Zombies Calling

I guess if I expect to do reviews that people want to read, I am doing it wrong. I do reviews on things I buy or borrow from the library. I buy and borrow things that appeal to me. I like to like things, I enjoy... um... enjoying things. I don't like insulting people, I don't like slamming things outright. I can, I will if it seems to be merited, but those things aren't enjoyable for me. I think the model, though, is that I am supposed to cuss a lot and name call and make big giant mean spirited generalizations. I reserve the right to do that, I guess, but it isn't what I ever WANT to do.

That being said, here is what I think about Faith Erin Hicks' Zombies Calling

Zombies Calling is The story of three friends who wind up in the middle of a real life zombie attack at their university. The main character Joss is an extreme anglophile and something of a zombie film scholar, in addition to being the only one of her group that has to carry the burden of financing her own education. Joss has boiled zombie movies down to a series of rules, reminiscent of the discussions in Scream about the sort of rules of horror movies in general. These are more specific to Zombies, and cover some different ground. When the attack happens, she realizes that not only are the rules real, but they are the key to her friends making it through the attack alive.

Follow that link and look at her site. The art in this book is fantastic. I think I have Jim Rugg on the brain, because I think I have a tendancy to say that all art that I love looks sort of like his. I bet there are others I could compare it to, but I mean it as a compliment big time, so I don't need to change a word. I'm not sure it actually does look that similar to Rugg's work, I think it is just that Joss reminds me of Street Angel to some degree. 

This 104 page volume is black and white on the inside, with beautiful full color art for the cover and back, which is just lovely. As much as I love the story itself, I equally adore the 'making of' pages, just as she herself professes to love those sorts of things. I am a fan of any other value-added materials that get put into comics. I like scripts, sketches, seeing the pencils, character sketches, guest artist pinups, etc.

This is really good stuff, it's only 9.95, and I am excited to read her upcoming 'The War at Ellsmere" due out at the end of December as well.