The Walking by Raven Gregory, Vic Drujiniu and Mark Roberts

Strolling around Barnes and Noble, checking out the comic books I came across The Walking. It was right next to The Walking Dead comics so at first, I thought it was one of them. I picked it up and started checking it out. I never knew that this comic existed. I had to pick it up and give it a review.

Everyone who has been murdered is coming back to life to avenge their deaths. Four police officers try to get to the bottom of this, but what they find, ends up being more than what meats the eye.

Right off the bat I want to say that this is probably the funniest comic I have ever read. When the dialogue between two detectives starts, it quickly begins to develop the characters personality. One of them is a big time joker, while the other is more serious. There’s something wrong with you if this comic doesn’t have you laughing within the first few pages.

The storyline was ok. Not really the traditional zombie, but the monsters are living dead creatures. They are not flesh eaters and headshots do not kill them. I can only assume because with all the action, none of the characters went for a headshot. The monsters were referenced as zombies by some of the characters.

There were a few dry and boring spots throughout the story, but not too many. It was one of those books that I put down for a few days and didn’t feel any excitement picking it back up.

The illustrations were wonderful to look at. The zombies looked great, but there weren’t to many of them. There were a few nude scenes and was packed with a lot of adult content. If there are children present, it might be best to keep this one away from them.

I will have to give The Walking, 4 Undead Heads out of 5.

If you’d like to check out The Walking, please stop by your local book store and pick up a copy. Or if you’d like to support the site please use the link below to buy this awesome comic.

Interview with Mark Allan Gunnells

Mark Allan Gunnells is the author of the zombie novella, Asylum. He is a fun-loving guy with a good since of humor. Enjoy the interview.

Lyle

Why did you decide to write about zombies?

Mark
I have always loved the Romero type zombie films, but when watching them, I always wonder where all the gay characters are. Seems like some of us would survive the zombie apocalypse. So I decided to write a story with almost all gay characters.

Lyle
What can you tell us about your novella, Asylum?

Mark
I always jokingly call it “Night of the Living Dead” set in a gay club instead of a farm house. I really use the zombies as an excuse to get all these different characters together and explore what makes them tick. I consider it a character-driven piece…with some flesh-eating goodness thrown in for good measure.

Lyle
Do you have any other published work?

Mark
Yes, I have published three books with Sideshow Press: A Laymon Kind of Night, a chapbook that collects a few short stories, Whisonant/Creatures of the Light, a book that collects two of my novellas, and Tales from the Midnight Shift Vol. I, a short story collection. I also have a digital short, “Dancing in the Dark,” through Darkside Digital.

Lyle
To you, what characteristics need to be present in order to be considered a zombie?

Mark
You need to be dead and still moving around. Oh, and hungry for some human flesh.

Lyle
Your novella, Asylum, does have strong homosexual content, have you received any flack because of that?

Mark
Actually none. I have to admit, it was a concern, but my publisher The Zombie Feed, an imprint of Apex Publications, seemed to have no qualms about the gay elements of the tale. I’m very pleased by the fact that readers by and large haven’t batted an eye.

Lyle
Are you a full time writer or do you have another job? What’s your writing schedule like?

Mark
I am a security guard, and I actually write mostly at work. I was once on third shift, and I had plenty of time to write. Now that I’m on first, I have less time, but I still have some downtime during which I can sneak in some writing. I’m very lucky that way.

Lyle
What are your thoughts on self-published work?

Mark
I’ve never gone that route myself, but I think it can be a great way for up-and-coming writers to get their work out there. My one stipulation is that I think writers who self-publish still need to find people to act as editors.

Lyle
Where can people pick up your books?

Mark
Asylum is available as a print and digital book at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. Whisonant/Creatures of the Night and Tales from the Midnight Shift Vol. I are available at www.sideshowpressonline.com. And “Dancing in the Dark” at www.darkside-digital.com.

Lyle
Do you have anything zombie related coming out?

Mark
Not anytime soon, but I am currently writing a zombie tale, a follow-up to Asylum, set on a college campus called Fort.

Lyle
Have you prepared yourself for the zombie apocalypse?

Mark
I’m just going to let myself get bit. If you can’t beat em, join em.

HUMAgeddon by Robert Butt and Illustrated by Scott Twells

KnightWatch Press is a new independent publishing house. Their first dabble into the publishing world is with the comic book HUMAgeddon written by Robert Butt and Illustrated by Scott Twells. David Naughton-Shires, one of the owners of KnightWatch Press, asked me to review their first zombie title.

The world as humans knew it had ended. The dead have completely taken it over and forced humans into isolated islands. A zombie family is enjoying dinner, when a knock comes at the door. It is none other than a mob of humans ready to fight and take back what was rightfully theirs. But the zombies aren’t going to make it easy for them.

HUMAgeddon was a fun and quick read that gives a different take on the zombie apocalypse. The zombies are not seen as a threat in the story, but humans are. I really enjoyed the plot, it was different and creative, but it did fall a bit flat at times. With this being the first comic issue, it was hard to really get into the meat of the story. However, this issue was a good set-up.

The illustrations by Scott Twells were very good. I really enjoyed the art style of the comic. It wasn’t too realistic, but then it wasn’t too cartoony. The gore was pretty cool too, it wasn’t too graphic where a kid would look at it and be scared for life.

This was a good start to something that has the potential to be a one of a kind comic. I will be looking forward to the next issue and will review it as soon as I can get my hands on it. I will have to give HUMAgeddon, 4 Undead Heads out of 5.

HUMAgeddon is available at the link below.

www.tiny.cc/BuyHUMAgeddon

Asylum by Mark Allan Gunnells

The Zombie Feed is a new imprint of Apex Book Company that specializes in zombie literature. Jason Sizemore emailed me and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing their first novella entitled, Asylum. I agreed and was sent a review copy. The book is very thin and the font is decent size, so this book is a very quick read.

Asylum is the hottest homosexual nightclub in town. Curtis, a twenty-year-old virgin, finds himself waiting in the dark parking lot for his friend, Jimmy. Both of them are homosexuals, but Jimmy is far more ‘seasoned’ than Curtis. This is quickly noticed as Curtis is waiting for his friend to finish going down on a guy inside a parked car. The oral sex act was quickly stopped as the windows were shattered and the man Curtis was satisfying, was yanked out and torn to pieces.

At first, Jimmy and Curtis think that it is local punks who want to, “beat on gays,” but that thought quickly leaves their minds as they look at the assailant’s cold and dead faces. The friends flee into the nightclub where they are met by another cast of characters. After a brief exchange, the survivors barricade themselves inside and wait out the disturbance. But when a group of people are locked inside a building, with the dead banging on the doors, things happen…

I’m going to be honest, I rarely read blurbs. I’ll skim through it and pick out words, but I like the element of surprise in stories. When I began reading Asylum, it threw me off. I was not expecting to read a book where the characters are homosexuals, and commit sexual acts with each other, in great detail. I have no problem with people’s sexual preferences. I know I am attracted to females so I can read a story like this without freaking out about the content. I say this because I know how the world is, so if the person reading this review has a problem with homosexuality, stop here and don’t read this book.

I thought Asylum was a very entertaining story. It had a hand-full of colorful characters, some I liked more than others, but as a group, they did well with each other. The dialogue between them was authentic, and did add much to the story.

One thing I really disliked about Asylum was that it’s about the people. The author can just change the word zombie to any other natural disaster and you’d end up with the same basic plot. People are barricaded inside a building and they can’t leave, one of them goes crazy and ruins it for everybody. The zombie interaction in this novella was very brief, they only make an appearance in the beginning and the end. There is no back story to them, they are just there. I like reading stories where the people are surviving zombies, not just surviving. I know many people see that differently, but that’s how I see it.

Anyway, I did like the story, but I just wished the zombie interaction was greater than what it was. I will give Asylum, 4 Undead Heads out of 5.


As always, if you’d like to get your own copy of Asylum, I ask that you please go to your local bookstore and have them order a copy. If you don’t have a local bookstore, support mine by using the link below.

Asylum

Interview with Brian Kaufman

Brain Kaufman is the author of many novels including Dead Beyond the Fence. He's a nice man that writes some of the most horrifying scenes i have ever read. Enjoy.

 
Lyle
Why zombies?

Brian
When I was sixteen, I took a girl to the drive-in. She was cute. I figured a horror movie might get her a little closer to my lap. The movie playing was Night of the Living Dead. It was summer – plenty hot outside – but she was in a sweater five minutes into the film. When it was over, we drove home in silence. I don’t know about her, but I’ve had zombie nightmares ever since.

Lyle
What possessed you to write such a twisted story that is Dead Beyond the Fence?

Brian
My father worked for NASA. He described how funding worked for that particular government agency. There were three distinct approaches to one particular problem. Funded equally, one of the three approaches seemed to be yielding results. When it came time to reconsider funding, they bumped funding up for the other two approaches “to make it fair.” That sort of thinking informs modern discourse.

And there’s the issue of what causes a zombie plague. I started cataloguing possible sources, and really, they’re all fun to think about. Which to choose? Then I remembered my father’s funding tale, and a kernel of plot popped for me.

Lyle
How long have you been writing and how did you get started?

Brian
My parents tell me that I was making comic books for the neighbors at the age of five. After my first go-around with college (back in the sixties), I talked about writing a lot, but didn’t do much of it. When I turned 40, I had to declare bankruptcy, and out of that wreckage, I decided to get serious about writing. I’ve published three novels so far, but Dead Beyond the Fence is my first horror novel.

Lyle
What are some of your favorite zombie books?

Brian
The Walking Dead is a comic book series, but the characterizations are as good as any novel. I loved Brooks’ World War Z. I also enjoyed J. L. Bourne’s Day By Day Armageddon.

Lyle
Now what about some of your favorite zombie movies?

Brian
Night of the Living Dead, of course. Both versions of Dawn of the Dead are good, but I suppose I prefer the original. I also like some of the comedies, particularly Planet Terror.

Lyle
Who did the cover for your book?

Brian
Jack Larson is an artist in New Mexico. I found him on the Internet. He did “body detail” while with the army. He did similar work for the police after his army career. He explained once that he’d handled bodies in every stage of decomposition. He’s retired now, and he only paints zombies. His work absolutely creeped me out. He’s incredible.

Lyle
To you, what characteristics need to be present in order to be a zombie?

Brian
I’m probably a zombie purest, preferring Romero’s shambling zombies, though George himself stepped away from the original slow-moving, no conscious thought, dead-not-infected sort of zombie. But I do enjoy stories with “zombosity.” Infected people that act like zombies scare me for the same reason Romero’s films do. The apocalyptic notion of mindless decaying things that want to eat you just does it for me.

Lyle
Do you have any advice for the aspiring writers out there?

Brian
Join a writer’s group. If there aren’t any around, form one. You can’t write in a vacuum. The legend of Emily Dickinson (stuffing unshared poetry into a dresser for posthumous publication) is romantic, but it may be responsible for the stillbirth of some promising writing careers.

Lyle
Where can people pick up a copy of your book?

Brian
Bookstores will order it, but the easiest place to get it is Amazon.

Lyle
Have you prepared yourself for the zombie apocalypse?

Brian
I built my home in the mountains. The only way into the house is through heavy ground-level garage doors. No windows on the ground floor. The stated reason for this was bears – we have a bear cave on the land. But that’s really just a cover story. Zombies. Come the apocalypse, I’ll be on the porch looking down, eating food and drinking beer from the pantry; lamenting the loss of postal service and all that swell correspondence from my creditors.