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 those who hope to kill his family for good. Everything Dead and Dying #1 is a new entry in the zombie genre but delivers something new and different with the debut issue.
The zombie genre goes back over 200 years. Over the centuries, there’s been classic movies, books, television shows, comics, and video games all taking advantage of the genre. Generally, we think a story of survival against ravenous mindless hordes but The Walking Dead, World War Z, and even Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead all showed the genre could be more, exploring our world, exploring humanity, or delivering the story from new perspectives. So, it gets interesting when there’s something new added to the genre when there’s so much out there. Everything Dead and Dying feels like something new and different.
Written by Tate Brombal, Everything Dead and Dying #1 introduces Jack Chandler. Through a tale told to his daughter, we learn about Jack’s life. His rough childhood, being ostracized by the community because of his sexuality, his meeting the love of his life, and their eventually adding a daughter to their family. It’s all a sweet tale but through it, you can tell there’s a bit of melancholy. And then we find out the reality. Jack is alone. Not because the story isn’t true. It’s because a deadly outbreak has happened turning those who catch it into zombies. Jack is immune though.
So, what does a person do if they’re alone and survived the zombie apocalypse? You go about your life, finding purpose in taking care of your zombie community. A slightly different take on the concept, a more passive zombie that seem fine as long as they’re taken care of as far as food. Jack is a farmer, so he has plenty to live off of and the knowledge to survive, but he sees the inevitability of it all and wonders what’s next for him. His animals get sick, he’s getting old, time is wearing on him and what he needs to survive. All the while his family, now zombies, live in the house, and the city is still filled with the shambling remains of his neighbors. He protects them and in some ways they protect him by giving him purpose and drive. He has them to take care of.
So, what happens when that quiet, peace, and routine are shattered by outsiders? That’s what we’ll find out in Everything Dead and Dying, a new exploration of the definition of humanity and what drives us to live.
The art by Jacob Phillips nails the rather sad, at times morose, story. With color by Pip Martin and lettering by Aditya Bidikar, the comic features a color palette that adds to the rather dour situation but also balances that with the brighter, sunnier, surroundings it all takes place in. We get the feel of the situation with zombified individuals dirty, falling apart, worn, but balanced with the beautiful nature that is Jack’s land and farm, and the small town feel of it all. This isn’t a story of survival in the big city, it’s survival in the small towns that have been left behind in modernity and the art captures that feel. Bidikar’s lettering too stands out as it’s not just Jack’s dialogue and recounting of everything, but even the zombies themselves have a bit of personality through the choice of lettering that emphasizes and reminds us of their nature.
Everything Dead and Dying #1 is a hell of a start that has a chance of going down as a classic in the genre. It presents a new and different take on the genre and feels like it has something to say underneath it all. Beyond the shambling remnants of society, it’s the story of a man who finds purpose in a horrible situation and will have to fight to keep it, even when it feels like madness.
Story: Tate Brombal Art: Jacob Phillips
Color: Pip Martin Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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