Comic Book Review - '68: Last Rites - Issues 1 and 2

The Sixties. Full of hippies, love-ins, turning-on, tuning-out, the Beatles, Vietnam…and zombies? Well, that’s what is happening in the world of ’68, in which Romero style zombies rise across the globe. The current four-issue series (Last Rites) is focusing on what is happening in the US as the second year of the zombie apocalypse comes to an end.

In New York City, bands of survivors have created small, isolated communities. It’s winter, so most of the zombies have frozen solid. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t dangers. In the city, a gang of cannibals (led by Andy Warhol) hunts the streets for long-pig. Meanwhile, what’s left of the US government, led by Richard Nixon, is making common cause with…Charles Manson? Well, sure, why not. And, in Vietnam, the war sputters on as a small group of US soldiers (all going by the name Jungle Jim) prepares to do battle with a mixed force of NVA, VC and zombies.

The first two issues focus mostly on what’s happening New York, with issue two taking a long detour to fill in the some details of what happened to the Yams, a Chinese couple introduced as the parents of the protagonist of the earlier series, Kuen Yam, an American solider in Vietnam. While the overall story is good, issue two drags a little. The Yams are not characters who have been developed enough to care about and their story is not that engaging (although the Sunset Boulevard references are amusing). However, there are enough interesting plot points, including a mysterious film that apparently shows why there is a zombie apocalypse, to hold my interest. The art, by Jeff Zornow, is good and delivers some nice, gory zombie action.

It’s a pretty silly, over-the-top series, one that has drifted away from it’s grittier war-horror origins. But, if you are looking for a neat, enjoyable, bloody bit of horror fiction, ’68: Last Rites delvers. If you are new to the world of ’68, however, I would recommend starting with the original ’68 and ’68: Scars for an introduction to the world and the characters.

31 Days of Halloween (Day 29) - A Movie, A Comic, An App, And A Podcast Walk Into A Bar...

Document of the Dead is a documentary about George Romero, focusing on the production of Dawn of the Dead, but also touching on his work before and after. THe majority was filmed during a weekend in 1979 while Dawn was being filmed. If you are a) a Romero fan, b) interested in the making of the original Dawn of the Dead or c) like to learn about the film-making process you'll want to watch this. You get a lot of insight into Romero's production process as well as the working relationship he had with his his long-time production partner Richard Rubinstein, special effects wizard Tom Savini and other members of the cast and crew. The difficulties in securing funding, the technical complexities of making a movie like this (there's some interesting talk about the problems of lighting a huge, open space like a mall), a look at the make-up effects, and Romero's philosophy on shooting and editing are just a few of the things you'll see. Check it out.

Nancy, 1-part attitude, 1-part chainsaw. All parts hot. Nancy in Hell was an impulse purchase. I saw a couple of panels through the preview feature on comiXology. I thought a busty, chainsaw wielding heroine killing demons in Hell looked promising and picked up the four issues. I'm mostly pleased. The art is appealing, a mix of extreme violence and cheesecake shot. Juan Jose Ryp does a great job drawing drawing monsters and chicks...and monster chicks...in the first two issues. Antonio Vasquez takes over for the final two issues and while it's still good, it is a step down from Ryp's work. Many of the concepts that the writer, El Torres, includes are neat and the whole story has a very "drive-in exploitation movie" vibe to it. However, the dialogue is pretty clunky and the ending more confusing than anything else. If you want a violent, over-the-top action/horror comic and can look past dialogue that, at times, reads like something a thirteen-year-old raised on heavy metal music would think sounds deep, than you'll like Nancy in Hell.

Video Watchdog is my favorite movie magazine and has been for decades. It is the best source for in-depth, thoughtful reviews and articles on those genres of cinema I tend to gravitate towards; horror, science-fiction, exploitation and cult movies, as well as foreign films and older movies that are often overlooked by the mainstream film press. Video Watchdog has now moved into the electronic world with a iOS app offering, as well as versions for the PC and Mac platforms. In addition to a great design, the electronic version (complete with embedded videos and links) is being offered for free when each issue is first released. Old issues will be offered for $3.99. If nothing else, this should convince you to try it out. Go here for the website and here to check out the app.

Looking for an awesome movie podcast? Check out Basasses, Boobs and Body Counts. The focus is on exploitation films of all types, the discussion is lively and fun and the people who run the podcast obviously have an affinity for the films they discuss. Highly recommended.

31 Days of Halloween (Day 27) - '68

What's better than a set of inter-related zombie comic book series? How about setting them in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War? Yep, that's better. And that's what '68 is all about.

The world they take place is, starts out just like our world in February 1968. The Tet Offensive has been launched, anti-war protestors are in the streets of America, Lyndon Johnson is president (but not for long), "peace, love and understanding" clash with war, racial divisions and generational strife. Each series expands on this, showing what is happening in Southeast Asia and in the United States.

Too much tanning bed for you sir.

Then, the dead start to rise.

Most of the issues are focused on Vietnam, following various soldiers and civilians as they try to survive the rise of the dead and the attacks of the VC (the dead may be rising, but the war goes on). Even though Vietnam is the central focus, the home front is not ignored; the zombie plague is global and we get to see what is happening to the loved one's of men "in-country." There is also a one-shot (68: Hardship) that is set in rural Nebraska and follows a soldier who has been sent home for mental health reasons - he is suffering from PTSD - who has to cope with his shattered psyche and the undead. The decision to have multiple characters with their own story arcs and to follow the multiple limited-issue series format keeps the over-all world from becoming repetitive. Although the narrative focus is on the horror, there is enough variety in themes and tone to keep the stories interesting.

Zombie Hendrix, undead, but still a great guitar player.

The art - primarily by Nat Jones (pen and inks), Jeff Zornow (also pen and inks) and Jay Fotos (colors) - is spectacular, with attention paid to the technical details (crucial, because this is a "real world" war comic) and some pretty stunning gore scenes. The series is graphically violent and not for the squeamish.

When you're a politician, every voter is worth courting...even if they hunger for your brains.

The writing, by Mark Kidwell, is consistently strong. Kidwell pays attention to character development, which is important, because you rarely know who is going to get killed; there are few obvious "red shirts." The stories capture the flavor of the times and the brutality of war. The stories also construct a believable view of a military (and a society) rapidly falling apart. As a bonus, each issue has a fact page which goes into the real-world history behind the events of each issue.

If you like zombie comics or want to see a neat historical-horror mash-up, check out '68. Remember, "Zombie Charlie don't surf!"

Does a skull reeally make a "Thwock" sound when you hit it with a machete. Time for the home version of "MythBusters."