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Zombie Makeout Club #1
Zombie Makeout Club Vol. 1: Deathwish
The Hit webtoon comes to print!
A rebellious high school student is brought back to life in a strange underground facility after committing suicide. Now, she must piece together not only how and why she has been resurrected, but also confront the fragmented memories of her past and the horrors of the laboratory that want to send her back to the afterlife. This breakneck story illustrates a violent vision of life after death.
Welcome to DEATHWISH. A graphic and chaotic comic about life, death, suicide, and the other side. Brought to you by the creator of ZOMBIE MAKEOUT CLUB.
Collecting the popular Webtoon comic series, plus bonus material!
A rebellious high school student is brought back to life in a strange underground facility after committing suicide. Now, she must piece together not only how and why she has been resurrected, but also confront the fragmented memories of her past and the horrors of the laboratory that want to send her back to the afterlife. This breakneck story illustrates a violent vision of life after death.
Welcome to DEATHWISH. A graphic and chaotic comic about life, death, suicide, and the other side. Brought to you by the creator of ZOMBIE MAKEOUT CLUB.
Collecting the popular Webtoon comic series, plus bonus material!
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
November 25, 2023
Just terrible. Strangely pretentious and yet completely empty.
(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)
(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)
May 30, 2023
I haven’t a clue what’s going on here… but I’ll act like I do.
This manga/graphic novel is basically eye candy 😭 couldn’t even tell you what it’s about even if I wanted too. Imma just assume that it’s up to interpretation so basically there’s a lab that brings back the dead or whatever and the two main characters are sisters who both committed suicide. The older sister goes on a rampage and starts killing everyone in the lab.
Mirai (the primary antagonist) is the one who set up the lab because of a curse in her village??? And wants to kill the older sister for killing everyone who works there. So yeah. My description may not be accurate btw. Very violent and the artist loves eyeballs.
This manga/graphic novel is basically eye candy 😭 couldn’t even tell you what it’s about even if I wanted too. Imma just assume that it’s up to interpretation so basically there’s a lab that brings back the dead or whatever and the two main characters are sisters who both committed suicide. The older sister goes on a rampage and starts killing everyone in the lab.
Mirai (the primary antagonist) is the one who set up the lab because of a curse in her village??? And wants to kill the older sister for killing everyone who works there. So yeah. My description may not be accurate btw. Very violent and the artist loves eyeballs.
February 22, 2023
y’all don’t know how to read graphic novels much less review them so…
a very charles burns meets japanese manga story involving body horror and violence. yume wakes up after committing suicide, revived by a secret underground organization. she meets crow, a person with a complicated past who has turned on their boss to help yume survive.
the art is just phenomenal. it’s gory, it’s bloody, it’s full of that young angst people like me have when it comes to death. in other words, it’s a mood. while the story can be a little hard to follow, the art sure makes up for it. it’s that hot girl guro shit for real. i totally dig it, it’s like “black hole” for a new generation + zombies and queer identity.
stoked as hell for the next volume. give it time, the story will come together.
a very charles burns meets japanese manga story involving body horror and violence. yume wakes up after committing suicide, revived by a secret underground organization. she meets crow, a person with a complicated past who has turned on their boss to help yume survive.
the art is just phenomenal. it’s gory, it’s bloody, it’s full of that young angst people like me have when it comes to death. in other words, it’s a mood. while the story can be a little hard to follow, the art sure makes up for it. it’s that hot girl guro shit for real. i totally dig it, it’s like “black hole” for a new generation + zombies and queer identity.
stoked as hell for the next volume. give it time, the story will come together.
November 23, 2022
Eh, I am someone who reads a lot of complicated fiction and classics and I still could not understand a thing that happened in this comic.
Despite that, I’m not going to return it cause the art is beautiful.
Despite that, I’m not going to return it cause the art is beautiful.
January 2, 2023
The ONE TIME I pick up something before checking the reviews and I'm down bad. This was all style, no substance. Everything important can be glimpsed from the little character charts at the very beginning; there's literally no more happening in it. The chart says, character a is character b's sibling, the story tells you, character a is character b's sibling. The chart says, character c has a connection to character b, the story tells you, character c has a connection to character b. You get the memo. The character charts spoilered everything you could've possibly found out, which is why they shouldn't have been added in my opinion. This was also very brutal and gore-y just to be brutal and gore-y and didn't quite feel story worthy, if that makes sense? The character art was nice in itself, but they were lessened in their coolness by being forced into a story that was very lacking. Disjointed. Disappointing, also more "unwilling undead" that the traditional zombie version.
tw/cw: dismemberment, blood, gore, suicide, self harm, murder, body mutilation
tw/cw: dismemberment, blood, gore, suicide, self harm, murder, body mutilation
October 18, 2022
Let me sum it up with one word: huh?
This was extremely confusing to follow. It seemed that it was more focused on art style than the plot or the characters. The story moved so fast with little explanation so you couldn't understand what was happening. It was a major disappointment because the art style was really cool but the whole story is pointless.
October 22, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author.
The art style is absolutely amazing.
For the plot itself, I was really looking forward to this story. Besides the cover, the description was what really hooked me into wanting to read this manga. Sadly, the plot did not hold up for me. Everything felt too rushed and I was confused throughout reading. The plot did not feel as developed as I was expecting it to be.
The art style is absolutely amazing.
For the plot itself, I was really looking forward to this story. Besides the cover, the description was what really hooked me into wanting to read this manga. Sadly, the plot did not hold up for me. Everything felt too rushed and I was confused throughout reading. The plot did not feel as developed as I was expecting it to be.
December 12, 2022
"Well what the f**k is the point of staying alive when everyone you love thinks they’re better off death than with you?!"
Who wouldn’t want to read a book titled Zombie Makeout Club? It instantly caught my attention with that title and the cover contained amazing art.
The story was dark, brutal, and kind of all over the place. It all sunk in after I thought about it for a few. I enjoyed this even more as I kept replaying some of the scenes. It was demented for sure with gory art. If you love crazy horror filled art then you’ll love this. Can you imagine how this would impact the reader if it was in color? Now that’s all I can think about!
Who wouldn’t want to read a book titled Zombie Makeout Club? It instantly caught my attention with that title and the cover contained amazing art.
The story was dark, brutal, and kind of all over the place. It all sunk in after I thought about it for a few. I enjoyed this even more as I kept replaying some of the scenes. It was demented for sure with gory art. If you love crazy horror filled art then you’ll love this. Can you imagine how this would impact the reader if it was in color? Now that’s all I can think about!
October 9, 2022
I was surprised to come across this little graphic novel and a little excited, I had seen the Zombie Makeout Club clothing brand a few months ago and had really admired the art style. I had no idea that a webtoon had been created from the series and being a fan of all things horror, I thought it’d be cool to check out.
Unfortunately, this graphic novel was all style and very little substance. I shouldn’t have been surprised since this is a tie-in to a clothing brand seeking to appeal to anime and manga fans, but I was hoping for a little more from it. The author mentions in the afterword that he was inspired by classic Japanese cyberpunk films and I can definitely see the influence, it provides some context for sure for the experimental style, but I don’t feel that it translated well to the far shorter comic format. The story is almost nonexistent and rushes from scene to scene, the plot beats are explained in just a few short panels before moving on to the next character. What little story there is makes little sense, and the characters feel paper thin.
There are a few pages included at the end from the author’s Demons Zine which helps to understand one of the characters a little better. There is some potential in the plot in the zine pages, though it is a rough work that could use a little more time to develop and polish these ideas. At the very least, the art and aesthetic is fantastic and a real treat to flip through. Overall though it just wasn’t for me.
Unfortunately, this graphic novel was all style and very little substance. I shouldn’t have been surprised since this is a tie-in to a clothing brand seeking to appeal to anime and manga fans, but I was hoping for a little more from it. The author mentions in the afterword that he was inspired by classic Japanese cyberpunk films and I can definitely see the influence, it provides some context for sure for the experimental style, but I don’t feel that it translated well to the far shorter comic format. The story is almost nonexistent and rushes from scene to scene, the plot beats are explained in just a few short panels before moving on to the next character. What little story there is makes little sense, and the characters feel paper thin.
There are a few pages included at the end from the author’s Demons Zine which helps to understand one of the characters a little better. There is some potential in the plot in the zine pages, though it is a rough work that could use a little more time to develop and polish these ideas. At the very least, the art and aesthetic is fantastic and a real treat to flip through. Overall though it just wasn’t for me.
January 26, 2023
Pretty to look at but no substance or depth whatsoever, but enough about me. 😭 I wanted to like this, the stunning set sucked me in but the lack of structure just confused me. 🥴
October 20, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributers for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
I’ve always seen the Zombie Makeout Club clothing, and I was always so intrigued in the designs. When I saw that a manga was releasing, I was so excited. Even though there’s not much of a storyline in this manga, I honestly enjoyed it, ALOT. The art in this manga is on my list of top favorites. I’m honestly mesmerized. The amount of gore in this is everything I want in a horror manga. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy!
HUGE TW: death, mention of suicide, sexual assault, blood/gore..so much gore
I’ve always seen the Zombie Makeout Club clothing, and I was always so intrigued in the designs. When I saw that a manga was releasing, I was so excited. Even though there’s not much of a storyline in this manga, I honestly enjoyed it, ALOT. The art in this manga is on my list of top favorites. I’m honestly mesmerized. The amount of gore in this is everything I want in a horror manga. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy!
HUGE TW: death, mention of suicide, sexual assault, blood/gore..so much gore
October 18, 2022
This book in color ! Oh I don’t think I could handle it ! So when I was first reading it I got a bit confused. I finished it and then I just thought about it for a bit and decided I’d sleep on it. I loved the art. It’s so easy to get the whole …….entire……. Picture lol even without color. I feel like this one of those things you need to simmer on for a bit because the further away I get from when I first read and the more I think back on it the more I like it. I cannot wait to see more of this series !
March 27, 2023
i feel like this story was a bit of a miss for me. i found the story to be really confusing and all over the place bordeline chaotic, the characters seemed underdeveloped and none of them likable. however, i will say that i really LOVED the artwork and how fast paced the book was! it was really the only reason i gave that rating. other than that, i found myself to be really detached from the story. i might still continue with the series, but this one was meh.
December 22, 2022
really great debut comic !! i really liked it, the storyline was a little hard to follow sometimes but still good :))
August 10, 2025
★★¼
Read this if you like:
• Quirky, offbeat horror manga
• Zombie-themed stories with a twist
• Experimental storytelling that leans unusual
This one felt strange and disconnected at times, making it hard to fully engage with the story or characters. Some of the horror elements were interesting and showed potential, but the overall execution left me feeling more confused than entertained. The tone and pacing didn’t quite click for me, and I struggled to care about what was happening.
Read this if you like:
• Quirky, offbeat horror manga
• Zombie-themed stories with a twist
• Experimental storytelling that leans unusual
This one felt strange and disconnected at times, making it hard to fully engage with the story or characters. Some of the horror elements were interesting and showed potential, but the overall execution left me feeling more confused than entertained. The tone and pacing didn’t quite click for me, and I struggled to care about what was happening.
October 13, 2022
!TW: This content contains mentions suicide, near SA, a lot of gore, body horror, and a whole lot of death.*!
Thank you in advance to NetGalley, Ablaze, and Peter Richardson for allowing me to read this in order for an honest review!
"Zombie Makeout Club Vol 1.: DeathWish:" is a short part of a larger, seemingly on-going series that appears to have started on Webtoon. In this work it is in manga format (reading right to left) and features a lot of gruesome, beautiful art. The story begins when a rebellious teenager who committed suicide is raised from the dead and must piece together not only her past, but why she was brought back.
As someone who has been a long-time fan of Richardson's clothing brand, I felt like this work was not necessarily bad, but also did not fit my preferences and is *not for everyone*.
My main points are:
- The story can be very confusing to follow, especially for anyone who may not first read the work's description. There are multiple main characters who are introduced, but they are confusing to follow altogether and feel very thrust upon the reader. There is not a lot of build up for me to care about any of the character's too much, though I feel the characters look and feel interesting.
- Regardless of if you know how gruesome this world can get, the gore still set me aback and was difficult to look at. This is more preference-based, mind you. I add this to remind that it may be too much for someone a fan of the clothing brand and may be unprepared for the actual world the characters are set in.
- A lot of the story feels confusing, clashing, and the pacing is off. I find this to be because it was previously a Webtoon, which can be difficult to translate directly into a manga.
What I did like a lot was:
- The art is gorgeous, and incredibly unique. You recognize it immediately if you've ever seen Zombie Makeout Club before.
- It clearly had a lot of consideration and effort, and is something I would have on my coffee table to share with those I feel can handle the book and enjoy the art as I do.
- The inspirations and the feeling of the book, especially towards the ending (the part with the crow) feels very poetic and comforting, like a warm bath after getting into a fight. This is a compliment for the manga being bittersweet.
I recommend this work to anyone who can stomach the trigger warnings and enjoy some fantastic art, but be careful and know your boundaries beforehand.
Thank you in advance to NetGalley, Ablaze, and Peter Richardson for allowing me to read this in order for an honest review!
"Zombie Makeout Club Vol 1.: DeathWish:" is a short part of a larger, seemingly on-going series that appears to have started on Webtoon. In this work it is in manga format (reading right to left) and features a lot of gruesome, beautiful art. The story begins when a rebellious teenager who committed suicide is raised from the dead and must piece together not only her past, but why she was brought back.
As someone who has been a long-time fan of Richardson's clothing brand, I felt like this work was not necessarily bad, but also did not fit my preferences and is *not for everyone*.
My main points are:
- The story can be very confusing to follow, especially for anyone who may not first read the work's description. There are multiple main characters who are introduced, but they are confusing to follow altogether and feel very thrust upon the reader. There is not a lot of build up for me to care about any of the character's too much, though I feel the characters look and feel interesting.
- Regardless of if you know how gruesome this world can get, the gore still set me aback and was difficult to look at. This is more preference-based, mind you. I add this to remind that it may be too much for someone a fan of the clothing brand and may be unprepared for the actual world the characters are set in.
- A lot of the story feels confusing, clashing, and the pacing is off. I find this to be because it was previously a Webtoon, which can be difficult to translate directly into a manga.
What I did like a lot was:
- The art is gorgeous, and incredibly unique. You recognize it immediately if you've ever seen Zombie Makeout Club before.
- It clearly had a lot of consideration and effort, and is something I would have on my coffee table to share with those I feel can handle the book and enjoy the art as I do.
- The inspirations and the feeling of the book, especially towards the ending (the part with the crow) feels very poetic and comforting, like a warm bath after getting into a fight. This is a compliment for the manga being bittersweet.
I recommend this work to anyone who can stomach the trigger warnings and enjoy some fantastic art, but be careful and know your boundaries beforehand.
October 11, 2022
Two of my favorite types of books (horror and manga) were combined in the graphic novel Zombie Makeout Club Vol. 1: DeathWish. As such, I had high hopes for this read and wish I could say it met my expectations.
The story revolves around a world of dark magic and science. A necromancer is bringing back young people from the dead. These unsuspecting returners are dragged into conflict and drama as various characters are rushed in and out of their lives.
At the start of the novel, there is a character key which provides some exposition. This was a huge help, but there is something to be said about a short manga that requires an introduction of each character at the start. The artwork is amazing but there is no clear definitions on what is a dream, symbolism or "real" events. Perhaps the author's intention was to juggle between different realms, and leave the reader questioning, but I could found it difficult to follow the storyline.
Overall, this book had amazing line work and a great premise. However, it struggled to keep me engaged. Here's hoping Volume 2 is an improvement, but I will be hesitant to return.
This ARC was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story revolves around a world of dark magic and science. A necromancer is bringing back young people from the dead. These unsuspecting returners are dragged into conflict and drama as various characters are rushed in and out of their lives.
At the start of the novel, there is a character key which provides some exposition. This was a huge help, but there is something to be said about a short manga that requires an introduction of each character at the start. The artwork is amazing but there is no clear definitions on what is a dream, symbolism or "real" events. Perhaps the author's intention was to juggle between different realms, and leave the reader questioning, but I could found it difficult to follow the storyline.
Overall, this book had amazing line work and a great premise. However, it struggled to keep me engaged. Here's hoping Volume 2 is an improvement, but I will be hesitant to return.
This ARC was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 13, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for an arc!
This is the most beautiful thing I've ever had the privilege of reading!
Okay so this is a punk, grunge horror comic that tackles suicide with lots of (pretty light) body horror and blood? That fact doesn't make my statement less true. It just gives insight into the type of person I am.
I loved the art style in here with my entire heart and soul. The vibes were *as the kids say* immaculate. I thought the cover was gorgeous and that's why I requested this, I just simply had no idea that the art would take my breath away. The dialogue is the weakest part and I didn't care one iota because the pictures are worth a thousand words.
I can't wait to read the next installments and hopefully order something off the author's clothing store because it is just my brand.
This is for the gothic and punk girls ( honestly everyone is invited) who want a little horror in their comics and want to spend an hour of their day just staring at beautiful comic panels. I highly recommend it to everyone. Now if you'll excuse me while I restart this....
CW: suicide, bullying and body horror (very light)
This is the most beautiful thing I've ever had the privilege of reading!
Okay so this is a punk, grunge horror comic that tackles suicide with lots of (pretty light) body horror and blood? That fact doesn't make my statement less true. It just gives insight into the type of person I am.
I loved the art style in here with my entire heart and soul. The vibes were *as the kids say* immaculate. I thought the cover was gorgeous and that's why I requested this, I just simply had no idea that the art would take my breath away. The dialogue is the weakest part and I didn't care one iota because the pictures are worth a thousand words.
I can't wait to read the next installments and hopefully order something off the author's clothing store because it is just my brand.
This is for the gothic and punk girls ( honestly everyone is invited) who want a little horror in their comics and want to spend an hour of their day just staring at beautiful comic panels. I highly recommend it to everyone. Now if you'll excuse me while I restart this....
CW: suicide, bullying and body horror (very light)
Read
October 25, 2022Grabbed as an ARC from Edelweiss purely for the name, which turns out to be a clothing brand I'm far too old to have heard of. Not to come over all Frederic Wertham (oh, I say!) but I hope the clobber doesn't lean quite so heavily on the injury to the eye motif as the comic does, or sitting across from someone wearing it in public could quite put you off your sandwiches. Nor is that the only gore, all of it rendered in ghoulish detail in between stylish poses and Akira-esque bikes. The overall sensibility is pure manga, despite 'Peter Richardson' not exactly being your standard mangaka sort of name, and between the disaffected expressions and disembowelment, I imagine this goes over a storm with a certain breed of teenager far cooler than I ever was. I didn't really have a clue what was going on, but retain just enough of a clue to know that isn't exactly the point anyway, and you can't deny it gets the ennui and brutality across.
October 4, 2022
I really enjoyed the artwork of the manga. The style suits the genre.
This is more of an introduction to the characters and the story than anything else. The author gives the six characters small sections to give a glimpse of the past and what is happening in the present. He also includes how the this story came to be and from concept art and for that made the tie in better after the fact.
If I am honest, I was really confused at first but once I let it sit with me and go back and look at the tiny details that I missed it made me excited to see what is next for the story.
This is more of an introduction to the characters and the story than anything else. The author gives the six characters small sections to give a glimpse of the past and what is happening in the present. He also includes how the this story came to be and from concept art and for that made the tie in better after the fact.
If I am honest, I was really confused at first but once I let it sit with me and go back and look at the tiny details that I missed it made me excited to see what is next for the story.
October 7, 2022
I respect that this is the author’s first work. It’s a commendable feat to create something and have it read and critiqued by many. That being said, I didn’t really care for the story itself. I found it to be a bit too confusing to follow along to. I think adding the summaries at the end was a good idea because I could then see what the author was trying to get at.
The artwork is definitely my style. I like the dark, gorey, cyberpunk look and setting of the story. There is potential here, it just needs fine tuning.
The artwork is definitely my style. I like the dark, gorey, cyberpunk look and setting of the story. There is potential here, it just needs fine tuning.
October 10, 2022
Okay, massively excited with this read. It was a short read but completely stunning. The art is fantastically gory and I was happy to see that the author has a clothing line of the same name, Zombie Makeout Club, along with a Webtoon that features extra scenes!
My only gripe with this, is that I have to wait to read the next one. I’m looking forward to seeing what else comes out in terms of character development and creativity from this artist.
I received a free copy to review from Net Galley. Worth it.
My only gripe with this, is that I have to wait to read the next one. I’m looking forward to seeing what else comes out in terms of character development and creativity from this artist.
I received a free copy to review from Net Galley. Worth it.
October 15, 2022
I’ve saw some pretty rough reviews for this graphic novel so I went into it with low hopes that it would be worth it. However I though this was pretty good. I liked that the author had the characters with who they were and their pronouns at the beginning. I also loved the horror/bloody aspect of it. The only thing that I felt would have made this better would have been a little more dialogue and background for some things. All in all I will be reading the second installment for this when it comes out.
October 24, 2022
I loved the art, it really conveyed the gore aspects of the story. By the way, this book is very gorey and dark! I'm pretty intrigued by the plot—I just need some more of it in order to get a better feel for the story.
Note: I think more volumes need to come out in order for this series to really kick off. I was starting to see some story develop, but it kind of left me with more questions than I feel like a volume one should. I still am intrigued by the story though, and I hope more volumes are released so I can continue reading.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ablaze Publishing for the ARC!
Note: I think more volumes need to come out in order for this series to really kick off. I was starting to see some story develop, but it kind of left me with more questions than I feel like a volume one should. I still am intrigued by the story though, and I hope more volumes are released so I can continue reading.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ablaze Publishing for the ARC!
February 7, 2023
decided to buy/read this because i love the zombie makeout club brand. i liked the idea of the recurring characters of the brand getting lore and a genuine story, but i don’t think this manga actually set it up that well. like most one-off body horror manga, it was a quick read, but the story itself felt convoluted and not well explained. i caught myself going back to previous pages multiple times to try and see if they could explain what was happening, but it never really did. aesthetic wise? super cool; but story wise, it definitely fell short.
October 30, 2022
I find myself admiring the art more than actually understanding the story. The artwork is 4.5 out of 5 with the only docked marks is that some of the smaller panels were blending too much with the black background. There were so many characters that I didn't know who they were or why they were introduced. But the art is really great.
May 16, 2023
Its kinda a thing you get more for the art but with time hopefully a more fleshed out story can be told and I'm willing to wait for that honestly.
Reminds me of Reiko the Zombie Shop and Bloody Sukeban Chainsaw by Rei Mikamoto. And thats a good thing. Read those too, I should hunt them down and finish them. Art is a bit stiff tho.
Reminds me of Reiko the Zombie Shop and Bloody Sukeban Chainsaw by Rei Mikamoto. And thats a good thing. Read those too, I should hunt them down and finish them. Art is a bit stiff tho.
October 4, 2022
I absolutely love the art style in this manga. It's quite gory and very fun looking, good use of power tools throughout. I can't tell you what the story is at all I have no idea what happened at all but it was just so much damn fun to look at.
October 11, 2022
My son had found Zombie Makeout Club shirts and I really loved the style and when I saw this on Netgalley I had too check it out. This was interesting to say the least. I read it because it’s spooky season and was curious. It was ok but some parts might be disturbing for some readers.
October 18, 2022
The art in this comic is absolutely amazing, I absolutely love every detail and every panel. The story is fun and engaging, if a little short and disjointed. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to read more soon. I would love to see more of this world and it's characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews