"Zombies: Feast" Reviewed

I had occasion to read the entire graphic novel of IDW Publishing’s “Zombies! Feast.” It is authored by Shane McCarthy and Chris Bolton. This edition collects all five issues of the original comic series, which involves a band of convicts and their guards who wreck their prison transport near a zombie-infested town. Ultimately, the prison group interacts with the town’s residents as well, as they form a rugged band of survivors with competing motives and power rivalries, but the same survival instinct.

First, the good. This storyline at least aims at an innovative approach to the old zombie tale. An interesting social dynamic is always in the background of the fight for survival, as convicts vie for the upper hand over the other survivors. Not surprisingly, some become temporary heroes, while others merely release the demons always dormant in them. Some imaginatively grotesque scenarios come into play, as when the prisoners are still chained together in an enormous column and are forced to confront the living dead. Additionally, the artwork for about the first third of the graphic novel is beautiful. The hardened faces of the living murderers and surly policemen are just as detailed as the hungry, shambling corpses. Moreover, the novel also lives up to its publisher’s promise: buckets and buckets of gore, with predictably few survivors by the last page.

Unfortunately, these shining features are either too inadequately used or are overshadowed by other problems. The most striking downfall comes about halfway through (perhaps issue three or four of the original comic series) when the artwork changes dramatically. I do not know the reason for this; perhaps another artist picked it up. In any case, this new style seems overly cartoonish and ineffective, especially in comparison to the beautifully dark images populating the first several chapters. The artworks shifts yet again for the last chapter or two, and while a marked improvement, it still differs from the opening style. In the end, these stylistic changes are disorienting and even distracting.

Not that there is a great deal to be distracted from, since the story is also lacking in several key areas. Fortunately, there are no real nonsensical loopholes or loose ends left hanging. However, the end product is something of a disappointment compared to what the story could be. For instance, the interesting social tensions and old hatreds between the convicts and others are only touched on lightly. At the same time, many characters are killed too rapidly when one is just starting to know them, while others deteriorate into the stereotypical bullies seen in zombie stories since the military commander in “Day of the Dead.” I won’t spoil the ending, but it too was also something of an anti-climax after the gory action and intensity of the last couple chapters. It is neither surprising nor new to the genre. In passing, however, it seems “Feast” was designed as a mini-series of several issues, and thus works within those confines. And in those limits it remains, without making much effort to break through them and become truly memorable.

Overall, if you are a zombie fan with moderate expectations or a lover of gory artwork, then “Zombies! Feast” may be for you. For anyone more like myself expecting a deeper story, you will not walk away fully satisfied. Though the booklet may well be worth a look if you can find it using a coupon or on discount for under the $15.00 it usually sells for.

-Grim Blogger