Dead Roots

by Mike Garley (Editor)

Edited and created by Mike Garley, Dead Roots is a 200+ page zombie comic anthology, which features thirty-six unique stories from a diverse range of creators from the worlds of TV, animation, film, comics and games.

The anthology focuses on the emotional state and experiences of everyday people and their journeys, as they search to find their loved ones in the initial frantic hours of a zombie outbreak!

Dead Roots was successfully Kickstarted in 2013 when its £11,030 it almost doubled its £6,000 funding goal.

Dead Roots features a whole host of up and coming creators as well as established creators such as: Paul Alexander (Red Dwarf, My Parents are Aliens, Emmerdale), Eric Canete (Iron Man, Luke Cage, Superboy), Andrew Ellard (Red Dwarf, IT Crowd, Miranda), James Henry (Green Wing, Smack the Pony, Campus), James Moran (Doctor Who, Severance, Cockneys VS Zombies), Jason Arnopp (Doctor Who, Friday The 13th, Stormhouse) and Gordon Rennie (Judge Dredd, White Trash, Necronauts). Ensuring that Dead Roots is full of amazing stories throughout.

Genres: Comics

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Mike Garley is a writer of comics, games, screenplays and other such cool stuff. Mike wrote beActive Media’s EMMY nominated comic series; Collider, as well as Wallace and Gromit, Adventure Time, Eponymous, The Kill Screen, and is also the editor of the Dead Roots comic anthology.

Reviews

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Roots, edited by Mike Garley, is one of those rare anthologies that reminds you why the zombie genre still has so much life left in it. Rather than relying on gore or shock value, this 200+ page collection of thirty-six short comics turns its focus to the human heart—how ordinary people react, fracture, and hold on to hope in the chaotic first hours of an outbreak.
What makes Dead Roots stand out is its emotional honesty. Each story offers a snapshot of someone struggling not just to survive, but to find meaning, connection, or closure as the world collapses. The diverse range of creators—from TV and animation to comics, film, and games—brings a refreshing variety of styles and tones, yet the anthology feels cohesive in its themes: fear, grief, love, and the desperate urge to reach the people who matter most.
Some stories are poignant, some unsettling, and some surprisingly tender, but all of them add a unique layer to the overarching tapestry. The artwork shifts beautifully between gritty realism and expressive stylization, giving each entry its own personality while maintaining the overall mood of a world slipping into chaos.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of zombie fiction or simply enjoy character-driven storytelling, Dead Roots is a compelling, memorable read. It proves that even in the middle of an apocalypse, the most powerful stories are still the human ones.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Kickstarter projects I've backed. This series of short vignettes explores what happens when the zombie apocalypse hits...what happens in hospitals, jails, workplaces and houses. It questions what happens to parents, children, coworkers, teenagers, fiancées, world leaders, computer nerds and doctors. The answer is they mostly get eaten, but more importantly, this anthology queries what zombies really are - human? Subhuman? A natural evolution? A plague from God? Or something else entirely?

Also did I mention that this book is a freaking masterpiece? Just gorgeous to look at and hold.

Anyone with a collection of memorabilia for the walking dead needs to get their hands on this.