iZombie #4 – Review

by Chris Roberson (writer), Mike Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Gwen gets to know Amon, who explains the existence of monsters, while Horatio fights Claire the vampire.

What’s Good: After three issues of relaxed storytelling, it’s nice to see iZombie really lay down some big ideas.  Readers impatient with the slow pace should be somewhat appeased this month, as the book is given something of a new, or at least unexpected, direction and a great deal of information.

The core of it concerns the existence of monsters in this world and Roberson’s explanation is surprisingly intellectual and yet completely logical.  He brings forth the idea of the soul, but argues that every person has an oversoul and an undersoul.  How this ties into the various monsters who inhabit iZombie is very well put together and it’s great to see Roberson doing some world-building, crafting a kind of mythos that can be drawn upon in future.

The mummy Amon’s back-story is also explored a little bit as he takes Gwen on a tour through his memories, while introducing the above ideas.  I like Amon as a character; he adds a suave, mature voice to the comic that’s a good fit.  He’s a fun character and I look forward to seeing more of him.

Art-wise, this is another solid outing by Mike Allred.  I especially enjoyed his creative paneling, as Amon  inserts himself into his own memories while the page reflects the fact that he and Gwen have gone on mental walkabout.

iZombie #3 – Review

by Chris Roberson (writer), Michael Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: The hunters continue their vampire-chase with Horatio meeting Gwen in the process, someone discovers Scott’s secret, and Gwen meets the mummy.

What’s Good: Without a doubt, the best thing about iZombie, this issue included, is Michael Allred’s art.  It has a wonderful life to it and its pop-art style suits the comic perfectly.  Everything has a delightful air of kookiness and eccentricity that truly gives colour to Roberson’s world.  Indeed, Allred gives the world of iZombie a sort of poppy timelessness.  All of the characters, Gwen in particular, are adorable thanks to Allred and the designs are solid throughout.  I particularly enjoyed Allred’s depiction of Gwen’s powers, where the images are grainy and rendered in black and white.  While the world looks wonderful, Allred’s work on his characters’ faces is also very human and perfectly expressive.

Once again, Roberson’s three main characters continued to grow on me this month.  Scott is the perfect example of the “lovable loser.”  From his condition, to his forced isolation, to his being ribbed by Gwen, the guy is the perfect combination of nice and pitiful; it’s hard not to constantly feel bad for the guy, while also smiling at the inherent comedy of his tribulations.

Gwen, on the other hand, remains as cool as ever and Allred and  Roberson both make a wonderfully awkward “love at first sight” moment between her and Horatio this month.  She’s a solid combination of snark and vulnerability and scenes like this highlight that.  Meanwhile, Ellie continues to be a source of fun in her own right, as Roberson makes her sound humorously out of date.

iZombie #2 – Review

by Chris Roberson (writer), Mike Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Gwen closes in on the murderer while one of the vampire paintballers gets a little too murderous.

What’s Good: This is a big improvement from last month’s issue that assuages most of my concerns regarding this series.  One of the key reasons for this shift is that unlike last month, which was all set-up, there actually is a definable plot.  The murder mystery provides for some intrigue, particularly in its introduction of a shadowy character who seems to be the killer (and possibly a mummy).  Things are already looking to be more complicated than they seem.

Gwen’s poking about into the victim’s life also gives Roberson a chance to better show how her “powers” work, or rather, how annoying they can be.  He does a great job of integrating the victim’s mind into Gwen’s thought processes.  While clearly not a sentient being, the victim’s “voice” often informs, or interrupts, Gwen’s own internal narration.  At times, it even attempts to finish her sentences and Gwen has to seemingly restrain herself from speaking the words out loud.  It’s a creative way of showing the victim’s intrusion into Gwen’s mind and it’s good fun.

Speaking of Gwen, she’s more likable than she was last month.  Her narration seems less forced, with Roberson clearly less concerned with making her seem as cool as possible.  What results is a more natural feel to the character that better suits a strong protagonist.  She also has a conversation with the victim’s child that hits the right notes, juxtaposing the child’s innocence with Gwen’s awkwardness.  Supporting characters Ellie and Scott also have strong, and surprisingly serious, outings as Roberson touches upon the heavy burdens that both bear due to their “conditions.”  Roberson also continues to impress me with the comedy he injects into the most minor characters; Scott’s work friends are just as fun as Gwen’s.

iZombie #1 – Review

by Chris Roberson (writer), Mike Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: We’re introduced to the varied, and mostly monstrous, cast of iZombie.

What’s Good: It seems that for many people, the main attraction for this title is the art provided by the Allreds.  Well, rest assured that they most definitely deliver, even in an issue like this one that is fairly understated, without any pyrotechnics and little to no impressive displays of the supernatural.  The world Allred illustrates is a bizarre mixture of horror, indie quirk, and retro pulp that somehow works out.  More importantly, all of the characters look very distinct and well defined.

For example, Gwen, the main character, is made instantly likable due to her awesome character design.  On the other hand, Ellie, her ghostly girlfriend, stands out due to her vintage appearance; Allred makes her seem like a character from a 70s publication.  While the character work is excellent, Allred also brings in some really fun layouts towards the end of the issue that make for some poignancy that Roberson’s script may not have carried otherwise.