Aftershock Comics 2017
Written by Frank Tieri
Illustrated by Oleg Okunev
Coloured by Rob Schwager
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
Cover by Tim Bradstreet
As the Church's conspiracy tightens and the zombie outbreak reaches its peak, Roderick Helms and his men must storm Westminster Abbey to find the one object that can end it all! Will Fiat Lux succeed? Or will the zombie apocalypse reign forevermore?
Frank continues to impress me, he’s got so much range to what he does and can think of, come up with and be able to express. This isn’t your standard zombie epic oh no while it has them and they are overtaking much of the world there’s more to this. Roderick and his team which seem to be dwindling in number faster than anyone would like, I’m including us readers in that, and his mission and characterisation here is remarkable. Then there’s the whole Church angle which the way its presented to us fits exactly into how I seem them operating. So there’s this whole band of travellers on a mission to save the world, there’s an evil force hell-bent on stopping them from discovering the truth and in-between there’s this ever growing army of the undead.
This is a story that has more intricacies than you would expect, several ongoing plot threads that keep expanding and at it’s core is a man who is trying to overcome his grief, keep his people alive and put an end to all this madness. The only thing is he’s up a creek without a paddle as he has no one with him who has the answers he needs. He is a great character who himself is complex and while trying his best we see him with his desire, ambition and lack of faith. The inner struggle we see in private is fantastic.
There is something about Oleg’s style of artwork on the interiors that’s just enchanting. I mean he’s able to convey the emotions of the characters and then show us armour and these zombies who are able to tap into who they were. He has some very good attention to detail, I mean the armour and the zombies oh my god there’s some great things happening in what they wear and overall visage. The use of page layouts through their angles, perspective and the utilisation of backgrounds really complete the visual side of the story and without words it would still be a very strong story that would be understood.
It’s crazy because I want to talk about what happens in the issue that sent this over the top in terms of being stellar work. I can’t you need to read it and you’ll hit point after point where the revelations keep you guessing and shocked. The greatest disservice you can do is think this is just another zombie story just set in a different era. The writing is so smart, interesting and full of jaw dropping moments that keep you on the edge of your seat. There’s never been a zombie story like this one and with the Church itself so heavily involved it’ll make you rise up and cheer at times and curse them at others.
The structure of the story, it’s plot and character development is so strong. That even the downtime, or respite for our travellers is a time for story advancement and even action albeit in a way that you might not suspect. That Frank is able to keep all the pieces moving simultaneously and keep our interest is why I’m a huge fan of his.
Smart, terrifying and extremely well put together this is a standout book.