THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

Zombies have overrun the planet; they outnumber the living in seemingly unstoppable numbers. A few survivors remain, some scattered and alone, others banding together in small groups, desperate to rebuild the civilization which was cruelly ripped from them by the hands of the dead. One such survivor, Sam Coleman, forced to flee Seattle and leave his daughter behind, surviving only due to his trusty Smith & Wesson and a little luck, is now burdened with the guilt that the daughter he abandoned may not actually be dead. Unable to shake the need for closure and driven by the constant hope that plagues mankind in this grim time, Sam strides out into the ruins of the world and the hordes of Zombies that wait within.

MY VERDICT:

Zombies: A brief history of decay is really a book of three parts - a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning, thanks to a fairly underwhelming plotline of 'man is separated from daughter in Zombie apocalypse and races to find her', is slightly dull. It's not really bad in any way - the writing is good throughout the large comic and the illustration is, quite simply, excellent. It just does not have any major focus to pull the reader along; you think you know how it is all going to end, you think there are no surprises coming. In the second round, the book becomes a lot better and more interesting. Suddenly, there are legions of Zombies - some fast, most slow. Questions are asked; how did so many deadheads turn up in this place? How can the few survivors that seemed to have a safe new home established possibly win with the meagre resources they have? You want to know the answers to these questions, to see more of the wonderful artwork which shows Zombies and action in breathtaking detail, you want to read on! Sadly, the third section of the book fumbles the ball once again. The comic finds it necessary to expand the scope of the tale to encompass several groups of survivors, separated by large distances that somehow, seemingly without too much effort for the vast size of North America (the book's setting), ultimately come together. As a knock-on effect of this, the story frequently, and without warning, "jumps" from one groups perspective to another, often on a single page, muddying the waters and making the narrative unnecessarily hard to follow. Some intrigue for a sequel is also put in to spice things up but, given the scope of the comic and the extremely lengthy time I imagine it took to create, that follow-up seems an unlikely prospect - annoyingly, leaving some avenues, forever unexplored. So, in general, while I did enjoy Zombies: A brief history of decay, especially the jaw-dropping art, I cannot recommend it.