Advanced Review: ‘Everything Dead & Dying’ #1 Breathes New Life Into Zombie Comics
Everything Dead & Dying #1, out this week from Image Comics, is a zombie story that upends the typical genre tropes and focuses on the human aspects via a tragically beautiful narrative, rather than shocking readers with the standard blood, guts and gore. The story follows Jack Chandler, a rural farmer who's lost everything to a flu-induced zombie apocalypse (of which he’s immune), yet finds a way to cope by living alongside the undead, including his husband and their daughter, as if nothing has changed.
Brombal's script captures the fragile state of Jack's sanity as he navigates a world that's been torn apart and which he tries to keep patched together. Jack's conversations with the zombies, treating them as if they're still alive and reliving their final moments, are heartbreaking and poignant. This blurred line between reality and delusion makes Jack's character all the more devastating, as he desperately clings to the life he once knew and worked so hard to cultivate. It’s a stroke of genius by Brombal to utilize the storytelling telling device of filling in story gaps through this method as they can be misconstrued as flashbacks until a pivotal scene when Jack finally breaks.
The emotional resonance of this issue is reminiscent of some of the most emotional moments in zombie fiction. The premiere episode of The Walking Dead, where Rick Grimes awakens from his coma to find a desolate world, comes to mind, as does the beautifully poignant "Long, Long Time" episode of The Last of Us, where Bill and Frank's quiet moments of companionship in a post-apocalyptic world are a powerful reminder of the human need for connection. Similarly, Everything Dead & Dying #1 conveys the deep emotional pain of surviving an cataclysmic event, where every day is a struggle to hold on to what's left of one's former life when that history is staring them in the face every single day.
Jacob Phillips' art is phenomenal, bringing depth and emotion to each character. His use of washes and shading creates a haunting world that's perfectly suited to the story. Pip Martin's colors add to the mood, capturing the sense of loss and longing that permeates the narrative. There is a beautiful contradiction in color palette between the real world and the world Jack remembers. Finally, Aditya Bidikar's lettering is equally impressive, capturing the tone and emotion of each scene, with Jack’s narration always appearing to teeter right on the edge.
I keep going back to it, but what sets Everything Dead & Dying apart, for me, from other zombie comics is the focus on the human condition. Brombal explores themes of love, loss, and grief in a way that we have never truly seen. Sure, we’ve met characters who’ve experienced loss. But Jack's story is a powerful exploration of what it means to hold on to what's important, even when reality is slipping away through his fingers.
Overall, Everything Dead & Dying #1 is a haunting debut that will stick with me long after I’ve finished this review. With its beautiful storytelling, phenomenal art, and emotional depth, this has set the series up to breathe new life into the zombie genre for years to come.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Creative Team:
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Colors: Pip Martin
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics
