What's Fun About This Book
Zombies are never really all that fun. They're not. They represent so much of what is wrong about the human condition: both the living and the dead. Whether you're George Romero, "The Walking Dead," or half a dozen bandwagoners trying to replicate a tried and true horror trope, "zombies are the new black." However, every so often a writer or creative team comes along to do something different in the genre that makes it fresh. Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Scott Hampton do just that with Star Spangled War Stories #1 featuring the premiere of G.I. Zombie.
From here on out I will refer to this book as SSWS #1 or G.I. Zombie. Issue no. 1 introduces us to the two main characters: Carmen King aka Tiff and Jared aka G.I. Zombie. Later on we discover that both are agents from the Department of Defense. Their mission is to infiltrate the gang to whom readers are also introduced in the beginning. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray really pulled a "gotcha" on me when I first picked up this book to read. I won't spoil it here, but they wind an interesting twist in the events spilling out of their introduction.
The tone of G.I. Zombie feels like something out of "Roadhouse" or "Sons of Anarchy." Scott Hampton's art and colors is the right fit for a book like this with lots of gray and dusty, dark tones. As I continued to read, I automatically associated G.I. Zombie with the likes of Deadpool (w/o a mask). The creative team also thought this through. The titular anti-hero does not regenerate his body parts. However, he does have an interesting skill for self-repair, which demonstrates his durabililty. This is what makes G.I. Zombie somewhat unique. He works for the "good guys." He's partnered with another agent like Mulder and Scully. He's full of mystery, which I'm sure will be fleshed out in later issues.
What's Not Fun
I got skills. Special skills.
First of all, G.I. Zombie is a book unlike a number of other comics in the New 52. It really should be a Vertigo book in my opinion. The mature themes and adult-orientation of the narrative makes for an awkward set-up as a New 52 addition. Secondly, though it's not as gruesome as some other books are from Image, Darkhorse or other independents, SSWS #1 is still pretty violent. As I read on, I was relieved that Carmen seemed to possess a good, moral alignment. She questions whether what they are doing is right. She even displays the doubts and fears associated with partnering with a zombie. How weird is that?
However, the moral alignment of her partner Jared aka G.I. Zombie is another question. Though he works for the Department of Defense as an agent, and it seems as though he bleeds red, white and blue; he's still a zombie. We get to see him do what zombies naturally do. This is the unfortunate dilemma for the guy that get's it in the end. Though this man's death will seem justified in some readers eyes, the complication here is that a family has lost one of its members. I can imagine that they'll need to navigate the trauma (and the other-world absurdity) of what they witnessed. Who would even believe them? The authorities? So, how will the creative team show how Jared comes to terms with his actions and moral alignment?
The Punch-Line
SSWS #1 featuring G.I. Zombie is not a comic book for kids. Though it's rated Teen Plus, the whole zombie craze in pop culture may lure younger readers simply with the word "ZOMBIE" scrawled across the cover. Darwyn Cookes' cover, by the way, was great. The story was also great, but gruesome. However, this book should be published under the Vertigo imprint since it explores mature themes.
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