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A review by veganemelda
The Abandoned, Volume 1 by Sophie Campbell
4.0
Hey! Look! It’s a zombie comic set/around a majority-black population that has a lot of black characters (*cough*unlikeTWDespeciallytheTVseries*cough*).
Snottiness aside, I’m totally biased for this comic because the lead character (Rylie) is a hot, fat, pierced and tattooed, black lesbian punk with an awesome mohawk who volunteers at a nursing home and kills zombies with a toilet plunger. What’s not to love? Seriously, this girl is making me think (1) I do, in fact, need bat wings tattooed on me and (2) oh lordy, how I wish she was real…
Anyhow, the comic follows a small group of friends who are punks and queers (many are orphans or abandoned by their parents- and now we have the title!) the day the zombie apocalypse starts in their small town, and the following week’s aftermath. There’s tons of blood, guts, zombie gore, and sexual frustration. I love the background details, it’s filled with punk and horror movie references. For goodness’ sakes, the only black male in the group is named Ben!
According to Ross Campbell’s website, there were suppose to be 3 books, but TOKYOPOP pulled the plug and only released one. Which is a damn shame. The ending made so much sense after I read that, but I think the ending works fine as is, also. (it also explains why I paid such a ridiculous amount of money for the trade paperback on amazon) The inking is gorgeous, black and white with reds and pinks highlighted.
—-spoilers—-
After killing off all but two of the characters we were introduced to in the first book (and after Rylie abandons Mae), I really wonder where Campbell would have gone with the story. Especially as the plot was supposed to have been that the infected are everyone over 23 years of age (along with the younger victims who are only bit, not killed, by the zombies). Apparently this was supposed to be a comment on our society’s obsession with youth, which probably would have been expanded upon in future releases. I absolutely adore and appreciate that the none of the characters had a “coming out” moment or any discussed backlash about being queer (besides a mention of Ben’s dad not being OK with him- probably because he’s gay, we’re led to believe, but not told), despite being a teen-angst-fueled vehicle.
—-end of spoilers—-
Even with an ending that will leave you sadly unfulfilled, as we may never get any of the planned sequels, I’d completely recommend this book for any zombie lover, especially anyone who is frustrated with the lack of queer, folks of color, and empowered women in comics. And especially fellow punks. Without more plot, I really can’t say this is an absolute crowd pleaser- it merely skims what some popular zombie vehicles use to their advantage (humor, sex and violence, emotional depth, beloved characters, etc.)- but I think it will hold a beloved spot in quite a few people’s bookshelves who can manage to get their hands on it.
(Review cross-posted from "You Die First!" blog: http://fuckoffyoudiefirst.tumblr.com/post/42109589480/comic-review-the-abandoned)
Snottiness aside, I’m totally biased for this comic because the lead character (Rylie) is a hot, fat, pierced and tattooed, black lesbian punk with an awesome mohawk who volunteers at a nursing home and kills zombies with a toilet plunger. What’s not to love? Seriously, this girl is making me think (1) I do, in fact, need bat wings tattooed on me and (2) oh lordy, how I wish she was real…
Anyhow, the comic follows a small group of friends who are punks and queers (many are orphans or abandoned by their parents- and now we have the title!) the day the zombie apocalypse starts in their small town, and the following week’s aftermath. There’s tons of blood, guts, zombie gore, and sexual frustration. I love the background details, it’s filled with punk and horror movie references. For goodness’ sakes, the only black male in the group is named Ben!
According to Ross Campbell’s website, there were suppose to be 3 books, but TOKYOPOP pulled the plug and only released one. Which is a damn shame. The ending made so much sense after I read that, but I think the ending works fine as is, also. (it also explains why I paid such a ridiculous amount of money for the trade paperback on amazon) The inking is gorgeous, black and white with reds and pinks highlighted.
—-spoilers—-
After killing off all but two of the characters we were introduced to in the first book (and after Rylie abandons Mae), I really wonder where Campbell would have gone with the story. Especially as the plot was supposed to have been that the infected are everyone over 23 years of age (along with the younger victims who are only bit, not killed, by the zombies). Apparently this was supposed to be a comment on our society’s obsession with youth, which probably would have been expanded upon in future releases. I absolutely adore and appreciate that the none of the characters had a “coming out” moment or any discussed backlash about being queer (besides a mention of Ben’s dad not being OK with him- probably because he’s gay, we’re led to believe, but not told), despite being a teen-angst-fueled vehicle.
—-end of spoilers—-
Even with an ending that will leave you sadly unfulfilled, as we may never get any of the planned sequels, I’d completely recommend this book for any zombie lover, especially anyone who is frustrated with the lack of queer, folks of color, and empowered women in comics. And especially fellow punks. Without more plot, I really can’t say this is an absolute crowd pleaser- it merely skims what some popular zombie vehicles use to their advantage (humor, sex and violence, emotional depth, beloved characters, etc.)- but I think it will hold a beloved spot in quite a few people’s bookshelves who can manage to get their hands on it.
(Review cross-posted from "You Die First!" blog: http://fuckoffyoudiefirst.tumblr.com/post/42109589480/comic-review-the-abandoned)