Dead Day is a day that comes around quasi-regularly in which people have a chance to speak with those who have slipped this mortal coil. It lasts from sundown to sunrise. As you can imagine, there are opposing sides to this; there are people who enjoy it, people who are true believers of the communion between the dead and the alive and of course those that are scared. To keep safe, there are simple rules to follow. Of course, you know that these are going to be ignored at some point. After all, we have all seen Gremlins! The book focuses on a family, the Haskins, who are a microcosm of the whole situation. Firstly there are two kids. Brandon, the older brother of Jewel, who wants to strike out on his own, albeit with a “hot cult chick”. Then there is Daniel, a kind of long suffering husband of sorts. It’s his wife, Melissa is the one driving a wedge between them through her own desires and hope for Dead Day. After all, how would you feel if you partner wanted to bunk up for one night with their dead ex?
The book is written by Ryan Parrott, Oberon, Volition and Power Rangers. There are several elements borrowed from alternative sources, some of which are obvious. Sunset till sunrise is very much The Purge, spirits of dead coming to visit is Mexican culture and features prominently in the episode Day of the Dead, possibly the best episode from the last season of Babylon 5. I don’t mind the influences to be honest, especially as Parrott gets to play with the readers expectations. The family unit may seem a tad tepid, at least at this stage. I would hope that we get to see each member get their time in the spotlight, not just Mom and eldest son as indicated in this first issue. The dialogue works well with the family scenes playing out well enough. With the introduction of the dead, Parrott gets to have some fun at some of the characters expense.
The art is provided by Evgeniy Bornyakov, who you may have seen on Descendent, also from AfterShock Comics. I enjoyed the art immensely. Sure, there are some nuances to the art that may seem familiar; maybe Todd Nauck around the faces or a more defined Alex Maleev. Bornyakov has gone for elements of realism which suits the story for large parts, given that, up to now at least, the book is about the relationships between the family members as they all kind of transpose their own needs and wants over those of the family unit as whole. The panels work well; large enough to allow space for the dialogue without impacting the visuals. There are some lovely well observed and crafted scenes throughout the book which shows a high level of story telling. Juancho provides the colors, with a painted style over colors with more “pop”, which adds to the foreshadowing of the darkness about to besiege the town. Finally Charles Pritchett provides the letters, utilising the spaces that Bornyakov has built into the pages.
If I am honest,when I saw the idea for this book, my initial reaction was “Really? Haven’t I seen this before?”. Instead what I got was a well written book, packed with great little moments that leads to darker things that might not necessarily be as trope as they seem. Coupled with the great art, this mini series if to a fantastic start!
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4.5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall -Â 4.5 Stars
Written by; Ryan Parrott
Art by; Evgeniy Bornyakov
Colors by; Juancho
Letters by; Charles Pritchett
Published by; AfterShock Comics
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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