Writer: Kevin Eastman, Tom Skulan
Artist: Kevin Eastman, Eric Talbot

Originally published back in 1992, IDW horror series Zombie War finds itself in full colour for the very first time, courtesy of long-standing TMNT colourist Ronda Pattison. The series is the brainchild of Tom Skullan and Turtle co-creator Kevin Eastman, and sees aliens resurrect fallen soldiers in zombie form. But rather than your usual shambling, aimless brutes, these zombies are (comparatively) intelligent, motivated, and – most importantly –armed to the teeth!

In what seems to be the latest in a long line of B-Movie style comics I’ve been reading lately, Zombie War manages to differentiate itself from the rest of pack in a few significant ways. Firstly, it’s gloriously bonkers, and clearly embraces the inherently ridiculous nature of its premise. Both Eastman and Skullan have long professed their love for the zombie genre, and that almost giddy, child-like excitement pours through every panel of this comic.

The story whips along at an almost blinding pace, with the entire world pretty much falling into ruin within the first dozen pages or so. Any moments of character developments are fleeting, and are punctuated by splash page after splash page of gloriously visceral zombie carnage. The artwork, provided by Eric Talbot and Eastman, may be a tough sell for some people due to its rough, scratchy style, but I think it works perfectly for a ‘rough-and-ready’ title like this. Pattison’s colours also work extremely well, all muted earth tones and buckets of red gore, and will look extremely familiar to long-time TMNT fans.

A love letter to the zombie genre, Zombie War ticks all the boxes I could hope for in a title like this. Yes, the characters aren’t particularly well developed, but they’re developed just enough for me to care about what happens to them. Yes, some of the violence and storyline twists are a little over-the-top, but dammit, who really cares when it’s all just so much fun?

Not one for literary connoisseurs, but as a gloriously extreme romp with tongue planted firmly in cheek from start to finish, you’d be hard pushed to find much better.

Rating: 7.5/10.

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