iZombie: Six Feet Under and Rising – Chris Roberson (w) Mike Allred
(a)
Vertigo, $16.99,
978-1-4012-3370-9
Chris Roberson seems to be living a charmed life in comics at the
moment. From seemingly nowhere, he
appeared, working on a Fables
spin-off, and a few months later, brought out this creator-owned series with
Mike Allred. With such a high-profile
illustrator behind him, it comes as no surprise that Roberson is a talented
writer and that iZombie is quickly
becoming a tent-pole of the Vertigo imprint.
In Gwen — the beautiful, amnesiac, undead protagonist — he has crafted a
unique, sympathetic and entertaining spin on the zombie archetype.
One of the problems with reverence of Universal horror in recent years
has been the attempts to make these old, hackneyed concepts dark, modern and
“relevant.” Roberson and Allred get this
and instead turn their love of monster movies into something fun. Gwen’s world is rife with B-movie goofiness
that seems to grow with each story arc, introducing us to were-terriers,
skeeball-playing mummies, vampire paintballers and one character’s grandpa
reincarnated as a cigar-chomping chimpanzee.
It’s a timeless blend of the modern and the retro, with Allred’s flair
for costume on display in the endless fashion parade of the characters’
outfits, and the clichéd horrors deployed with a knowing wink.
This latest volume sees Gwen uncover more secrets of her past, and
find that she’s been a pawn in some aeons-spanning occult plot. Add some mindless, marauding zombies and a
team of government secret agents run by a reanimated Abe Lincoln, and you have
an idea of the level at which the creators are playing. Yet, Gwen’s enigmatic background allows
Roberson to temper his funny-bone and give us a central character that we want
to see regain her humanity and not succumb to her brain-munching tendencies —
for once the zombie threat becomes an emotional, rather than physical one.
Allred’s art, naturally, captures the world to a tee and the fact that
it’s set in his native Eugene, Oregon gives it a unique authenticity (he’s even
taken to mountain climbing to reference the landscape properly.) Of course, he’s well renowned for his pop-art
stylings (aided in no small part by the colours of his wife and long-time
collaborator, Laura Allred) and they are vital here to giving the book its
kooky aesthetic. What’s often ignored
about Allred, though, is his influence from Charles Burns in his inking — the
intense, overly-rendered brushwork that brings such a bold and iconic look to
his work. This pitch-black edge means
that, when needed, he can still bring the horror and the grotesque. When Gwen lapses into her zombie instincts,
her face becomes a twisted parody of its former self, emphasizing that
emotional punch of her existential angst.
This is not a work of high aspiration by any means, but as an
encapsulation of the imagination-driven verve and excitement that comics can
still deliver, it’s perfect.
-- Gavin Lees
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