Writers: Joshua Ortega & Digger T. Mesch
Artist: Qing Ping Mui

This hotly-anticipated horror series manages to bring a fresh approach to the well-established – if a little overexposed – zombie genre. From talented creators Kevin Eastman (TMNT), Joshua Ortega (Gears of War) and Digger T. Mesch (Agent 88), The Other Dead transfers the zombie horror into the world of the animal kingdom, with frighteningly captivating results.

The premise is well-established in the first issue, with the main characters being introduced well (for the most part). It seems the main protagonists are going to be Tommy, a 10-year old cancer survivor and his big brother Azrael, a member of death metal band Decapitated. Justina, Azrael’s girlfriend struggles a little to stand out, and the curiously out-of-place two-page dialogue-free stripper scene that serves as her introduction does seem to stray a little too far into the realm of ‘creepy’. I can’t help but thinking that at least one of those pages would have been better served pushing the storyline forwards rather than focusing on needless ‘eye candy’.

Mui’s artwork is solid throughout, but really comes into its own in a couple of fantastic splash pages that manage to convey the true horror of the attacking zombie animals. There’s a level of detail to his work that it’s difficult not to be impressed by.

The cause of the epidemic is only hinted at here, and there seems to be a lot more story to be told over the remaining four issues, especially with the threat of a Katrina-dwarfing hurricane looming over proceedings. And, with the interesting inclusion of United States President Barack Obama as one of the primary characters (yes, the real one), I’m genuinely curious to see what direction the writers decide to go in.

A creative tale with some genuinely unsettling horror moments, The Other Dead is well worth a look for any fans of the zombie genre, or of horror comics in general.

Rating: 7.5/10.

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
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