I, Zombie #1 – 5

Comixology had a Vertigo sale on a few weeks ago and I bought the first five issues of I, Zombie.  There were a few titles to choose from and I went for this purely on the basis of Mike Allred’s art. I hadn’t heard of writer Chris Roberson, but I always liked Allred’s writing so assumed he wouldn’t get involved in anything rubbish.

I, Zombie is the everyday tale of cool, indie-chick Gwen (who happens to be a zombie), her cool, 1960s chick pal Ellie (who happens to be a ghost) and their geeky male chum Spot (who happens to be a were-terrier).  Oh, and there are some hot vampire chicks hanging around town.  It’s safe to say that it’s very zeitgeisty.

The twist – and the reason why she is a cool, indie-chick and not a shambling corpse – is that Gwen needs to eat brains once a month to stop her from deteriorating. Luckily, she works in a graveyard and has ready access to lots of fresh cadavers – she ain’t no murderer.  Anyway, scoffing the grey matter results in her absorbing the memories of the person who has died, and she has to investigate the reasons for the death to stop the memories overwhelming her.  Over the issues we see her look into the suspicious death of her latest meal.

The first five issues are also collected in book form, so I suppose this constitutes the first story arc, although it’s a bit loose and not enough happens.  It’s a fun and “quirky” romp, and Allred definitely draws cool chicks, but I don’t know if there was enough of a hook to bring me back.  The mystery around the death is resolved too easily, and is more a case of setting up future plot threads than being a self-contained story.  I’m sure that back in the days of me buying 40ish comics per month then I would have stuck with it, but due to ever escalating costs and an almost overwhelming choice, these days I need to be a bit more discerning with my purchases.  If the next batch of issues were to be on sale then I might give them a go, but I don’t feel compelled to find out what happens next.

On a side note, Apple’s recent price hike in the UK has hit the comics app.  This has added 10-50p per issue. It doesn’t sound that much, but it adds up when you buy a batch and makes the price differential to a physical comic much less impressive.  Unsurprisingly these price rises haven’t affected the US.  It seems a move which will only decrease the growth of this service. Is it any wonder people end up pirating material?