28 Days Later: Omnibus

28 Days Later (Collected Editions 2009-2011) #1-6

by Michael Alan Nelson

Collects the complete 28 Days Later, issues 1-24!
There is no escape from the horrific world of 28 DAYS LATER, the graphic novel series that plunges readers back into the fray of a world overrun with the Infected!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

540 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2012

About the author

Michael Alan Nelson grew up in a small Indiana farming community before moving to Los Angeles in 2002. He is the winner of the 2004 New Times 55 Fiction contest for his short-short "The Conspirators" and was awarded the 2011 Glyph Comics Award for Best Female Character for the character Selena from his series "28 Days Later." Michael is the author of the critically acclaimed comic series "Hexed," "Dingo," and "Fall of Cthulhu." His current ongoing titles include "Day Men" and the relaunch of the fan-favorite series "Hexed." His first prose novel, "Hexed: the Sisters of Witchdown" arrives May 5th, 2015. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans]

A terrible sequel to the film, it completely misunderstands what actually made the film tick.

28 Days Later works so well because it's very British, it's quite realistic in tone, very gritty and character moments and decisions are kept small. For example, after finding out what has happened, Jim wants to see what has happened to his parents - this is a very realistic and moving idea, it tells us something about Jim, and above all, it isn't flashy. It isn't something you'd normally see in a zombie movie. And that's why it works.

Michael Alan Nelson decides to go the more American, flashy route, with a lot of cliched storytelling. Characters keep saying subtext out loud. Characters make uncharacteristically stupid decisions to move the story along.

There is no horror here. There is some ruthless killing of characters, but it never gets under your skin. The pacing is terrible, throughout each volume. The stories for each volume invariably are too big for a four-issue arc, so you get this stunted storytelling with weird, rushed endings.

Selena could've been an interesting character, but she quickly devolves into the cliche of an Angry Black Woman, reacting to everything in anger first. This is not the intelligent survivor from the film.

For some reason, Nelson keeps it a secret why Selena accompanies the wet fish journalist in the first place. She has just escaped the hellhole that is the infected UK, and now she wants to go back in - and get this, she has to travel from the top of Scotland dooooooown to London. She needs a pretty strong incentive to do that, right? (Spoiler: she hasn't got 0ne.) So you're reading six volumes wondering why she even is doing all of this.

To top it all off, of course there's a forced love story, because: flashy American movie writing.

Also, if you don't have a firm grasp of UK colloquialisms, just... leave it. I kept thinking of the Adam Buxton character Famous Guy doing a UK accent.

BAD BOOK!

[Lono]

Surprisingly good. I’ve been staying away from any “zombie” horror (I know they’re not really zombies) do to the amount the genre has oversaturated entertainment in general since The Walking Dead juggernaut has been rampaging through popular culture. Glad I gave this a chance. Fans of either film will certainly find something to enjoy here. Probably would not be appreciated as much by someone who has not at least seen 28 Days Later.

This omnibus both fills the gap between the 2 films (28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later) and even returns to some of their set pieces. Took me a while to warm up to the new characters introduced, but ultimately it sucked me in. I thought Michael Alan Nelson did an admirable job at pacing the book and building tension overall. Mike had an impossible task trying to mimic the frenetic qualities of the films on paper without the aid of a loud soundtrack or jumpy camera. Largely he was successful in replicating the anxiety, stress, and hopelessness of the originals. The feeling of menace from the infected (and the uninfected) is tangible and it spans the entire collection.

Revisiting the character Selena was an unexpected pleasure. I had forgotten how much I liked her in the film and I am always of fan of strong, independent female leads. Still struggling with grief over her previous losses, Selena has grown more distant and callous since the end of the film. What motivates her to return to London is slowly revealed during the long trek back. Her relationships, both past and present, also take center stage and this book did a lot to further flesh out her character. The trench coat and mask make a return as well. Dig it.



I enjoyed the artwork and felt that it was consistent throughout. I was originally nervous when I read that a total of 6 separate artists (including Declan Shalvey, Alejandro Aragon, Marek Oleksicki, Leonardo Manco, Ron Salas, and Pablo Peppino) all contributed to the book, but those concerns were unfounded. The art seemed uniform on the whole and there were no jarring or dramatic changes in the style to be found.



So here is your excuse to return to London. Just remember to keep quiet, don’t go out after dark, and never ever get bit.

[Etienne]

2,5/5. 28 Days Later, the movie, was an unique masterpiece of horror movie, true to itself and very good. This comic book didn't do it justice. It isn't bad, but far from the style, the ambiance and the originality of what the movie had bring in its time. This book just goes with the overall work done on zombie for the last decade or so. Like I said, not bad, but I was expecting way more out of this one!

[Terry Mcginnis]

An absolutely great book from beginning to end, with a great story and fine art, following Selena from the first movie, and tying nicely into 28 Weeks Later as it wrapped up. A must for any fan of the 28 Days/Weeks franchise. Highly recommended.

[Colona Public Library]

If you like the 28 Days Later movie, you will definitively like this graphic novel. Selena is the only character from the movie that is in this novel. Selena is currently living in Scotland and is contacted by an American journalist who wants to go London and report about the Outbreak. She is reluctant to go back, but finally agrees. The journalist gathers a group of other people to accompany them. As soon as they start out, they find trouble and it keeps on getting worse.

I highly recommend this book. The illustrations are great and the story is fast moving. There is never a lull.

~April

[Dom]

Very fun read, true to story but I was dismayed by the love storyline for Selena and the many many many illogical decisions made by the characters. There were some scenes that were difficult to interpret by the way they were drawn, it seems as if the story were made for film instead of graphic novel. Collection was good, the art was excitingly bloody. The artists took liberty with rage zombie costume design in a way the movie couldn't though.
In all it gets three stars instead of four because the relationship felt forced and unnecessary and their desicions were so terrible.
Selena FTW

[Robert]

British Walking Dead? Sure, still a fun read.

[Druss]

A good read. Blends nicely with the movies

[William Hillson]

One thing I love about graphic novels? They're super quick reads. I usually don't have time to sit and read a book for days no matter how much I love it but I was able to eat this up in roughly half a day of sporadic reading. The movies were great and the graphic novel had me absolutely hungry (ha!) for more! The characters are really wonderful, portrayed realistically. There's even tons of humor that, after being sucked into the horrors of the story, made the characters feel more real, somehow. I wish it had kept going. I definitely recommend this for lovers of the movie or just those that like the zombie-horror genre (though the storyline might be confusing in some places if you haven't seen both movies).

[Mandy]

I really, really, really liked this. I was a big fan of the movie 28 Days Later, and I really liked how this series connected that movie to 28 Weeks Later.

I liked Selena's character in the movie, but she was such an even more awesome bad@$$ in this! I could have honestly done without the love story; I mean I got why they were throwing it in there, but personally I could have done without it.

Sometimes the art was...eh, but it was violently awesome and well-done despite how I felt about the drawings.

In all, if you're a fan of zombies or the 28 movies, or you're just looking for something bloody violent then pick this up!!

[Samuel]

This one is quite the odd duck, most books and comics inspire movie adaptations and not the other way around.

28 Days Laters is set between 28 Days Later and 28 weeks later and helps fill in some of the blanks in the story.

We follow the female protagonist of the first movie as she's recruited by a team of journalists to guide them through the UK and into the heart of London.

It's an enjoyable read and a great recommandation for fans of the movies.

Not quite as good as the original film but better than the follow-up :).

[Shane Kaler]

2.5/5 rounded up: I never necessarily believed one creative team copied the other, when comparing the openings to 28 Days Later with Walking Dead - the release dates v copyright dates, plus considering social media’s smaller footprint at the time. It was easy to love them separately. After completing this, there’s no question someone is copping the other person’s sh*t, even if we allow for overlap due to niche inspiration. However the dates still hide the nefarious party. For my money, TWD has the best overall execution.

[Dragan]

an amazing story that kept me hooked until the last page. great characters along with the depth of each character. pacing was amazing and didnt tend too much from the zombies to the reality of living in a world where the zombies are taking over. the only negative I can mention is that the Americanisation, it is its own work but fundamentally it does at times take away from what the original movie was about. but I think this is more related to the authors intent of the story. an absolute classic for me!

[Megan]

This was great! I loved the plot (bar the random captain knowing about Selena being involved with everyone dying in Worsley House???), especially the relationship between Clint and Selena and the overall tension and sense of danger. The artwork was amazing, honestly made the infected look creepy af. My major criticism was how American it felt, you could absolutely tell an American was writing this, the problem with that is how much the British feeling adds to the 28 franchise, the Americanised feeling takes from the charm of it.

[A]

Loved it! If you are a fan of the movies, or horror comics in general you will definitely enjoy this series. The story is captivating, and keeps you on the edge of the page the entire time. You will get heavily invested in the characters along their journey. The way the narrative completely bridges the first movie into the second movie is beautiful! On top of that, the illustrations are extremely beautiful. I just loved the entire thing, the whole way through.

[Jessica]

C'était du pur art, magnifique ! Je recommande fortement cette bd à tous les fans d'horreur et particulièrement de 28 days later et de films de zombies. Très beaux dessins et c'était très agréable de revoir Selena et de savoir comment celle-ci s'en sort.

[Derrick McCall]

As a massive fan of 28 DAYS LATER, I wish I loved this more. Heck, I wish I liked this more. I wanted more from it than I got and I wanted less of what I was given. It's a mixed bag, wish it was better, wanting for more.

Disappointed but could have been so much worse is the best takeaway I can give for this. I wanted more Jim, Selena and Hannah and I only got a third of that. Oh, well...

[Dustin Raymond]

Picks up shortly after the end of the movie 28 Days Later. Not a bad read, but it doesn't explain the absence of Jim or the young girl they saved and instead focused the narrative on Selene and her past before the rage virus.

[Iasmin]

I love this comic in so many ways. Simply loved it. Once you start, you stop reading till you get to the end.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind)]

Really loved how this connected to the films and it’s focus on Selena. Was kind of bummed it didn’t give any info on the other two characters from the original film that survived. Gorgeous art!

[Aaron]

A nice sequel that ties the two movies together in a nice bow.

[Casie Blevins]

Great tie in.

[Pavbajji]

One of the best dystopian comics I have ever read. Loved the female protagonist.

[Tim]

It’s like a rom-com sequel to 28 Days Later. But more screaming, machetes, and trauma.

[Sam Nicholson]

9/10

[Jason Henwood]

I thought it was excellent. On par with the Walking Dead comics. It also connects the first two movies in the series so it is a fun read for fans of the movies.

[Christopher Doss]

Very fast paced and a brisk read but the story is a fun continuation of the movie. I like how the author fleshed out Selena's character and turned her into such a badass. Read as individual issues

[Jaelynn]

Only 4 stars because it’s not canon to the film franchise

[Grady Moss]

This got me through a plane ride, cool read but nothing life changing. Just a zombie apocalypse story set in the 28 years later universe.

[Eric]

Moves Selena's story forward but the plot is convoluted. Still love to see this character back in action