let me set it up for you…

Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan died. We do not know how yet. She is a zombie BUT, God love her, she doesn’t want to attack the living. She gets a job at a cemetery digging graves and whenever she’s hungry, she’ll just dig up the freshest plot. Turns out, in the world of I, Zombie, it’s the lack of human brains that make zombies go all spaced out and out of control. So, she has to keep herself in-check if she wants to go around as a functioning member of society. Thing is, whenever she eats the brains, the memories of the former person are transmitted into her head. So, in a Medium/Ghostwhisper/NOTLD kind of way, she tries to handle whatever unfinished business the person had left. After all, she does feel kind of bad for having to eat their brains in the first place. Her best friend Ellie is a ghost from the 60s, there’s a were-terrier (possibly less dangerous than a werewolf?) named Scott/Spot that has a crush on her, and somehow vampires packing paintballs fit in as well.

I have big hopes for this ongoing. Mike Allred (Madman, X-Statix, Wednesday Comics) does exactly what he does best in his pop-art style. Lots of pastels and muted tones, but the bold shapes and shadowing make for some art with serious impact. It works well with the writing style of Chris Roberson (Clockwork Storybook, Shark Boy and Lava Girl Adventures, Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love). I like Roberson’s voice-he brings realistic dialogue and internal monologues into what would otherwise be a very unrealistic scenario. Lunch at a diner with your ghost-best-friend talking to a were-terrier while analyzing his ironic lack of “puppy dog eyes”. You name it, witty banter, boy-girl (terrier-zombie) awkwardness-Roberson can write it.

All that being said, issue #1 was a pretty average book. Had I not read the preview, maybe it would have held a little more power for an introduction to a character. That was seriously the most interesting part of the book and I had already read it. Everything else (although real) seemed kind of normal and boring. Except for the paintball playing vampires. That was quirky. The good news is, I know where this book is going! In the upcoming issues we’ll see Gwen take on this undead Nancy Drew persona and try to solve murder mysteries, offer closure for loved ones and possibly even absorb the personalities of those she consumes. In addition to that we’ll be delving into the world of I, Zombie where, like their take on the Wolfman, we’ll be seeing a lot more interpretations of other classic monsters.

Yes, the first book failed to rock my socks off my feet; but yes, the premise of the book is strong and pretty creative. The truth is, at the Vertigo introduction price of $1.00, you can’t really go wrong. Allred’s art is reason enough to dish out that much. I strongly feel that the book will only get better. Maybe I’ll get to know what it is about paint-ball that vampires like so much.