BOOM! Studios, 2007
ISBN: 1934506028
Zombie Tales is a full color collection of zombie stories. The authors are a collection of comic book and television writers who take a unique approach and fresh look at the zombie genre. The stories range from the humorous to the horrific, and some are even touching. Two of the stories are told in multiple parts.“I, Zombie: Remains of the Day” has three parts and “Dead Meat”, “Deader Meat”, and “Deadest Meat” are all linked. Standout stories include “Four out of Five”, where the unlikely profession that inadvertently assists in the spread of the zombie plague is responsible for stopping it, and “Daddy Smells Different”, an effective chilling little tale about a four year old whose family has been infected with the zombie plague.
The artist varies from story to story. In the case of “I, Zombie: Remains of the Day”, there is a different author for each of the three sections, which dramatically changes the feel of the story. Keith Giffen’s art in the first chapter and Benjamin Roman’s art of the second chapter are both lighter toned and more cartoonish in style than the darker toned art of Fabio Moon in the last installment, giving the reader a somewhat disjointed experience. The artist of each story does a great job of setting the tone of the story and while it does vary in style it is universally appealing.
The publisher of Zombie Tales suggests it for teens and up. While there may be a teen audience for Zombie Tales, this title will probably be more appreciated by adult fans of the zombie genre. Readers advisory note: this title will probably satisfy those who enjoyed Bits of the Dead edited by Keith Gouveia or The Undead anthologies of zombie short stories. Recommended for public library collections. Contains: gore and violence