Looking at this book, I was sorely tempted to write “please see Remote review” as it seems that the problems mentioned in regards to one of Double Take’s sister books raise their heads again in this issue. To be fair, when creating a whole new universe, you pretty much have to go with the style you have, regardless of any faults. Such is the nature of comic publishing.
Rise follows the journey of Johnny (great name by the way) and his sister Barbara as they make their way across the States to say goodbye to a dearly departed uncle. Of course, this being a zombie book, you just know things are going to get brain sucking crazy, right?
Well, kinda.
As with other books in the Double Take universe, the Night of the Living Dead is the source material, mined into a bigger story, with recurring and new characters. Not being a huge fan of the movie, I couldn’t tell which was which. This should have allowed a greater freedom for me, but instead, the opposite occurred with a lack of interest taking hold. With the glut of zombie movies and books that we have been “graced” with, there has pretty much been no stone overturned, which is unfortunate in this case. Siblings, girlfriends and shady governments are all on show.
The art, as with Remote, is stronger than the writing with some clever play with some zoom in / zoom out camera angle at the start. However, this devolves into standard fare without much fanfare, despite a range of different panel structures. Still, clean lines are on show and there are some good story telling moments, even if you have to go look for it.
Double Take have created a bit of a rod for their own back, mainly because the source material feels too limited to make a grander, more cohesive whole, if you are not a fan of the film. As such, it would be a hard ask for anyone to have to go watch a movie to get the comic book, especially with the number of other zombie books out there, not even counting The Walking Dead. The guys at Double Take are clearly passionate about their books and with something that wasn’t hung on a movie framework, their creativity may be better served.
Writing – 2.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 2.5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
(W) Jeff McComsey (A) Federica Manfredi (CA) Jeff Dekal
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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