Zenescope Entertainment 2015
Written by Joe Brusha
Illustrated by Vincenzo Riccardi
Coloured by Grostieta
Lettered by Fabio Amelia
After bonding with Nova who explains her plan, Colt and Melissa decide to help the alien crew save Earth. Meanwhile, Tavon throws a monkey wrench in the situation as all he sees is a way for him to gain power. Things escalate quickly as Tavon holds Destiny and Amber at gunpoint while Colt, Nova, and the others are swarmed by zombies.
I’m actually enjoying this very much and I think with some tweaking it could be a darn good animated feature. With Tavon now facing the wrath of holding Destiny and Amber things are really heating up. With some quick thinking the aliens manage to free the girls and the prisoner and go hook up with Colt, Nova and the others.
The way Joe has been pacing this story has been pretty strong. That this is a five issue instead of a four issue means that it can unfold a lot better. So that we get to spend more time watching the foursome try to survive and kick some serious zombie butt. I like the idea of the bus, we’ve seen time and again that busses aren’t safe or easily defended but as a last resort it makes a great stand and I dunno it just made me smile. Plus the characterization he brings with this is nice to see.
One of the things that is really impressing me is how well these guys are working together. It’s a very volatile situation and while they have a few minutes to get used to one another the fact that we’ve got this team-up with aliens versus zombies happening and learning who to trust well it’s been an interesting dynamic. I like the relationships being formed and explored by these folks and the possibilities we’re seeing here. Some unexpected yes but ultimately it’s like Joe’s forming the idea of making this more of an intergalactic space hunt for the future as the team continues to hunt down what causes the outbreaks to begin with.
First they all need to survive the current outbreak and the second coming of Tavon and his crew. Sometimes things like this bring out the worst in people and with Tavon the worst was already there this just amplifies things. He’s a dirtbag pure and simple and instead of helping mankind he’s going to either profit from it or be kind of what’s left. This kind of characterization is why this story has been as successful as it is, not only among the aliens but of the humans and how all this has affected each of them.
Next issue concludes this story and we’ll see if Earth can be saved or not. Either way I don’t think this is the end, hopefully.
Vincenzo and Grostieta have made this a real joy to see unfold. The interior artwork has been superb. Page layouts and panel usage along with the attention to detail and use of backgrounds make this some of the strongest we’ve seen at Zenescope.
That this focuses on story and content and not on gimmicks or sex appeal is another reason i’m digging the direction that Zenescope has been heading.