REVIEW: The Gravediggers Union #6

The Grave Diggers Union (Image Comics) is a monthly reminder of how much fun the gothic horror subgenre of comics can be. Good zombie stories take a familiar aspect of our everyday reality ”“ in this case a unionized group of gravediggers ”“ and imbue it with the superpower of good old-fashioned undead horror. Wes Craig, Toby Cypress and company have built a world that fuses the gothic with the noir and in turn gives us yet another fresh look at the impending zombie apocalypse. To accomplish this feat in the shadow of The Walking Dead is remarkable.

Normally, the sixth issue of an ongoing monthly series is not the best moment to come onboard. That is pretty much true for issue number six of The Gravediggers Union, but the “Story so far . . .”“ synopsis is succinct and thorough; it brings you right up to speed and into a world where the Black Temple cult is preparing to assassinate the space-monkey, an alien being who is the key to either bringing on the undead apocalypse or saving humanity ”“ depending on which side of this mortal conflict with which you choose to align yourself.

Labor unions and pension politics are not often (or ever) the stuff of which classic comics are made, but Wes Craig gives readers just enough to understand the stakes of unionization and the value of old-school/traditional pensions in our mundane world. In the world of the Gravediggers Union, these nostalgic socioeconomic attributes of a bygone era are important tools for the protagonists ”“ Cole, Ortiz, and Haley. It’s almost as if, Craig and Cypress want readers to better appreciate the value of labor unions and/or to understand the economic impact of pension funds fading from our late-capitalist existence.

In this world, shovels and other digging tools are much more important than guns ”“ or any of the more traditional superpowers. The rudimentary nature of our heroes“ association(s) and their basic mortal toolbox underwrite a narrative that feels more real than most horror oriented fiction in the marketplace at the moment. This doesn“t preclude this issue from being tons of fun: a hell-bent cult, straight out of the Eyes Wide Shut wardrobe room, faces off against an army of unionized grisly gravediggers over a space monkey hidden in plain sight at the Coney Island zoo. Horror comics don“t get any better than this. 4/5!

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Wes Craig (A) Toby Cypress (CA) Wes Craig