Comic Info
Comic Name: iZombie
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Chis Roberson
Artist: Mike Allred
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2011
iZombie #1 Variant
Reprints The House of Mystery Halloween Annual #1 and iZombie #1-5 (December 2009-November 2010). Gwen Dylan has a job burying bodies…but once a month she digs one up to eat a brain. Dylan is a zombie and when she’s not hanging out with her friends Ellie (who is a ghost) and Scott (who is a wereterrier), she’s fighting off the memories of the brains she’s eaten to stay sane. When she eats the brain of Frederick Harris, she sets out to solve his murder which involves a strange bandaged man. In addition to vampires running around the town, Gwen is in love at first sight with a man named Horatio who unfortunately works for the Corporation of Fossors who want people like Gwen dead…again.
Written by Chris Roberson and illustrated by Michael Allred (who also helped with the development), iZombie Volume 1: Dead to the World is a Vertigo series. The collection includes the introductory story from The House of Mystery Halloween Annual #1 (December 2009) and the first storyline from iZombie #1-5.
Zombie stories are everywhere and when iZombie was released, it seemed like more of the same…capitalizing on the trend. The series had some success at the time, but has gained a small cult following since its publishing.
iZombie #2
The story for the series feels a bit derivative. Though the writing is creative and fun, the series feels really borrowed from shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more so from the BBC series Being Human (which has a vampire, ghost, and werewolf sharing an apartment). I like a lot about the writing style, but I think it just doesn’t quite get past this overproduced supernatural genre.
What keeps me interested in iZombie is the art. I love Mike Allred art, and iZombie is loaded with characters and story aspects that is perfect for his throwback style. The Gwen character reminds me a lot of X-Force (or X-Statix) in that extent and Gwen is just Dead Girl reborn. Allred’s a master of layouts and scenes like Gwen’s conversation with John Amon are fun spreads.
iZombie 1: Dead to the World is worth a read. If you’ve never seen something like Being Human (either the original or the US version), it will probably feel pretty original. The series has renewed interest with a planned TV series so I’m sure it will once again be readily available in collections. iZombie 1: Dead to the World is followed by iZombie 2: uVampire.
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