…The world’s first zombie animal comic!
I don’t know if the title The Other Dead is supposed to be a parody of “The Walking Dead,” but who gives a shit – this comic was pretty damn entertaining. I was graciously sent a PDF of issue #1 by Denise Dorman, who is handling the PR for the fledgling series, and I immediately sent it to my Kindle. Once I read through the final page, I kept trying to flip to the next one. I wanted more, but for now, here are my thoughts on issue #1 of The Other Dead.
The Other Dead is an original graphic novel created by Joshua Ortega, Digger T Mesch, Qing Ping Mui, Blond, and Kevin Eastman. “A monstrous hurricane is about to hit southern Louisiana just as the Vice President is killed during an outbreak of a mysterious infection that’s turning all animals into ravenous, cold-blooded killers.
Into this mix is thrown our eclectic cast of characters: Tommy Romero, a 10-year old cancer survivor who’s struggling with his faith and belief in life; Azrael, Tommy’s older brother and a member …of the Norwegian-like death metal band, Decapitated; Justina Abelinda Cortez, Az’s girlfriend who’s an exotic dancer and a Puerto Rican bruja/witch; Chet Wayne, a racist ex-Army Ranger who’s been preparing for the apocalypse for years; and Barack Obama — yes, the actual president of the United States — who ends up in the eye of the storm, dealing not only with the hurricane but the zombie animal outbreak as well.”
When it comes to a comic book, you can only criticize two things – the art and the story. I have too say that both are very impressive. The art looks top-of-the-line and can rival some of the bigger publications in terms of quality. This especially comes in handy when understanding the tone of the characters, and when you want to see some horrific bloodshed and gore; which issue #1 contains a lot of. No one wants to read a comic that’s low on picture quality, so I can personally guarantee you that this comic book is drawn exquisitely and the pages are filled with beautifully vivid images that will capture anyone’s eyes.
The story is original and captivating, and is quick to point a finger at the villains – the zombie animals – and quick to flesh out the characters made up of a cast of polar opposites. This isn’t your typical zombie (animal) story where every survivor is a hero. I can foresee some of the characters introduced early becoming villains themselves later on in the series. One character set, a young cancer survivor and his mother, are going to be the characters that pull at your heart strings. I’m already pulling for them!
My only criticism of issue #1 is the inclusion of the government. Not that I’m opposed to the idea. I just think it should have been done more clearly in the beginning. One of the preview pages has President Obama with some guys. In the first few pages of the issue #1 there’s a reference to the accidental Dick Cheney shooting. It’s hard to distinguish in the beginning whether or not it is a joke, although everything is made clear at the end of the issue.
All in all it’s a very solid first issue. I can only image the crazy ideas in store for readers. I know I’ll be reading along, waiting to find out what happens from issue to issue. I’d rate this 7 out of 10 stars. PS: Animal lovers, beware! This will not be a series for the PETA member in you!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheOtherDead
I read a zombie novel where the animals were affected by the virus as well and not just the humans. It’s an interesting take given that many films and books portray the virus as one that only affects humans and not animals. I’d like to pick this lil gem up sometime!