Dead Day #1 is due out May 27, 2020. — **Dead Day #1** is due out May 27, 2020.

By Jarred A. Luján — Dead Day is a zombie comic from Aftershock Comics, written by Ryan Parrot and drawn by Evgeniy Bornyakov. Zombie media is hard because the bar is always high. Zombie stories are so popular and so in the cultural zeitgeist that it is an increased challenge to do something fresh and new with them. Often times, zombie film/comics/games are just the same tired tropes resurrected (ha!) and rehashed.

So, the thing that I like about Dead Day #1 is that it sets itself apart from that right at the start. You can get two or three pages in and realize that this book isn’t the same tired tropes, it’s different. Parrot does a really incredible job of building this world up within his set of characters. You get a taste (ha, again!) of each character’s personality and conflicts while we get a general understanding of what Dead Day actually is. It’s a good mixture of getting invested into characters while simultaneously building a sense of intrigue in the world they inhabit. Really solid stuff there.

Some of Dead Day’s stronger attributes are many of the things left unsaid. There’s a lot of mystery still at hand, there’s a lot of motivation to keep turning the page to try and figure out a little bit more. There’s just enough breadcrumbs to get us through the issue while leaving us prepared for more. This issue has so much character conflict built in that I’m finding myself just as interested in how those will unfold versus the actual zombie plot at the heart of the book.

Bornyakov has some really excellent artwork to compliment that as well. Building your world with character interactions means that their physical expressions of emotions are really carrying the weight of the art side. Bornyakov handles it with excellence. We can really get a feel for what these characters are feeling while they speak, it adds that layer of authenticity. More than that, I really like the last page. The way that Bornyakov captures the dramatic tension with that last page is a hook all upon itself.

Overall: Dead Day #1 is about as strong a debut as you could ask for. It gives enough to feel invested while having some incredibly strong hooks. A fresh, new take on zombies blended with great character work has me excited for #2. 9.0/10

Dead Day #1
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Evgeniy Bornyakov
Colorist: JUANCHO!
Letterer: Charles Pritchett
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
If the dead could come back for just one night, would we want them to? Meet the Haskins, a seemingly normal suburban family, as they prepare for the annual macabre holiday known as "Dead Day" - when the deceased rise from the grave from sunset to sunrise. Some come back to reunite with family and friends, others for one last night of debauchery, still others with only one thing on their decomposing mind: revenge.
Release Date: May 27, 2020
Pre-Order It Online: Click here!

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Jarred A. Luján makes comics, studies existential philosophy, and listens to hip-hop too loudly. For bad jokes and dog pictures, you can follow him on Twitter.