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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Books On Rotten

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 3:45 PM

c7d1/1245789576-newrotten_200px.jpg Local movie reviewer Robert Horton is co-writing a new comic book called Rotten for Moonstone Comics. You can read the first few pages of the comic here.

The premise is, basically, cowboys vs. zombies. Sure, there are a couple of secret agents and prostitutes thrown in, and some suggestions that Rutherford B. Hayes was the George W. Bush of his day ("...that fuck, Ruther-Fraud B. Hayes ain't my president!" a cowboy says, as if to underline the point), but it's basically 52 pages of full-color zombie slaughtering. Personally, in part due to this book, I'm getting really tired of zombies. Everyone keeps saying that zombies are played out and then zombies keep coming back like...well, zombies.

But this is a well-put together comic book. Part of the saving grace is the art, by Dan Dougherty, who also colored the comic. His linework is clean and clear, and he's got kind of an early Dave Gibbons vibe, which is, to me, a really fine goal for any genre comics artist. But the writing, too, is solid and entertaining. You can't just zip through the issue the way you can with most modern comics. It's a pretty dense read for a four-color floppy book. and if you like horror or western comics, this is definitely worth your time.

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I prefer my cowboys to sparkle.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 23, 2009 at 4:10 PM

I support this.

Posted by Rotten666 on June 23, 2009 at 4:49 PM

Still loving zombies...I might always love them, like I will always love puppies and doughnuts.

Posted by TripleX on June 23, 2009 at 5:24 PM

There's already a comic book type out about cowboys and zombies. I just read it from the Everett Library a few months ago. I'll try to find it again and post the title.

Posted by Simone on June 23, 2009 at 5:46 PM

I too would say "fuck zombies", but I'm three hardcovers into Walking Dead, so I'm pretty much committed at this point.

Posted by laterite on June 23, 2009 at 5:53 PM

I lost a ton of respect listening to Mr. Horton be all knowing and wise with movies and then admitting he had never watched Six Feet Under or Sopranos. Ive always wanted to ask him WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!?!?!!!

Posted by MadDog on June 23, 2009 at 9:50 PM

@4: I think you're thinking of "Dead West," although I'm not certain of the title, either. I picked it up from the library, too. I don't remember being that impressed by it, though.

Posted by Grist

on June 23, 2009 at 10:52 PM

Completely agree about PPZ, not so much that its a terrible book, but that its almost a crest to the variety of mediocore zombie books out there. On the other hand, The Living Dead collection edited by John Joseph Adams, is pretty good and it sounds like Rotten is good too. I guess thats the problem with the current Zombie trend, as much as the trend has its posers it also has more then its share of talent.

Posted by bubbles on June 24, 2009 at 12:20 AM

No one's ever done better than Romero on zombies, and when I think of the most believable and affecting scenarios for them, his movies have the genre (mostly) covered.

That said, Marvel Zombies made me giggle due to memories of my 70s "Make Mine Marvel!" childhood being torn apart and eaten well, like brains. Hits the right "nostalgia + splatter + post-modern reinvention" button. BUT the third hardcover collection sucked (though the fourth will see the resurrection of the antagonists/protagonists from 70s Marvel horror comics, a much better idea than the tie-ins with Evil Dead and third rate current heroes).

I still think someone is going to do for zombies what "True Blood" does for vampires -- a sexy reinvention no one is quite ready for. A couple of ideas not done yet which are probably on their way (the Jane Austin book is close, but not "it") ...

Posted by Estey on June 24, 2009 at 7:22 AM

So it's Deadlands?

Posted by TwentySides on June 24, 2009 at 8:46 AM