Broken Frontier

Zombies are everywhere. The entertainment world reeks of disemboweled bodies and decomposing flesh. Movies, video games, and especially comics seem on the brink of collapse under an onslaught of the shambling, brainless undead. I’ve never really understood the allure of zombies. Besides the copious amounts of gore, there’s nothing really scary about zombies as they’re depicted in modern entertainment. In fact, they’re just the opposite – tiresome and vaguely ridiculous.

Even recent movies like Zombieland, which takes an over the top horror-comedy approach to its material, felt like watching a one-trick pony. Really, there’s only so many fun, inventive ways to kill the undead before it starts to feel forced.

Having said that, Rombies #0 was a pleasant, if uneven surprise. As the title cutely suggests, this one-shot introduction to Australian-based Gestalt Publishing zombie offering is set in Rome during the height of the gladiators’ popularity. Seriously, is there a better setting for a zombie story than a Coliseum teeming with rabid fans, wild beasts, and deadly warriors? I think not.

A large part of the book’s success stems from the stellar artwork of Skye Ogden. Working in a slightly cartoony style, Ogden’s art is lively and leaps off the page without sacrificing a stunning attention to detail. The Coliseum and its gladiators are beautifully rendered, featuring exquisite period design elements and decorative flairs. His figures are robust and expressive, the pencils impeccably inked with a nice heavy line that lends each character weight and solidity. It’s a unique style, wonderfully matched to Tom Taylor’s crisp, fast-paced script.

Like his collaborator’s artwork, Taylor’s script achieves a fine balance between levity and real emotional moments. The plot moves fast – maybe a little too fast. Taylor quickly establishes the book’s premise within the first couple of pages but doesn’t pause to give any explanation for the sudden zombie uprising. Presumably, the origin of Rome’s infestation of the walking dead will be explored in the series proper but even a brief FYI would have been welcome in this introductory issue. Despite this minor gripe, Taylor delivers a rousing, fun story even if it’s steeped in half-devoured corpses and rivers of blood.

As with many zero issues, Rombies #0 left me wanting a little more. Despite multiple readings, I still can’t quite buy how suddenly and completely the Coliseum was overrun – largely off-panel. Still, buoyed by the kinetic, detailed style of Skye Ogden and Taylor’s inarguably exciting pace, Rombies #0 is a fun, refreshing read that breathes a little life into a relatively lame horror convention desperately in need of fresh legs.