The Last Zombie: Inferno

The Last Zombie #2

by Brian Keene

Doctor Ian Scott and his team of soldiers and scientists make their way across the wastelands of a post-zombie apocalyptic America. Infected with the virus that caused the zombie outbreak, Ian struggles to stay alive long enough to see his wife again. As if that wasn't enough, the team find themselves caught between a raging, state-wide wildfire and the radioactive destruction of a nuclear reactor meltdown.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Graphic Novels, Comics, Post Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Branden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m so torn on this series. I’m liking it, and it’s done well, I just feel like it’s needlessly stretching this story out much longer than it needs to be. The fact that we haven’t gotten too far since the first issue is a bit disappointing. Sure, things have happened, but this story so far should’ve been the first volume, not expanded over two.

I love the world that Brian Keene has created here, but if we don’t start getting a little more forward momentum, I don’t know if I’ll continue past the third (of five) volumes. I do like it enough, though, to grab that third volume and give it another shot. The characters are interesting enough and Keene cares enough about them to give us some of their backstory, but they’re still not entirely fleshed out, now ten issues deep. There were some cool moments in this second arc, but I think the first one did it’s set pieces a bit better.

Still, the art is well done - and I’m not a big B&W comic guy - and the world is good enough to keep me interested in moving on to volume three.

3.5 stars

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The atmosphere is still as bleak as the artwork. The dangers of the post-apocalyptic world are made worse when a forest fire turns into a inferno moving rapidly toward Warner's group. The refugees and animals running from the fire add to this nightmare.

Warner's group is on the move to the Virginia bunker, still unaware that Ian Scott is infected because he took the vaccine which delays the virus. They meet a group of people who tell them of a huge fire in Kansas and headed for their location. Given the fire to the north and east, plus the marauders to the south, the only safe way is west.

While they set up camp several thousand refugees make their way to the city. They receive medical attention and supplies, but an attack from a pack of rabid dogs raises the tension, so Warner decides to head straight through the inferno. They almost decide to give up when they make it behind the blaze.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inferno continues The Last Zombie story and manages to keep things interesting and innovative, although the varying quality of the artwork was a bit distracting. So far this series has been a lot of fun, I’ll definitely be continuing on to the next volumes.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inferno is a step back from Dead New World both in story and art.

5 so-so issues with very mediocre artwork to tell a story that could have been done in a single issue.

I like where Keene is going with this series but this entire arc felt like filler.

[Steve Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read, might look for volume 3

[Kaisersoze · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in The Last Zombie series by one of my favourite authors, Brian Keene, slows the pace set in the opening volume and focuses on developing some of the major characters. With his cast reduced to a more manageable number, Keene starts to deliver on this front - Planters being the stand-out, but Warner also comes into his own.

I have a few nitpicks though. Bothering to introduce secondary characters by name and then having them quickly dropped from the story seemed an odd choice, while the threats here seemed underwhelming when compared with that which the group confronted in the first volume.

I also can't quite decide if it's impressively subversive that a comic from Brian Keene - he who did much to resurrect the zombie genre - called The Last Zombie features very little zombie action, or whether it's more of a disappointment for me. I was going to write something open ended here like "future volumes will tell", but as I've already read the next two, I know the answer...

It's impressively subversive.

3 non-decaying zombies for Inferno.

[Jonathan Echevarria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give it four and a half zombie brains out of five.

As a huge zombie fanatic it is hard not to enjoy what Brian Keene is doing here. It is very rarely do we get the opportunity to see what happens after the zombie apocalypse. In this story we get to see how the world operates with everything shut down.

Some of this has been seen elsewhere, but what really pulls me out of the story is the artwork. It doesn't fit the dark black and white style of the book. I had a hard time separating the large cast of characters because they all looked the same.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on HorrorTalk: http://www.horrortalk.com/comic-revie...

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting happenings, but still, pretty basic stuff.

[Bob Reiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty badass. Reminded me of those old Post Apocalyptic serials, but less cheesy.