'Zombie' – Mike Raicht, Kyle Hotz and Dan Brown (Marvel, MAX Imprint)

So I'm currently on my third copy of this comic...I collected the four issue mini-series, way back in the day, and promptly had to sell it (bad times). Then I treated myself to the trade, a couple of years ago, which ended up in the 'Box of Lost Things', a box of various things that got lost between various house moves. One day, I will find that box...

All good things though... I found another cheap copy of the trade on Amazon and as of yesterday evening, it's all mine. Not yours, mine :o) Can you tell that I love this book...? Well, let me tell you again...

Cash stolen from the botched bank job $125,000

Two loaded shotguns keeping the hostages quiet $675.00

A half-tank of gas in the getaway car $27.50

Smashing through a police roadblock and fighting for your life against hundreds of flesh eating zombies? Priceless

Looking at the trade collection of 'Zombie', you'd be forgiven for thinking that you'd actually picked up one of the single issues instead. 'Slim' does not even begin to describe this book but don't worry. What you're actually holding is an great example of storytelling stripped right back the bare bones. If it's not important to the plot in any way then Raicht doesn't want it in his story. What you get, as a result, is a zombie story that is relentless in its simplicity. Shit happens... and there are zombies as well, people need to survive. That's the bottom line of all zombie tales and all credit to Raicht for seeing the story, that needs to be told, and cutting everything else out.

'Zombie' wears it's 'Night of the Living Dead' influences proudly with a group of people, who all pretty much hate each other, holed up at a truck stop while the dead prowl outside. It's a homage then but with enough bits of it's own making to avoid any accusations of copying from the master. There's only enough room for one curveball but Raicht makes sure it's the best kind of curveball. I knew it was coming but it will catch you out if you're reading 'Zombie' for the first time, and avoid the inside credits page (seriously, way to completely spoil the twist). The rest of the book is as tense and claustrophobic as any shelter would be during a zombie outbreak but there are some Easter eggs for long term Marvel fans who will know Simon Garth of old and enjoy meeting him again.

Great story, great artwork as well with Kyle Hotz doing what he does best, drawing the stranger (and definitely gorier) side of human life with just the right amount of attitude for a fast paced zombie heist comic. I'm not going to lie, things happen so quickly in the book that there were places where I got Simon and Gyp mixed up (which would have made for a completely different story...) but on the whole, Hotz totally does Raicht's story justice and Brown's slightly muted colours do Hotz' artwork justice. Everyone wins :o)

For those of you who are just a little bit sick of long running zombie comics, tv shows or whatever, freshen things up a bit with this short sharp slice of zombie fiction that does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it bloody well.