ZOMBIE TALES #1

Boom Studios

Review by Larry Stanley

Here we have another Zombie anthology from creators Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Andrew Cosby, Ron Lim, Andy Kuhn, John Rogers and many others. I know, I know; all of us are thinking that there are enough Zombie books out there, what can another one offer that the others can’t?

Who cares?? They are ZOMBIES, dude. You can never have enough Zombie books or movies. There is always a niche a new one can fill; we just don’t know what it is yet. So, here is a nifty new 48 page, square bound, and prestige format just packed with flesh-eating action!

Yes, it does seem like everyone and his or her brother has a new Zombie story. Some of them just are not that good, but there are a few first class books out there.
One of the things that makes this a winner is the sometimes tongue in cheek attitude that is offered. While the stories are usually violent and bloody there is a soft current of laughter that helps to make the book a little easier to take in this flood of blood and guts books that we have now.
“I, Zombie” by Andrew Cosby and Keith Giffen tells the story of a  Zombie named Ted who is just trying to find something to eat, but has this weirdly twisted nature to the story. Frankly, there is something funny in watching a zombie smash his alarm clockin the morning. And while this is the only “To Be Continued” story in the book and I usually hate that in a Zombie book, it is a fun story.
“Severance” by Mike Nelson and Joe Abraham is one of the best stories I have read in quite a long time. This is a short, fast story designed to hit the reader in the face like a brick, and man it does a fantastic job.
“Daddy Smells Different” by John Rogers and Andy Kuhn is one of the more twisty stories in the book, with an ending that is more or less expected but when it does arrive it is excellent.
“For Pete’s Sake” by Johanna Stokes and J.K. Woodward is basically a love story, about lonely woman whose husband is a zombie and she keeps him chained up in her home.

“If You’re So Smart” by Mark Waid and Carlos Magno is really clever and probably the most unexpected plot idea in the whole book. The idea of intelligent Zombies is worrisome enough, but the way they get smarter is sick, twisted and excellent.
“Dead Meat” by Keith Giffen and Ron Lim rounds out the book. While it is the most basic Zombie story in the bunch, it is really the art work that makes this one so easy to read and rnjoy.
Zombie Tales seems to be the type of Comic that would be easy to get both non-Comics people and non-horror people to take a look at a bit easier. And while an anthology is a crapshoot for most readers, I find them to be better price wise since if one story sucks I am about to go right into another that might be a winner.

I just hope the publishers keep the same commitment to quality that is apparent here with subsequent issues. Heck, it would be nice if many other companies would have this sort of quality in their books.