Mississippi Zombie #3 [Part Two] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE #3, January 2022

Filled with “To Be Continued”, Part One’s and open endings, the second half to this ghoul-infested graphic novel certainly contains a surprising number of cliff-hangers which seemingly lead straight into a fourth ‘future’ collection of cadaver-filled shenanigans. Indeed, Peter Breau and Paul Carberry’s “Samhain’s Gate” is a good example of this storytelling-technique, with the American Civil War based terror tale coming to an abrupt, precarious conclusion with its central protagonist being crucified upside down in the middle of a deadly, occult ceremony; “Slowly I open my eyes, hoping for a vision of Saint Peter at the gate.” 

Happily however, such an unexpected culmination doesn’t stop this particular twelve-page plot from still being one of the highlights of “Mississippi Zombie”. Artist Benito Tovar Junior does a fine job imbuing Sheriff Levi Ellingwood’s group with plenty of energetic spirit once the Undead attack the search party and savagely munch their way through the deputies with plenty of intestine-tearing aplomb. Whilst its two writers somehow manage to cram in an intriguing political element behind the thickly bearded lawman’s mission, when it’s revealed they’re looking for Senator Brown’s only son Jacob after the Confederate soldier mysteriously disappeared from the Third Battalion.

Equally as intriguing though is the initial instalment of “Zombie Heist” by Marcus H. Roberts. Starting in a similar vein to an episode of “Mission Impossible” or perhaps a criminal incarnation of “The A-Team”, this ‘bank robbery gone wrong’ takes a no-nonsense approach to its narration to quickly bring its considerably sized cast into contact with Mississippi’s brain-hungry denizens. In fact, no sooner has driver Bobby Chavez “made his way to the pier of the old shipyard” to “wait for his comrades to return with the loot”, than the felon is set upon by two ravenous flesh-eaters and temporarily dragged off the jetty into the water.

Rounding off this anthology book’s contents is the rather emotional yarn “The Dead Don’t Die”, which sees an old sailor desperately trying to save his infected wife from a group of self-centred survivors who see his small-sized nautical vessel as their personal salvation. Poignantly penned by Paul Carberry and proficiently sketched by Emi Utrera, this gripping fiction is also noteworthy for its coverage as to how the state’s modern-day zombification occurred, courtesy of Pharmakon Pharmaceutical’s generous donation of numerous flu vaccines.

Writers: Peter Breau, Paul Carberry & Marcus H. Roberts, and Artists: Benito Tovar Junior, Dan Gorman & Emi Utrera

Mississippi Zombie #3 [Part One] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE #3, January 2022

Promising “some killer stories” as the zombie menace continues to threaten those residents dwelling within Mississippi, Bradley Golden’s third collection of brain-munching narratives provides an impressively broad range of tales, varying from a hapless postman simply going about his daily business in Pontotoc County, through to an apocalyptic sea-faring world where Augustus King stoically defends the river’s shores from flesh hungry cadavers whilst his ship sails towards the mysterious port of Commerce. Occasionally, such disparity in a book's line-up might be slightly off-putting to some horror fans, but in this instance all the different locations/time zones appear to be intrinsic to the various writers’ plots and are all clearly linked to one another by being set inside the Magnolia state.

Leading this latest anthology’s charge is Golden’s very own “Dog Eat Dog Life”, which essentially deals with an over-tired van driver mistreating a poodle after the beast bites him in the ankle. Initially, readers might feel the animal is entirely justified in subsequently leading a horrifying horde of zombies back to the vendor in revenge. However, with hindsight some may recall that it was the fluffy-white ‘Mutt” which actually started the fracas, and subsequently feel sorry for the mail carrier getting chomped to pieces by so many of artist Dan Gorman’s grotesque-looking cadavers.

Decidedly more complex is “All About Commerce”, which intriguingly continues a storyline first told in one of this title’s preceding graphic novels. Writer Peter Breau does a good job in bringing across the salty vocabulary of his piratical nightmare world and getting the good ship Mike Fink’s latest recruits up to speed with its crew’s hierarchy. Yet, it is probably the adventure’s fast-paced land battle between a pair of swashbucklers and the Undead, which will be viewed by bibliophiles as the yarn’s highlight; especially when it’s so well drawn by Harrison Wood. 

Rounding up this publication’s opening half with a disconcerting insight into a Mississippi-based male fraternity is “40 oz Of Death” by Jeff Carroll. This account of three boys visiting Madam Freak Shop to prove their strength of will is debatably as smutty as a comic can get without Jorge Cabotto’s illustrations crossing into full-frontal nudity. In addition, the script potentially does a fine job in misdirecting the audience as to where the ghoulish threat to the students emanates from.

Writers: Bradley Golden, Peter Breau & Jeff Carroll, and Artists: Dan Gorman, Harrison Wood & Jorge Cabotto

Mississippi Zombie #2 [Part Two] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE #2, November 2020

Setting up a strong second half for this corpse-laden compilation is “Return To Horn Island” by Marcus H. Roberts. Clearly penned as something of a sequel to “Zombie Attack On Horn Island” from this title’s previous volume, this twelve-pager rather neatly weaves America’s current obsession with building a great wall “to protect the country and its citizens” with the fate of a man whose great great grandmother somehow managed to survive the aforementioned assault on the nation’s earliest settlers by an old witch woman.

Dynamically drawn by Dan Gorman, this yarn doesn’t debatably contain any surprises for those fear-fans familiar with Roberts’ earlier adventure, as it seems clear from the very start that the military’s decision to turn the island into a safe haven for evacuees isn’t going to go down terribly well with its brain-eating inhabitants; especially when the General decides to split his forces so as to get the clearance job done in double-quick time. But it is still enormously entertaining watching as the elite seal team soon realise that their automatic weapons are no match for a horde of flesh-eating creatures who can tear a man’s still beating heart from out of his chest despite the soldier wearing advanced body armour.

Alfred Paige’s “C.H.E.S.S.: The Dead” is similarly as straightforward in its story-telling, with the Indie comic book creator penning a piece about a pair of super-skilled operatives being helicoptered into a crisis-hit chemical laboratory on a rescue mission to save a family friend of their director. Unsurprisingly, carnivorous cadavers abound throughout the ominously dilapidated facility, and need dispatching ‘toot sweet’ if Mary Maise is ever going to be located safe and well. However, it is the lead protagonist’s excellent interplay with one another alongside John Epple’s highly stylised artwork, which really makes this narrative’s opening instalment essential reading for zombie-loving maniacs.

Finally bringing this gore-filled graphic novel to an end is Jonathan Hedrick’s “Freakshow Princess”. Initially appearing to contain a quite simplistic tale of a woman and her pet dog somehow surviving the apocalypse inside their claustrophobic bungalow, courtesy of the now dead Chris’s procrastination in building the dwelling a functioning garden deck, this deeply demoralising story ends with a tragic twist which really pains the heart, and probably brought many within the book’s audience back down to Earth with a resoundingly loud bump; “The freaks found a way in! She’s starving. I have been so worried about feeding myself that I neglected her.”

Writers: Marcus H. Roberts, Alfred Paige & Jonathan Hedrick

Mississippi Zombie #2 [Part One] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE #2, November 2020

Offering an enjoyable continuation of the zombie menace within the Mississippi region, Bradley Golden’s second anthology of horror centred entirely within the thirty-second largest state of America certainly packs its pages with plenty of brain-chomping terror and thought-provoking adventure. Indeed, the graphic novel’s creator even goes so far as to cram in both a sequel story to this title’s original volume following a modern-day military expedition's unwise decision to pay Horn Island a visit, as well as a couple of exciting cliff-hangers which will doubtless have this book’s buyers clamouring for more details as to when the third volume of “Mississippi Zombie” will be released.

First up however is a quite delightful visit to the glorious Gulfport Beach to meet this weighty tome’s bikini-clad narrator nonchalantly drinking a fruit-laden cocktail whilst the long-haired decaying corpse enjoys watching some crows peck away at the remnants of a man’s dismembered cadaver. Toasty hot and glamourous in her gruesomeness, the skeletal-faced ‘babe’ sets the publication’s somewhat morbid-humoured ambiance as she encourages the local “beefcake” to run screaming for their lives with just her perplexing presence on the shore.

Equally as dark, though somewhat lengthier than the long-dead chronicler’s all-too brief appearance, is the quite personal account of Doctor Madison Wilde in “I Did It All For Him”. Penned by Travis Gibb, this penitentiary-based nightmare depicts just how the utterly deluded prisoner manages to orchestrate his “largest controlled experiment” to date inside an incarceration facility following the discovery that his son has been transformed into a zombie. Intriguingly drip fed details of the disgraced medical practitioner’s plan bit by bit, this gruesome yarn genuinely gets the periodical off to an enthralling start, and is arguably only let down by some of Juan Pablo Milto’s somewhat unclear, scratchy-looking panels.

Somewhat easier on the eye though is the action-packed “Butcher Brothers” written by Lou Graziani. Boiled down to its most basic level, this eleven-pager just follows the two heavily-armed siblings as they gorily tear through a horde of the undead with all-manner of close combat weapons, and debatably seems to just be an excuse for Florentino Santibanez to demonstrate his insane, slightly Rob Liefeld-like pencilling. Packed full of pulse-pounding splash panels depicting the duo mercilessly chopping up their grisly opponents into ghastly bits, it’s no wonder the tale concludes just as reinforcements arrive with the text box “to be continued…”

Writers: Travis Gibb & Lou Graziani, and Penciler/Artist: Juan Pablo Milto & Florentino Santibanez

Mississippi Zombie [Part Two] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE, February 2020

Much more your typical campfire fright-fest feature than the two terrifying tales which preceded it, Marcus H. Roberts’ “Zombie Attack On Horn Island” is this anthology’s sole historical contribution, and resultantly provides an enjoyable romp back to yesteryear when American settlers had little to hand with which to fend off the flesh-chomping cadavers threatening them, except muzzle-loading firearms and a trusty wood-axe. Firmly focused upon the flight of the Johnstone family from an island packed full of the walking dead, this twelve-page chronicle is well-paced with plenty of pulse-pounding moments as Adam desperately attempts to keep the zeds at bay as his panic-stricken wife, daughter and friend try to run to the safety of a nearby vessel.

Crammed with examples of heroic sacrifice, misplaced elation, and just plain old bad luck, this headlong dash for survival is well-drawn by Dan Gorman, whose ‘old school’ styled pencils will surely take the more mature comic reader back to the days of the early Seventies and “Weird Mystery Tales” by “DC Comics”. Indeed, the artist’s ability to imbue his characters with plenty of dynamism as they’re chopping heads, spilling putrid guts and blowing out brains, somewhat imitates all the charm of such Bronze Age greats like Luis Dominguez or Abe Ocampo.

Further fixed in the post-apocalyptic world, complete with zombie panthers, pirate galleys and pet crocodiles, Peter and John Breau’s “It’s All About Commerce” definitely has a story to tell about old college friendships, and the sense of trust those relationships develop during a time when everything seems to want to eat your flesh. Initially concentrating upon having good cardio, similar to Columbus’s rule #1 in the 2009 comedy film “Zombieland”, this ultimately successful ‘last stand’ has some nicely penned moments where experience and a pre-conceived plan of attack certainly help increase one’s chances of survival; “Raina… Play 14.”

Harrison Wood’s artwork also adds a nice claustrophobic element to the storytelling, with many of his panels being populated by all manner of undead nightmares, such as bulldogs, fearsomely-tusked wild boars, and even a slithering King Cobra. These cluttered scenes make it seem almost impossible for anyone to even raise a barbed-wired bat in anger, let alone bludgeon a reeking ghoul to bloody bits, yet it also makes the trio’s final moments together all the more tense, as zombie after zombie appear from the woodland surrounding them.

Finally this graphic novel finishes with Joe Wight’s futuristic “Planet Z”, which rather enticingly teases that Judgement Day isn’t simply going to be confined to a single world of the ever-expanding human empire. Prodigiously pencilled by Rod Espinosa, this frantically-fast account of a factory facility suddenly being overrun by a gazillion ghouls contains some eye-wateringly gruesome deaths, especially once the plant’s security are deployed, and genuinely leaves the reader wanting to see more of Mister Adams’ exploits, if not his singing...

Writers: Marcus H. Roberts, Peter & John Breau, and Joe Wight

Mississippi Zombie [Part One] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE, February 2020

Playing out like a re-run of George A. Romero’s 1982 American horror comedy anthology film “Creepshow”, complete with its own ghoulish narrator, creator Bradley Golden’s “tale of horror based in the rural state of Mississippi” must have delighted any gore fans out there with its mix of grisly mutilations, genuinely touching emotional moments, and last minute acts of desperate bravery. Indeed, despite the brevity of some of this graphic novel’s yarns of brain-munching mayhem, every story will arguably leave an indelible impression upon the mind of its readers, whether it be caused by a hapless soldier suddenly realising he won’t ever be playing video games with his son again, or a heavily bearded local drunk shockingly coming face-to-face with the zombie apocalypse he thought his government were just lying about…

Initiating this plethora of “horror and dismemberment” is Golden’s very own “Mississippi Crossing”, which briefly depicts a trio of tales arguably set during the early days of the Undead uprising. Enthusiastically pencilled by Phil Williams, there’s a disconcertingly gripping terror to be seen in the faces of the figures ‘stumbling’ upon the gore-fest exploding around them, with Private John Hilliard’s brave final stand against a gigantic zombie horde “coming from south of here near Yazoo” proving especially poignant.

Bradley’s penmanship, alongside co-writer Alex Barranco, is equally as heart-breaking in “Grave Times”, which follows the desperate efforts of Theodore Brown to keep his marriage alive despite the fact his wife has become ill with an untreatable sickness. Everyone in this comic’s audience will undoubtedly know what is in store for poor Angela, but what is surprising, and resultantly enthralling, is the change her zombification has upon her devoted husband. Clearly, a very morally-upright and adoring partner, Theodore’s decline into a grave-robber is wonderfully written within the space of just seven-pages, to the point where despite his misguided criminal acts, any bibliophiles will surely feel he deserved better than the grisly fate which ultimately befalls him.

Adding to the grim nature of this particular story are Antonio Acevedo’s layouts, whose heavily pencilled shadowing makes Brown’s world even darker to the perusing eye. Packed full of delicate details, such as the tangible rot on Juan Perez’s coffin lid, this narrative is made all the more haunting by the look in Angela’s eyes as she sees her aghast husband pitifully watching her feast upon a corpse and becomes enraged (or extra-hungry) at the sight; “And just like that, the zombie outbreak in Madison starts.”

Writers: Bradley Golden & Alex Barranco, and Artists: Phil Williams & Antonio Acevedo