Zombie Issue # 5 (Comic)
By Stephen Romano and Pat Carbajal
Published by Eibon Press
We all know Rotten Cotton makes kick-ass shirts. For around a year now, RC main man Shawn Lewis has also been making kick-ass comics with his partner, writer Stephen Romano. Their company, Eibon Press, makes a very specific breed of book, and it’s a killer one.
They sell direct, without shipping to traditional comic book retailers. They also work in limited, often signed and numbered stuff. Most of their comics come as part of an overall package with their special collector sleeves. It’s very impressive.
Dropping today is Issue #5 of their Zombie comics based on Lucio Fulci’s infamous movie of the same title. They ended the storyline from the original film, so what we have now is the sequel. That’s right, Inferno is the official sequel to the original film, as Zombi 3 was an in-name-only cash-in completely unrelated to the original.
With the blessings of the producers, this kicks off a four-issue arc that continues right where the film left off. New York City is on fire, zombies are everywhere, mayhem ensues. Even Fulci himself shows up as a character!
The book is a thing of glory. Extremely high quality glossy paper, no margins, all art. No ads. Pat Carbajal’s artwork reflects the over-the-top “video nasty” gore of the original film. Romano has, of course, been steeping in this stuff for a while now, and it shows. The story feels like a true comic adaptation of a cinematic sequel, but of course the sequel doesn’t exist except within these pages.
Eibon prizes itself on creating “collector album” style releases, and this is no exception. While I understand there are some variation, the copy I had to review contained the comic, two trading cards, a bookmark promoting their upcoming Laserblast adaptation, a sticker, a folded, art-covered promotional piece for their Maniac adaptation that has commentary inside from Romano about this issue, and of course the Zombie vs. Shark mini-poster signed and numbered by Romano himself. It’s a very impressive collection of ephemera, all extremely high quality and covered in artwork.
If there’s a downside, and it’s tough to spot one, it’s that this is inherently niche. If you don’t like the gory glory of Fulci’s best work, you won’t like this comic. Worm-eye is right there on the cover of the collector’s sleeve, so it’s clear from the get-go that this is aimed at fans of old-school Italian exploitation horror. Of course, if you aren’t into that, what the hell are you doing here??? Go read a list over on Ranker or something.
If you like horror and comics, this is a fantastic package. Looking at the back catalog, they all look equally amazing. Since they’re all limited, you should head over there and get this ordered ASAP if you want a copy because this ain’t Captain America: He’s a Nazi Now Because We’re Out of Ideas #27. Forget back issue boxes and used bookstores; this one is gone forever once it sells out.
Head over to Eibon Press for ordering info!
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Zombie (Issue # 5)
Categorized:Reviews
