iZombie Vol. 1: Dead to the World

by | Apr 15, 2011 | Reviews | 0 comments

As if you couldn’t tell from the title, iZOMBIE is not your usual zombie, gut-munching story. it is also not a novel, but a graphic novel. Yeah that’s big boy talk for a comic book series bound together in a single book. Anyway, the story is set in the modern day and it’s about the life and adventures of Gwen, who’s a very odd girl indeed. Pretty but pale, funny yet aloof, she has the unenviable job of gravedigger in Eugene, Oregon. However that rather strange job does have some fringe benefits for Gwen. It has allowed her to make a few friends. Ok, her pals are a cute ghost girl from the 60s and a were-terrier, but they are good friends. For Gwen any friend is welcome, for you see she has a bit of a “condition”. That’s right, she’s the titular zombie, but she’s of the non-rotting, able to think and speak variety of zombie. That is, as long as she continues to eat. That’s right, Gwen still has those traditional undead cravings for warm, yummy brains, and having access to fresh corpses is the other benefit of being a gravedigger. The drawback to brain consumption is that Gwen is assaulted by the memories and personality of the corpse, and if that person happened to die with unfinished business, like say not knowing who murdered them, then it’s up to Gwen and her spooky pals to solve the mystery, or else ghoul girl Gwen won’t get a moment’s peace from the screaming brain-voice in her head.

iZOMBIE is an ongoing comic book from DC’s very adult imprint, Vertigo. They have just gathered the first five issues into a new graphic novel called DEAD TO THE WORLD that tells the first self-contained story arc. So as an introduction to the world that Gwen and her goofy, ghoulish friends inhabit, the book works very well. I really dug both the story and the crisp, clear, almost classic looking art. The character of Gwen seemed fun and relatable and the never ending plot delivery device of transposed memories as a result of brain munching could mean a ton of cool stories might easily be introduced in this ongoing series. If they’re all as good as the one in this book, then I want to be there for them. This funny little comic by writer Chris Roberson and artist Michael Allred so far looks to be a winner. If you’re a zombie fan looking for something a little different then give iZOMBIE: DEAD TO THE WORLD a try.

About Brian Sammons