Chances are you’ve heard by now, but “Zombie” is the first release from Eibon Press and it’s everything you could want and more in a horror comic. The aim of the series is to to not only retell the original gut-munching story of the italian classic “Zombie,” but to expand and extend past the limits of the film. Stephen Romano and team (Michael Broom, Derek Rook, Gerry Coffey and Fatboy) provide a perfect example of this in the first issue with the internal monologues that occur just before a victim becomes a snack. Focused on that individual’s first encounter with death, these little monologues were one of the standouts in this issue for me. Getting inside the minds of the victims we’ve been watching get slaughtered by zombies all these decades really adds some weight to the story, beyond your standard kill-eat-repeat zombie cycle. All gushing over the wordplay aside, this is a comic and one of the big reasons that brought us (or me at least!) here is the full color gory glory that is splashed over every inch.

The sense of dread and impending doom just drips off the pages, something I find lacking in print horror media with a few notable exceptions. Usually I find myself bored with either the art or the lack of suspenseful storytelling about halfway through a regular horror comic but not here. My eyes were glued to the pages, needing to push on into the story and consume it as quickly as I possibly could (Editor’s note:  like a zombie..  hehe, I see what you did there). If you hadn’t picked up on it already, this is a release for hardcore nerds. Each issue comes in a protective cardboard sleeve (think records) and is printed on heavyweight paper which just adds to the collector feel of this release. The first printing of issue #1 is sold out, but a second printing is right around the corner as is the preorder for issue #2. Keep your eyes on the Eibon Press facebook or their website because these WILL sell out again.

-Scotty Floronic