The incredibly popular online animated series makes its jump into comic books! Dirge is an undead man with a mind of his own, who struggles to find the meaning of unlife - all the while fighting to protect human lives from evil zombies! Don't miss this epic quest to save humanity!
I loved the online animated series that spawned this comic (and a companion novel, Dead On Arrival), so I thought this might continue the story and finally give us some answers to the questions we were left holding in the end. It did not.
The bookend scenes of the comic, wherein the young human children are taught about the neurology of zombies and later "variants," are poorly written and sort of anvilicious (hi, TV Tropes!). They're not even really necessary to the presentation of the story. It's not as though anyone was opposed to the idea that Dirge had consciousness.
The introduction of the new variant as a villain was okay. I thought he was an excellent character in principle, very visually striking. However, what we really wanted from him was some more insight into the variant experience, where they come from and who they are. What it's like to be one. We didn't get this. In fact, his motivations are questionable at best and at worst this new villain feels like a plot device.
Up to a point, however, this comic was still enjoyable. What really solidified my opinion about it in the negative was one line. One single line:
"You were faking it?" "I'm a girl. It's a talent."
*shudders* I'm sure a lot of people found this line funny, but both as a feminist and just someone who is generally uncomfortable with our culture's sometimes-predatory ideas about sexuality, this allusion to the faking of orgasms creeped me out.
Sorry, James Farr, but I'm afraid I won't be reading any more of your comics. A shame, too, since this one left me with many more questions than answers.
I rather enjoyed this and I'll be honest I really wasn't expecting to either. The story is set in a post apocalyptic world and starts off with a not so usual zombie attack which leads to a young teen joining forces with a talking conscious zombie to protect her 'home' from a catastrophic loss of power. This story is a refreshing change to the normal zombie fare (which I love don't get me wrong) and gives the genre a whole new dimension. The illustrations are brilliantly graphic with plenty of gore (as one would expect) whilst remaining just within the light-hearted cartoony style, with some stunning examples at the back of the volume of more 'true to life' versions. I will certainly be keeping a look out for this series in future.
Really liked this graphic novel, it is bloody, and very satirical. Great art work and the story is refreshing. I love the post-apocalyptic scene, and that the human race is the animal about to be extinct from the face of the earth. I recommend anyone who would like to read this book, to go to the xombie.com website to watch the animation, and see what happened before this story.
This is a must read for anyone who enjoys cartoon like drawings mixed with post apocalyptic zombies and humor. This is the opposite of the serious gross-out zombie stories like the Walking Dead series. It is fun, exciting, and I highly recommend it.