Life on the farm can be tough. Especially when everything is dead. Jack Chandler is just trying to keep life as normal as possible in the rural town of Caverton. That means feeding the undead and attending to their daily routine. It’s not that weird when you really think about it…or is it? Everything Dead and Dying tackles the zombie apocalypse from a VERY different angle!
- Written by Tate Brombal
- Artwork by Jacob Phillips
- Colors by Pip Martin
- Letters by Aditya Bidikar
- Design Dylan Todd & Courtney Menard
- Edited by Eric Harburn
- Produced by Tiny Onion
- Published by Image Comics
A Different Zombie Story in Everything Dead and Dying
How many ways have we seen the Zombie story told? It’s a classic tale full of horror, dread, action, and satire. It’s been a hot genre of the last couple decades. That being said, there can’t be any other way to squeeze a unique story out of this setting can there? WRONG. Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips have put forth a strong candidate for a most unique zombie story.
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What we have here is something a little deeper. A man immune to the zombie virus, continues to live his life in the same manner it was before the apocalypse. He keeps a farm of living and undead livestock. He helps the walking dead citizens maintain their routine. He even lives at home with his undead partner and daughter. None of what he’s doing seems sane, yet when you think about it…it could be. Love is a powerful thing.
Setting the Stage in Everything Dead and Dying
The issue opens with some wonderfully suspenseful story telling. We learn about who Jack is, where he’s from, all while we get glimpses of someone digging a hole. It’s a great few pages that build to action all while giving us a running start with our main character. From there we get a morning start that seems too perfect and odd. Little slips of decayed, bloody mouths and hands interject this perfect family morning routine.
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This continues throughout the day as we explore the setting of and history of Caverton. The contrasts of the perfect small town life with the stink of death is a really great set up an uneasy feeling. You could cut the suspense with a knife. As time goes on it becomes clear that Jack is living a delusion, and perfect world built within his mind. What he’s doing isn’t crazy when you think about human nature. Blocking out the bad and moving through the routine of your life in hopes of keeping things normal. Doing anything to keep the loneliness at bay. It’s one of the only ways to keep him from going crazy.
Everything Dead and Dying Tells Visual Story
What I love most about the effectiveness of this issue is the perfect balance between writing and art. Brombal lays down a classic story about small town life that decays into the reality that Jack is living in. Phillips takes us on that journey visually, with the smallest hints of death and decay. Listening to Jacks dialogue you’d have no clue of what was really happening. Philips gives us the subtlest of hints as to the death and pain that actually surrounds up, building into more obvious visuals until we see it all. The decay. The death. This whole world is fading away physically. Except for the Caverton farm, but even it’s not immune to the effects of what’s outside the walls.
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The contrast of colors are what makes the brain trigger your emotions. The bright beautiful pastels of the perfect life are broken up by the blacks, browns, and reds of death and gore. At times the zombies stick out like sore thumbs in beautiful homes and streets. Then, Jack and the loved ones in his mind do the same when standing in a rotting kitchen or Mill House.
Overall Grade 10/10
Horror and drama are made for each other and this story hits you with both square in the face. By the end of the issue there are so many conflicting thoughts and emotions as a reader. This book will leave you thinking, and that’s a great thing! Clever writing and contrasting artistic tones drive home the beauty of this issue. This is a dream world and yet still very real for Jack Chandler. However, in the end it seems like his dream may come crashing to a violent halt!
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