Advance Review – Call of Duty: Zombies 2 #1 (Dark Horse)

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Story By: Jason Blundell, Craig Houston
Writer: Justin Jordan
Pencils: Andres Ponce
Inks: Mauro Vargas
Colours: Dan Jackson
Letters: Nate Piekos
Release Date: 5th September 2018

I’m a weird one in that I tend to play shooter games for the storyline rather than the online multiplayer aspect. There are few exceptions to this rule, though. For example, you can keep your Halo or your Half-Life Counter-Strike mods, because me and my mates like nothing more than to share in that age-old pastime of killing zombies.

Call of Duty hit a masterstroke with their decision to expand on the original Nazi-based zombie game, upping the ridiculousness ante with every passing instalment. Hiring famous voice and acting talent including the likes of Danny Triejo, Michelle Rodriguez and even a boss cameo of Zombie Grandmaster George A Romero, Activision clearly took influence from the classic B-movies of old to make a storyline as equally crazy as the cast.

It’s only natural that something as visually vibrant and narratively bonkers as these games would progress into comic form. And after a fun, lively first series, Call of Duty: Zombies is back! And what an enjoyable tale this first issue is. Set in 1912, we catch up with a mysterious heroine being pursued by a dark murderous cult of black hoods. While she runs for her life she recalls the tales of her father that she never believed until this day, giving us a glimpse and promise of the utter insanity that will follow in these oncoming issues.

The action the shoots back to 1910 in a French foreign Legionnaire outpost in Morocco. A mountainous man named Mr Delacroix has found himself there, escaping a disastrous past with the Paris mob, a past brought back by the elderly figure of Alistair goading him into helping recover ancient artefact. A simple smash and grab heist it seems, until we learn that the artefact contains much more value than just money. The mob has connections with another organisation with its sights set on using it for something far more nefarious .

What follows is an exciting mix of Dead Snow and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Fantastic characters drawn to gory perfection by Andres Ponce, Mauro Vargas and Dan Jackson, and a narrative that maintains the enjoyment of the games while creating a truly interesting story in its own right. Writer Justin Jordan handles the transition of the story to the world of comics seamlessly, managing all their fun and excitement with that greater level of depth I love to see out of games and characters.

At the end of the day, Call of Duty: Zombies 2 captures all the archetypes of a ’80s Stephen King film adaptation. We have the adventurous twist, the wise old professor type, a huge muscle-bound gorilla with a heart of gold who happens to be too darn good at smashing skulls, evil gangsters, and hooded devil worshippers with a taste for stabbing and world domination. It’s bloody silly but that’s pretty much the point, and it serves as a welcome breath of fresh air for horror fans in between online shooting matches.

Review: 3.5/5.

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