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Posted on Jun 13, 2004 - 01:33 AM by Admin |
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Zombie and Comic Fanatics, take notice! The Fan Man has discovered a hidden gem that you must read! What do you get when you take a world filled with zombies and combine it with a Hollywood-style crime drama/buddy road trip?! The answer? Bughouse Comics’ Zombie Highway, a miniseries filled with hot wheels, cold bodies and tons of fun!
It’s little pleasant surprises like Zombie Highway that make thankful for the internet and message boards. Were it not for the internet and message boards, gems like Zombie Highway would simply go unnoticed by Comic Fanatics and horror fanatics like myself. And this is one miniseries that deserves to be in the hands of any and all comic and horror fanatics!
Published by Bughouse Comics, Zombie Highway is the brainchild of writer Jason Pell. Pell is one of the fine folks I have met via writer Steve Niles’ Message Board. There is one particularly interesting thread on that message board that I find myself revisiting time and time again, in which posters have been haring some of their favorite zombie comics. It’s through this thread that I have been introduced to some incredibly amazing zombie comics. One of the most amazing of that bunch is Zombie Highway, a miniseries that is a zombie tale and much more!
The story of Zombie Highway actually begins in the anthology published by Bughouse Comics called The Picture Show. In the story “Hot Wheels, Cold Bodies”, we meet the “heroes” of Zombie Highway, one of the major strengths of the entire miniseries: the voice of reason and leader, Mouse; the real man’s man Tag; the too-cool-to-even-speak Kuji; and the show stealing, overweight loser named Yeti!
At first, Zombie Highway takes on the standard Hollywood zombie set up: the dead begin to mysteriously walk again. However, Pell comes back later in the miniseries and explains the nature of the risen undead, thanks in large part to some incriminating fudge fingerprints! This explanation is just one of the reasons why this story is more than just your average zombie tale.
It seems that our heroes have been hired to steal a rare museum exhibit: a book that may seem familiar to fans of “The Evil Dead” and a few other horror classics. As we learn later in the miniseries, the guys have been hired by a mysterious man named Sutter. Sutter has his own dark, deadly secret and an even darker reason for wanting this book.
As our heroes try to get away with the goods, they are trapped in a house by the police. Despite Yeti’s murder of an “innocent hostage”, the police decide to wait them out…until that decision is taken out of their hands by a horde of zombies! And the zombies don’t just have a taste for policemen!
As the zombies crash into the house, our heroes have no choice but to shoot their way out. With the police out of the way, the guys find the perfect getaway vehicle: the sheriff’s classic convertible! Our heroes and a nearly naked Yeti - who has shucked his clothing after it became covered with the blood of his “innocent hostage” - drive away into a thrilling adventure with the strange book in their possession…and a surprise waiting for them in the trunk of the car!
Before hooking up with their fence, the guys must first find some clothing for Yeti, who is clad in only his underwear! (Definitely, one of the more funny, if not frightening sights in the miniseries!) Luckily, the guys come across a stranded tour bus. While his friends take pop-shots at approaching zombies, Yeti sneaks on board and selects some clothing…never realizing that he has just entered a bus full of zombie lesbians! Yeti barely escapes with his life and a new “Lillith Fair” t-shirt! Meanwhile, one of those zombies that the guys shot, gets up and reveals that he is more than your average zombie…
Our heroes’ book exchange doesn’t go as expected. First, their fence isn’t happy that the book has apparently been opened, even though the guys deny it. And our heroes don’t like it when the fence informs them that they are to take the book directly to the source: Sutter. Meanwhile, Yeti doesn’t like how he is being treated by his friends, so he decides to make a new friend. And what a friend he makes!
As Tag captures a picture of Yeti and his new friend, he meets the girl of his dreams. Just when it appears that Pell’s story is about to turn into a lovefest, zombies - and something more deadly - crash the party! Once again, our heroes are off on a life or death road trip!
Our heroes’ road trip leads them straight to Sutter’s home. Sutter shows our heroes the proof that the book has been opened. Meanwhile, our heroes discover the shocking reason why Sutter wants the book. This one ends in a fast, furious fashion that will leave you begging for more! Pell delivers an ending that has chilled me like very few comics have ever managed to do! This is definately an adventure that is far from over…
I admit that I wanted to read this miniseries based simply on the fact it was a zombie story. However, I soon discovered that this comic was much more. This comic is a horrific buddy road trip that the likes of Hollywood has never seen. The zombies? Mere supporting characters!
Not too many years ago, I ran around with three other guys and - aside from the living dead aspect - a lot of these guys’ antics and adventures reminded me of those “good ole days.” Ironically, one guy in our group was nicknamed Bigfoot, although he was not overweight like Yeti! It’s fond memories like these that power this tale. You will be hard pressed to find a better buddy road trip tale - not even on the big screen!
Pell has a great knack for snappy dialogue, something many writers don’t possess - especially so early in their career. Pell has either lived similar experiences with his pals, or he does an excellent job of making the reader believe that he has. Take this snappy dialogue and combine it with the easy to read, smooth flowing story and one would assume that Pell is a decades old veteran at this writing thing!
While Pell does an excellent job of writing a buddy road trip tale with shades of a Hollywood crime drama, don’t think for a second that this guy doesn’t have the chops for horror. There are some simply eerie, chilling scenes in nearly every issue. As mentioned earlier, the ending to the miniseries is just creepy! And there are plenty more creeps and chills to be found in the rest of the miniseries! Perhaps the creepiest aspect? The fact that Pell leaves a few unanswered questions and leaves us with an ending that screams "sequel!"
Artistically, this miniseries - like Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead - is in black and white. Like The Walking Dead, the black and white art serves Zombie Highway well, fitting the mood of this story perfectly…and actually making those creepy moments all the more creepier!
Artist Roberto Viacava does a fantastic job in this issue. Viacava gives each character a distinct look and personality, especially Yeti. You just feel like laughing every time this guy is on the page! Meanwhile, Viacava illustrates some truly creepy and gory members of the walking dead!
Combine the incredible art of Viacava with Pell’s fantastic story and you have one of the best miniseries ever to slip under your radar. Luckily, you will get a second chance not to let Zombie Highway pass you by! Pell and company are shooting for a November release for Zombie Highway, which will then be published by Digital Webbing. Start staking out you favorite comic book store now! Only a braindead zombie would pass this one up!
For more information about Zombie Highway, check out Bughouse Comics.Com.
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