Awakening

By Nick Tapalansky, illustrated by Alex Eckman-Lawn
Archaia Studio Press, $19.95, 144 pages

I get it; I know. I know that you’re sick of zombies in pop culture. I get it, I get it. I know. They’re in recent literature (World War Z, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), they’re in recent films (28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, I am Legend, Shaun of the Dead, Resident Evil, Zombieland); they’re in recent video games Left 4 Dead//, Left 4 Dead 2, Resident Evil, Dead Rising); they’re everywhere! Zombies are spreading like, well, zombies. And I get it! I understand that it’s becoming played out and overdone, but bear with me here, bear with me. Don’t let the fact that Zombies are played out discourage you from getting a hold of Archaia Press Studio’s Awakening: Volume One by Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn. It’s near, if not at, the pinnacle of the best execution of a zombie graphic novel. It breathes death into the dead fad, and somehow, in contradiction, brings it back to life by doing so! Trust me on this.

Though the storyline, that mainly consists of a private investigator attempting to figure out what exactly is plaguing Park City and its inhabitants, is undoubtedly awesome, the even more exciting part of the graphic novel is the art. The illustration is dark and telling, and obviously skillfully and passionately done. Eckman-Lawn was bold with the use of big black lines and strategic with the use of color and intentional “messy” shading, all of which create a tremendous depth of atmosphere and feeling.

Reviewed by Jordan Dacayanan