Zombies. What is it about the undead that intrigues us? One must admit that it is a fascinating concept; the dead walking the earth once more looking to feast upon the living. Loved ones and friends would be nothing more than a hallow shell of who they use to be and would only be interested in savoring the taste of your brains on their rotting tongues. Is it fear that attracts us to Zombie related films, comics and novels? What would you do if a dead relative or a deceased lover rose again and sought to kill you? What emotions would you experience other than fear? Confusion? Perhaps hope? Would you fight back for the sake of survival or cower before them as your emotions over power you?
The Waking #1
Written by Raven Gregory
Penciled by Vic Durichio
Colored by Garry Henderson
Letters by Crank!
Production by David Seidman
One has to consider the relationship to the (undead) person as well. Did you really like Uncle Bob to begin with? Wasn’t he always calling you a loser for dropping out of college? And the deceased lover; didn’t she sleep with your roommate anyway? See, it may be easier to kill a Zombie than you thought and when you’re done, you can go for a pint at the Winchester and wait for the whole thing to blow over.
All kidding aside, the comic world is preparing once again for a Zombie related title, joining the ranks of Blackest Night and Marvel Zombies. “The Waking†is brought to us by writer Raven Gregory (The Gift, Return to Wonderland) and Zenescope publications. In issue one we are introduced to a mysterious man who appears to be keeping his young daughter locked up. We are also introduced to four detectives investigating two separate murder cases. Raven gives us a glimpse into the personal lives of the detectives which also includes a humorous “problem†in one of their marriages. Odd discoveries are made surrounding the murder cases and our mystery man shows up from time to time searching for his daughter who has gone missing. What connection does he have to these murders, if any? What’s his part in this story? By the end of the issue you just might see someone rise from the dead.
The book is a great start to this new series and the smooth story telling plays out like a Hollywood screenplay. I was lucky enough to finish all four issues in advance and I can honestly say that this is one of the best Zombie’s stories I have ever read. In this day in age where we are in the midst of a Zombie invasion, it must be a great challenge as a writer to give readers something different. Although everyone is spinning their own stories about the undead, Raven has truly given us something that hasn’t all ready been done. I give him major props for pulling off what is some of his best work to date. The Waking is unique, witty, dramatic and disturbing; everything a horror story should be.
I give The Waking #1 5 out of 5 Stars.
3 Comments
Not only do the covers for this look awesome but the hype for this is stellar. We’re in the golden age of the Zombie people… and this is one of your front runners.
Hey Victoria,
You might wanna talk with Raven about the credits. I didn’t color the mini. I colored the 6 page preview, but as much as I hated to do it I had to pull myself from the project. I have no idea who he got to color the series.
It really is a great story though, and I hope Raven has a lot of success with it. It’s probably some of Raven’s best writing, and Vic’s pencils are excellent.
Garry
Thanks for the info, Garry! When I got the PDF files your name was listed as colorist. I’m so sorry to hear you had to pull from the project but you did an excellent job with the preview.
My editor is actually the one who listed the credits so I will let him know. Happy Holidays!