Comics Review: DEAD DAY, Volume One (Aftershock)

DEAD DAY VOLUME ONE (Aftershock Comics, March 2021) Ryan Parrott, writer. Evgeniy Bornyako, artist. Junacho!, colors. Charles Pritchett, letters. Trade paperback, 120 pages.  ISBN #194028542 / 9781949028546 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

YOU JUST CAN’T KEEP A GOOD CORPSE DOWN

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 minds: revenge.

From writer Ryan Parrott (OBERON, VOLITION, Power Rangers) and artist Evgeniy Bornyakov (DESCENDENT, YOU ARE OBSOLETE) comes an unnerving tale of existential horror with grave consequences.

My Five-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Note: I read this in the original monthly Issues #1-5.    

Just when it seemed safe to assume that no one is going to come up with a fresh take on zombies, DEAD DAY arrived. 

     However, it would be incorrect to refer to them as “zombies”, as some younger characters help prolong an urban myth that they’re coming to eat you. "Undead” is closer, but "Undead For 24 Hours" is spot on. Because on Dead Day, for one day that occurs when the celestial bodies align correctly, the dead return “for fun and family visits” (as the helpful Dead Day guide in the extra back-pages content explains for our education).

  The opening page uses a classic poem in the captions as a framing device along with night-time scenes of deserted highways, cemeteries, and empty streets, save for one shrouded figure in the shadows. The first line from “On Death” by John Keats serves as foreshadow for what will come: “Can death be sleep when life is but a dream?”

  

    Some will greet their departed loved ones and celebrate; others will shun them by staying indoors and securing their homes. Some buy party favors, others buy weapons to defend themselves. Don’t forget the revived criminals out for a night of revenge and/or retribution. If your loved one was cremated, you probably don’t have to prepare for a visit. 

   The story focuses on the activities of this years’ Dead Day as father Daniel plans to stay home with teenage son Brandon and younger daughter Jewel while mother Melissa hooks up with an old flame. Apparently, this was planned and Daniel has reluctantly agreed.  Brandon wants to sneak out of the house to party with a girl who’s part of the Revivalists, a cult with mixed views on the meaning of it all. 

   There’s a lot of ground covered here (and not shoveled over) in the first issue. I found it all very engaging, especially the last page which serves as a cliffhanger to whet our appetite for the next issue. The art is perfectly suited to the tone of the story. Some of the scenes and backdrops are perfectly rendered, like a still life painting. More importantly, Bornyakov matches the facial expressions to the story events. That tells a lot.   

 There’s enough zombie fans out there missing The Walking Dead who might enjoy DEAD DAY. While this is definitely not the same, they should find this appealing.  I love a good horror comic, and think this will hit the spot.  

    The main story center around two events: 1) Melissa re-uniting with former lover Jeremy, who was killed following an armed robbery when his accomplice turned on him. Jeremy seeks revenge on those who wronged him, and 2) Young Brandon’s introduction to the Revivalists and the secrets they reveal to him. As these two events play out, writer Parrott intersperses the story with short vignettes that focus on other activities during Dead Day. These open up the possibility of more, as there is fertile ground to be explored beyond the main story. Here’s hoping the title is popular enough to merit a sequel. 

   The final issue was a surprise. Many zombie tales do not end well for the protagnoists. Some zombie tales end with a group of people or the key individuals surviving the event, the day, the conflict, etc. DEAD DAY actually ends on a happy note (for most of the characters, but not all) and actually concludes with a warm message about the importance of family, sacrifice, trust, and responsibility. Well done.