28 Days Later 5: Ghost Town

Comic Info

28 Days Later #17

Reprints 28 Days Later #17-20 (November 2010-February 2011).  Clint and Selena are approaching London as the threat from the starving Infected is growing less and less.  When they discover that the United States have made ground on a safe-zone in central London, it appears that the danger might be coming to an end…but the return of Selena’s past might mean that she’ll have to face the horrors she’s endured.

Written by Michael Alan Nelson, 28 Days Later Volume 5:  Ghost Town is the penultimate volume of the movie tie-in series.  Featuring art by Ron Salas (28 Days Later #17) and Alejandro Aragon (28 Days Later #18-20), the volume follows 28 Days Later Volume 4:  Gangwar.  The issues along with the rest of the series were also collected in the 28 Days Later Omnibus.

28 Days Later really revolutionized the zombie genres.  Unlike The Walking Dead, it had to tell a zombie movie in the course of two hours, but it also worked because it gave depth and dimensions to the characters.  The 28 Days Later comic book series was a nice addition to the movie because it let you explore the characters created in the movie and gave Selena (who was the best character in the original film) a real chance to show her stuff.

28 Days Later #20

Selena is the original Michonne.  You can see obvious parallels between her character and the character from The Walking Dead (among other similarities between 28 Days Later and the comic book series).  The idea of a strong female having to give up her everyday life when zombies invade and become hard is a rather novice idea since often the female character is the victim.  In this series, Selena seems to always be saving Clint (there is a nice change in this volume).

I also like that the story is virtually not about zombies at this point.  In the movie, the Infected begin dying from lack of food so here, there are very few Infected left.  This volume (and the volume after it) have a lot to do with Selena’s past actions and how they are coming into play now that the horror is dying down.  It also ties directly into the movie and what occurred there.

28 Days Later the comic book series is meant to be a bridge between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later.  You can start to see nuggets of 28 Weeks Later appearing in this comic.  I didn’t particularly enjoy 28 Weeks Later, but reading this and the following volume do make me want to revisit the series.  I can enjoy this volume and the other volumes by developing a good idea into an even better one…I just wish the volumes were longer.  28 Days Later 5:  Ghost Town was followed by 28 Days Later 6:  Homecoming.

Related Links:

28 Days Later 1:  London Calling

28 Days Later 2:  Bend in the Road

28 Days Later 3:  Hot Zone

28 Days Later 4:  Gangwar

28 Days Later 6:  Homecoming

28 Days Later:  The Aftermath

28 Days Later (2002)

28 Weeks Later (2007)