Broken Frontier

First issues are difficult endeavors from the word "go." There are so many things you need to accomplish in just twenty-two pages while simultaneously endearing readers to the next issue. A bad first issue is filled with nothing but concept with little to no characters you care to follow. Others take the opposite route, giving you only a slice of the characters' lives, but hardly touching upon any kind of ongoing conflict that will keep you coming back for more. 

Luckily, iZombie, from writer Chris Roberson and artist Michael Allred (creator of the indie classic, Madman) doesn't fall too far down any of these traps, but comes dangerously close to the edges. We're introduced to Gwen Dylan, a pasty, young hipster working as a gravedigger and looking to escape her past. She socializes only as long as she has to and makes sure no one from her former life recognizes her. 

She resides in the cemetery with her good friend Ellie, who has her own little supernatural secret. You see, Gwen is a zombie. Not your typical lumbering and mindless zombie, but one that has learned to function amongst the living. 

Upon further exploration into her world, the audience is let in on all the colorful monsters that populate this story. Maybe even some monster hunters, but that's a tease for another time. There are a few little tidbits of info that Roberson and Allred throw in for further exploration. This first chapter is just a tease, with a heck of a hook for an ending. A hook that changes the tone of the book and one that I wish wasn't spoiled in previews of the story previously. It makes the drive of the overarching tale less about these people living their lives (or un-lives) and more about reconciling with the past. It delivers on the promise and possibility of a better second issue.

Mike Allred's art and overall design work of this world is all at once classy, hip, sexy, and completely beautiful. His work seems simple with its elegant line, but there's a complexity involved that's distinctly his. His handling of all the players and the way he adds aspects of their otherworldly abilities into the character designs is subtle and sweet. Gwen is a corpse-like shade of lavender with white hair, while a werewolf character has a unibrow and a rat mustache.

There are so many small and wonderful little touches that make this series shine beyond a typical trip down the zombie genre. For the low introductory price of $1.00, how can you rationalize not picking up this little gem. It's a typical first issue with all the growing pains that normally come with it. However, there's more than enough to latch onto, and in time, it will hopefully prove to be a multiple-genre blend of fun and adventure.

That's what comics are all about, being able to tell a story that is layered and unique to the medium. Roberson and Allred successfully do this by using our shared knowledge of monsters and ghouls, but placing them in a context that is wholly modern. 

Let's hope subsequent issues deliver on this concept in fresh and new ways. The groundwork is in place, so let's get building, fellas.