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Everything Dead & Dying #1-5

Everything Dead & Dying

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The Last of Us meets The Walking Dead in this haunting, rural character piece set during the aftermath of a zombie outbreak.

Jack Chandler is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse in his rural farming community, but rather than eliminate them, he has chosen to continue living alongside the undead — including the husband and adopted daughter he fought so hard to have. But when his town is discovered by outsiders, Jack suddenly becomes the one thing standing in the way of his family and those who hope to kill them for good.

Eisner Award-nominated creators Tate Brombal (Barbalien, Batgirl) and Jacob Phillips (That Texas Blood, Newburn) team up for this unforgettable original story.

Collects all issues, #1-5.

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2026

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Tate Brombal

139 books78 followers

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5 stars
178 (29%)
4 stars
293 (48%)
3 stars
107 (17%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
Profile Image for Rain.
2,733 reviews21 followers
June 6, 2026
*1.5* The cover of this book is what captured my attention. Is that cowboy milking a zombie cow?

This is the story of Jack, who has a beautiful little girl with his husband.

This is also the story of Jack, who wakes up each morning, to feed his zombie family raw slop. Then he travels into town to feed the rest of the town zombies.

The story is told in flashbacks. How much I wished this entire story wasn’t so damn depressing. I hated the violence, the gay bashing, the animal cruelty, and the absolutely devastating ending. I guess the title should have clued me in.
Profile Image for Stay Fetters.
2,616 reviews211 followers
January 24, 2026
"I got a vow to keep. Ashes to ashes. And I’ll burn this whole damned world to the ground."

Most of you know this (hell, maybe no one does) but I love books about zombies. They are just so interesting and dead that I can’t help but be intrigued by them. I mean, obviously I have questions about how they came to be but let’s just enjoy their brain-eating joyfulness.

What got me was the unique spin on the zombie-verse. A man living with his living dead family and acting as if everything is normal. That same man taking care of the community that once turned their backs on him and his partner.

This was good and highly unique. The illustrations were amazing and very detailed. The gore and visceral of the zombies were perfection. The story was a decent one, there were parts where it dragged a little but it was still entertaining.

This is definitely the year of deep soul touching zombie stories.
Profile Image for Alej.
83 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2026
I did not read the trade, I picked up the issues monthly, but since the trade will collect all 5 issues I’ll just type my review here:

Wowie! This is a story that grew on me. Originally didn’t really mean to keep at it every month, the first issue being rather slow, if cinematic, but I’m glad I kept going with this series because it got really good.

Is it doing anything groundbreaking? No, we’ve seen zombie stories before, and we’ve seen zombie stories that are centered around “humans are the real monsters” as a theme. But Everything Dead and Dying does this story really well especially for how short it is and how “zoomed in” it is. By this I mean that this isn’t about finding a cure, or a group of survivors going to a safe heaven, or a cross country trek like The Last of Us. This is a small scale, grounded story. It really boils down to just one meetup gone awry, and I fucking loved that.

The central conflict in these five issues arises from a series of tense, increasingly escalating, misunderstandings. But it never feels annoying. It makes sense that everyone is on edge in this situation and willing to act with extreme violence and prejudice at the slightest opportunity. The entire time you’re seeing the rubber band get pulled and pulled and pulled until it finally snaps. The whole story probably takes place over 1 day.

Having just watched 28 Years Later, the zombie genre has been swirling in my head, particularly the ones with more philosophical takes. This isn’t as grandiose as 28 Years Later, especially because you don’t really get to learn much about anyone other than Jack the protagonist. But that did not bother me too much. The other group of survivors were there to hold up a mirror to Jack and to topple his house of cards.

Also this has one of my favorite zombie tropes which is that sometimes zombies will just keep doing their routines out of muscle memory if left undisturbed for long enough. It’s just a cool concept that can make for some compelling commentary. Excited that Resident Evil 9 will apparently use that as a game mechanic…
Profile Image for Ivee Lain.
78 reviews2 followers
May 30, 2026
I don’t read a ton of graphic novels these days so I didn’t know what to expect going into this one, but wow. My heart. Gorgeous art and story. I loved the non-linear style of the storytelling itself, especially when contrasting the past versus present in some of those more emotional scenes. I often think about what I’d do if the world really were to end in a zombie apocalypse style, and I do wonder if I’d be a lot like Jack. Grasping at my humanity, at connection, at love, at normalcy. This one’s going to have me thinking about life and death a lot this week.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!
Profile Image for Katelyn Eged.
79 reviews1 follower
June 3, 2026
I have to sit with this one for a minute, it’s quite heavy. On that note; TW: homophobia, bigotry, graphic gore & violence, grief
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
1,028 reviews
June 28, 2026
One of the best zombie stories I’ve ever read. I loved the story and the art from Jacob Phillips is great. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Joe Crawford.
272 reviews1 follower
March 7, 2026
A man who had made a life with his husband and adopted daughter wakes up one morning to find the world forever change. A look at how far one man will go in pandemic times to hold his life together and to keep his town going. And what happens when strangers arrive to take it all away from him? Tragic and beautiful, hopeful and ugly. I highly recommend this one.
Profile Image for Stefan.
192 reviews113 followers
April 7, 2026
3.5*, maybe. A slightly new twist on the zombie genre. Doesn’t reinvent the wheel — some people good, muddling along, outsiders come along and ruin everything. Solitude. Survival. Much trauma. But, an interesting twist on it.
Profile Image for Krystelle.
1,375 reviews52 followers
February 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love it when we get something fresh in the zombie genre. While the tragedy has been done for the longest time, I think there’s a certain special feeling that comes with a queer horror that centres the emotion above everything else.

It feels like this book was designed to showcase the impossible choice that would have to be made in this scenario, and it pulls it off beautifully. Jack is clearly a dedicated man, and the facets of his character are explored to the fullest.

I would have loved to see a little more from the apocalypse side of things, particularly the group who find Jack, but I understand it’s hard in short form to give everyone more context. More than anything, I think this is a great illustration of how, even in the worst possible case scenario, people are going to be the monsters.

The art for this book is also just stunning, and it has that really gritty 2000s quality about it that you don’t see in the world of comics anywhere near as much as you used to. It was really gorgeous, especially the landscape scenes, which were just beautiful.
Profile Image for Charley.
205 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2026
This is for people who still think about season 1 episode 3 of the last of us. Perfection no notes.
Profile Image for Bokvandraren.
149 reviews1 follower
March 7, 2026
"It always starts the same..."

Jack, en bonde, som överlevt ett virus som drabbat alla i hans närhet och långsamt förvandlat byn till en öde plats full av zombier som fastnat i det sista friska muskelminnet, varför allt börjar som det alltid gör... tills det inte längre gör det..

Ooooo, my oh my! Brombal och Philips bygger upp till en riktig cliffhanger!
Ääääälskar hur berättelsen hoppar mellan nu- och dåtid och hur det flätas samman - så jäkla bra!

Längtar till nästa issue!
Profile Image for Justin Soderberg.
561 reviews11 followers
January 23, 2026
Eisner and GLAAD-Award nominated writer Tate Brombal and artist Jacob Edgar don't attempt to reinvent the zombie apocalypse with Everything Dead & Dying , and that simple fact works in its favor. Leaving out why and when the world ended, this series zeroes in on a smaller sliver of the painful world left behind. It's familiar territory, but a more intimate and harder hitting zombie story that stands out from the crowd.

Instead of getting bogged down in how the world ended or where the plague came from, the comic zeroes in on something much smaller and more painful: the people left behind. Tate Brombal tells a tight, focused story about one family in one moment, letting the emotional weight do the heavy lifting.

Jack Chandler is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse in his rural farming community, but rather than eliminate them, he has chosen to continue living alongside the undead — including the husband and adopted daughter he fought so hard to have. But when his town is discovered by outsiders, Jack suddenly becomes the one thing standing in the way of his family and those who hope to kill them for good.

I am a sucker for any sort of zombie story in comic, movie, tv, or book format. It doesn't really matter. Whether it's the likes of Night of the Living Dead , The Last of Us , or The Walking Dead , I am game. So when you add in the likes of Brombal and Phillips to the mix, Everything Dead & Dying was a must read.

As a huge The Walking Dead fan, I have been searching for that comic story to fill my the void left by the series ending with issue 193 in 2019. Everything Dead & Dying scratches that itch and while TWD will always sit high up for me, what this series does is step up certain spots and zooms way in on a particular story thread which makes it excel.

Everything Dead & Dying is not a groundbreaking comic, but what it does do is give us a short story in a small portion of the post apocalyptic world. Not focusing on the why and where this plague took over, but the human aspect of it all. Brombal purposely focuses on this specific family in this short period of time. This allows for less distractions and puts this story in the forefront.

Similar to some other stories, but still setting itself apart, is the fact that during a zombie apocalypse it's the humans who are the real monsters. This happens both in the past in present of this story, where never wait for tomorrow to show your love for someone when you can today.

What makes this book standout from the zombie horde is the beautifully horrific and disturbing illustrations from Phillips. But it's not just those visualizations, it's the way they go back-and-forth between a more serine past and the bleak and unsettling present.

Everything Dead & Dying is a dark, disturbing, and unsettling slice of the zombie apocalypse. Tate Brombal creates a story that is touching while also extremely sad, while Jacob Phillips beautifully illustrates a world after the fall. Everything Dead & Dying is a well crafted zombie tale in a well-worn path of zombie stories.

The collected edition of Everything Dead & Dying hits local comic shops on April 8, 2026 and May 5 at bookstores everywhere from Image Comics.
Profile Image for SkywalkerSyd.
259 reviews26 followers
May 21, 2026
It's increasingly difficult to have a story explore a unique avenue in a saturated genre. Especially the Zombie genre. But this graphic novel is able to do what I though not possible.

I've never read (or even watched, for that matter) a Zombie story that actually explores the concept of the infected retaining muscle memories and almost acting as ghosts or shadows of who they once were. If they're well fed at least.

I read this graphic novel in one sitting, which was a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon. Following Jack as he attempts to hold onto the family and community he once had was such a gut-punch/gut-kick/a curb stomp to my entire being. Also I would be doing such a disservice if I failed to mention the cover art for each issue. My favourite cover was for Issue #3 and had Jack's adoptive daughter eating flesh off a plate at the dinner table. It's just such a gruesome echo of a normal childhood image.

✳ Thank you to Netgalley and Image Comics for providing me with a digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and are never swayed by receiving early access ✳
Profile Image for mila.
211 reviews42 followers
June 25, 2026
Everything Dead & Dying follows Jack, who in theory has everything he wants - a farm, a husband and a sweet daughter. However, Jack is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse that hit his farming community. But Jack fought so hard for his place there and to have his family, he is not about to give it up now. Even if that means keeping them as zombies, keeping them as well as the rest of the town running and fed. However, the entire life he has fought to create is threatened once his community is discovered by outsiders, who, unlike Jack, are not as forgiving of the undead.

This graphic novel was such an interesting take on surviving a zombie apocalypse, not perhaps because it was never done before, but how it managed to blend many stories into one and give a new perspective to the already existing trope. We encounter the usual existential dread, questions of morality, but also the question of can you forgive and protect for the town that made you an outcast for simply who being yourself?

The story is structured mostly through flashbacks, and it switched between the past and the present. It does a great job highlighting what led to Jack being who he is in the present day, dealing with the fallout of the pandemic. It really focused on how little it takes for your whole life to be turned upside down, how easy it is to lose everything. It puts emphasis on each situation, each emotion and the way Jack spiralled because of it. The art style was beautiful, even if very gory, and I enjoyed the contrast between the soft, more pastel color palette of the flashbacks and more harsh, darker one of the present day.

Jack's whole life was spent in this town, with the townspeople being incredibly rude and hostile towards him, and later his husband, how unwelcoming they are to someone who is one of them, just because Jack is gay. Despite that, once everyone but Jack has turned to zombies, Jack doesn't turn his back on them, as they once did on him. No, Jack, who was desperate for his family to have a place under the sun, does the absolute most to keep not only his family, but the whole community as safe as they can be. This was super interesting to read about, and I wish I knew a bit more about why he chose to protect the prejudiced community that would've put him in harm's way without hesitation. I understand his inability to let go of his family, however the other's were once a threat to said family and he still chose to put everything on the line for them as well.

As readers, we are aware the way Jack feeds his undead family and the whole town, the way he coexists with them is far from the norm. We see how the shock of the loss has twisted the way Jack sees everything, he would stop at nothing to keep the town 'alive'. But his top secret is discovered when people from a different community find him, and try to help him by saving him from the zombies. They are survivors who shoot the undead on sight, and feel they are monsters. It was also interesting to see how Jack justifies his actions to himself and others even though it is obvious these zombies are mere ghosts of the people they used to be.

The story is (as one could expect) incredibly sad, reading it you go through so many stages of grief. There is Jack, dealing with isolation and homophobia pre-pandemic, then Jack watching everything slipping through his fingers as both his husband and daughter are infected, the loneliness of being the only living survivor, and then his grief over the outsiders tearing apart everything he was protecting. The question of what is right is a big one, are the other survivors right, to want to destroy the shells of people who were once Jack's family and townsfolk, as they are no longer living? Or are they the real monsters, destroying a community that exists peacefully, for now at least? Was Jacks's grief over losing his family justifying potentially endangering the other living, as he couldn't guarantee what would happen if one day he was unable to care for everyone?

This was a very conflicting and captivating story that I devoured (no pun intended) in one sitting. It held my attention from start to finish, and I was right there with Jack and the other living, feeling so conflicted over what I thought was 'right'. If you are craving a visually beautiful, interesting read and maybe an existential crisis as a bonus, I would highly recommend this :)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Jiro Dreams of Suchy.
1,527 reviews11 followers
June 9, 2026
One of the most original takes on zombies I’ve seen- long enough past the initial outbreak to actually see some major changes and no one is a gun crazed cowboy (other than that damned French woman). The characters behave like real people who are experiencing the most traumatic experiences imaginable and still trying to get up and go to work.

The zombies are unique without falling into the whole this one can run fast or this one explodes like Left 4 Dead (which is a classic game, no disrespect). Zombies are fed and cared for like farm animals, he’s a good farmer.

This was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys bloody horror and love.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
508 reviews34 followers
Read
May 21, 2026
Shoot me. Take me out of this future.


Once again, I liked the concept and premise a LOT -- how gorgeously, terribly tragic, the Before and After arranged in a dizzying and impactful way -- but once a gun shows up in a zombie story, I zone out. I don't need nor want the shootouts, the Maybe Humans Were the Real Evil All Along, the Catholic villains. However, I will recommend to people who do like zombie stuff and who are looking for something more sentimental and surprisingly tender.
Profile Image for Alexis.
1,678 reviews52 followers
June 7, 2026
It's a pastoral, queer zombie story, which is certainly a draw. The art is fine. The way these zombies operate is unique to me. The premise itself is unique. A man living in a town of zombies, keeping them fed and stuck in their rotations until other living people come and screw everything up. It's cool, and it's sad. It's really a story about loss and how we move on or don't.
Profile Image for Olivia.
129 reviews7 followers
February 7, 2026
5⭐️ thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC of the trade paperback. just WOW. Really incredible small-town zombie story with a tight narrative and solid pacing. The art is spectacular. The themes of family, queerness, and community are handled with such care, and the zombie horror packs a punch. One of those stories that stays with you for a long time.
Profile Image for Noelle.
389 reviews34 followers
February 23, 2026
Graphic novels aren't my typical go-to when I'm looking for my next read but there was something so compelling about the cover imagery and the description itself that I couldn't resist. I was very pleasantly surprised that judging the book by its cover worked out so well in my favor.

This was a harrowing and heartbreaking tale of a man that loves his family so much that he is unwilling to part with them even in "death". The artistry was as beautiful as the story and I will be seeking out more graphic novels like this in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Bin.
419 reviews
March 30, 2026
4.5 ⭐️

What is a person if not memories?

Absolutely devastating and deep character work in such a short amount of time. A unique take on zombies that made the story what it is. Incredible gritty art style that matched the subject matter perfectly.
Profile Image for Danielle.
162 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2026
A really sad but solid graphic novel. Nothing ground breaking for the zombie genre but enjoyed it! Great artwork.
Profile Image for Norman Cook.
1,892 reviews23 followers
June 11, 2026
2026 Eisner Award finalist - Best Limited Series

Collects Everything Dead & Dying #1-5.

Wowee, I am so done with zombie stories and this didn't do anything to change my mind, even if it does put a slightly different spin on things. For you see, here zombies have the capability to coexist with living humans if they are kept fed. But other than that, this is a deeply depressing story where none of the human characters are likable, or listen to each other. They are acting on instinct in the most violent and cruel ways, much more so than the zombies. I get that this is a metaphor for the intolerance exhibited to minority groups, such as LGBTQ and people of color, all the time in the real world, but the inhumanity just never lets up. Add to this some graphic animal cruelty, along with a devastating ending, and I came away sad and certainly not entertained. The art by Jacob Phillips is good if a bit too explicit for my tastes.
Profile Image for brie :).
77 reviews
June 27, 2026
4.5
it’s rare to see a unique zombie story these days, even rarer for it to be a gay one. happy pride
Profile Image for James Doherty.
93 reviews2 followers
May 11, 2026
Original zombie stories exist!

This felt like a classic zombie show but instead of focusing on the group who survive and travel around it focuses on a town they encounter on their travels and why it is the way it is. Really smart! Just the right amount of story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews