Writer: Chris Ryall
Artist: Ashley Wood
Publisher: IDW
Price: $3.99
Release Date: November
Now, you may have noticed there have been a rather silly amount of zombie titles about recently. Zombies are “cool” again and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon that was lead by films such as the Day of the Dead remake, Shaun of the Dead, and comics such as The Walking Dead and Marvel Zombies. Zombies vs. Robots is the latest entry in what is now rapidly becoming a saturated market sector, which is ironic considering the saturation of super-hero titles out there.
Zombies vs. Robots is a tale of the near future when humans have all become infected and turned into zombies. The presence of robots is due to humans eventually figuring out time-travel. The human body was unable to cope with the transportation involved and so robots were created that could be sent backwards and forwards through the timestream. It is put to the reader that one of these trips brought back the infection that has decimated the human race. One human baby survives and is being looked after by a group of robots until such time that they can clone the child and recreate the human race.
So, the question then becomes – is it any good? Well, it is a lot better than a lot of the other zombie titles out there. Ashley Wood’s artwork is an absolute pleasure to look at, his dramatic sense of form shouts energy and perfectly fits the chaotic nature of this future zombie apocalypse. His pages lurch from ruined towns to dynamic action scenes, all beautifully rendered in the style that is truly his trademark now. The highly subtle colouring really helps the art and the title as a whole as well, possibly something that owes a slight nod to The Walking Dead’s stark black and white lines, but more likely as a means of showing the strength of Ashley’s artwork.
Ryall’s writing takes a curious turn here, seriously limiting his characterization ability by having the entire cast be made up of zombies (groan a bit), a baby (cries a lot) and a bunch of robots, but he makes it work. This is down to the use of the robots and the clear defining of what their roles and abilities are in order to deliver as much information as is needed to the audience. The robots have personalities that are inherent in their functionality enabling us to relate to their quirks and motivations, but also allows the plot to be driven ahead.
The negative side, if there is any, is that the carnage that is promised by the title of the comic is never really realised here. This first part in a two part story strikes me as being a one-shot that has ended up being (excuse the pun) fleshed out in order to deliver some exposition and investment from the readers, with the 28 Days Later-esque closing scene here sets up the second part nicely for the missing aforementioned carnage.
Certainly worth a read, Zombies vs. Robots is a very well executed book that combines terrific artwork with a simple confrontational idea that pits the braindead against the brainless. Chuck some ninjas and pirates into a sequel and Mr. Woods and Ryall may find another Eisner award nomination heading their way. Maybe.
James Dodsworth - Born and raised in Yorkshire, residing in London since 2000, James has a Law Degree and works for the Anti-Financial Crime Office of a International Asset Management Company. He is a writer and editor for FractalMatter.com.
But his main claim to fame is living next to the pub where Shaun of the Dead was conceived.