Writer: Steve Niles
Artists: Dennis Calero, Diego Olmos, Nat Jones
Publisher: Fox Atomic Comics
Yeah, yeah, I know, the likeliest reader of this book is going to be someone who’s seen the movie it’s based on. Sorry, but you’re getting a review from someone who hasn’t seen it. After all, no matter the property it ties into, the best licensed material based on a franchise is that which can stand on its own. I’m approaching this as someone who just wants to digest a good zombie tale.
And it’s not half bad, but it’s barely half good. I prefer my raw flesh with a little seasoning.
Uh . . . right, the graphic novel.
From the book’s framing, this isn’t so much an aftermath of a zombie outbreak as it’s also an exploration of the cause of the events. Horror movies these days tend to start in the thick of things, occasionally flashing back later in the story to reveal the source of the supernatural horror. Assuming the movie 28 Days Later didn’t include such a scene, Aftermath provides one. It relies on a few clichés involving viruses and irresponsible scientists, but the execution is solidly savage and even a little horrifying in a way not many horror comics typically deliver. I’m rather impressed with the moody and realistic art in the opening chapter by Dennis Calero (but is there a reason the head scientist looks like Walt Simonson?).
Chapter 2’s art by Diego Olmos is lighter and looser, but still nails a few crucial shots. He does a pretty decent job of escalating the crisis, though it seems too many characters in zombie stories today are a little too comfortable and collected in these situations of mass cannibalism. Is it really that easy to shrug off the loss of a family member? Are bastions of safety that accessible? Even if readers are finding the zombie genre a little commonplace, I’d hope the characters in the stories would invest a little more concern in the rapid decay of their world.
Chapter 3 suffers the most from this dramatic nonchalance. Occurring after the events of the movie, a lone gunman picks off the roaming zombies in desecrated London not for his own safety, but because “this is my city” as he repeatedly informs the reader. He exhibits some insight in noting that zombies never attack each other, but instead concludes that they can smell humans based on the products they use . . . and then dumps cologne over a female mannequin, which a zombie promptly attacks. Hm, I don’t think so. The rest of the tale involves, of all things, a battle between our gunman and another gunman for bragging rights as the city’s protector. The absurd story is only made all the worse by artist Nat Jones, whose storytelling abilities are seriously lacking as he fuzzes crucial silent panels that should otherwise illustrate the central action.
Despite the fact that I’m unaware as to which, if any, of these characters are featured in the movie, a few of them receive a satisfying conclusion to their storyarcs in the final chapter. That’s not to say that they all die . . . well, okay, most of them do. Given that the release of Aftermath is supposed to lead into the cinematic sequel, 28 Weeks Later, I’m unclear as to what exactly is being set up. But as someone who’s only read the graphic novel with no knowledge of the movies, I’m rather pleased with no dramatic cliffhangers that force me to follow a different form of media to finish the story. In this respect, Aftermath does indeed tell a self-contained story.
It’s certainly not the most sparkling example the zombie genre has to offer, but it remains satisfying an entertaining enough, despite a few glaring holes. There’s no depth to be found, but I guess that’s not what readers of this genre are looking for, and Steve Niles seems content not to provide any.
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