iZombie on the Small Screen: When There's No Room Left in Comics ...

I’ve written about iZombie before, and did so prior to the CW show.  Basically, I am a fan of the comic’s story and Mike Allred’s fantastic art.  I was saddened when it ended, but was not all that surprised when I heard it had been picked up for television.

I’ve watched the show.

I like it.

It’s not the comic.

What strikes me as odd is the direction in which the show went.  At first I thought the show was going to slowly introduce the comic’s aspects in order to ease the audience into this weird world that had been created.  As each episode passed, however, it was clear that the show was going in its own almost cookie-cutter direction.  It is, for all intents and purposes, a mystery show with a psychic.  Something, I might add, that has been done before, though not with a zombie.  I imagine the show’s creators didn’t want to mess with the formula that has been tried and true.

A fan of the show who picks the back issues or trade paperbacks is going to be very surprised, especially if he or she really loves the show.  The comic is nothing like it.  My guess is that if they are driven to pick up the source material it is because that fan loves the show’s premise that much and if that is the case I can’t help but think that fan is going to be disappointed by what he or she reads. 

There are moments in the show that lead me to believe it could be really slowly delving into the comic’s storyline (and I’ve yet to see the last two episodes as of this writing), but at this rate it will be about ten seasons before it even gets close to the insanity of the source series.  Perhaps that is the plan, but I doubt it.  The show, as good as it is, has played it far too safe so far to make me think it has the rotting guts to do anything else.  That’s a shame, too, as iZombie was at its best when it took readers out of the norm.  The show seems content to be by-the-numbers, and that is fairly disrespectful to the comic’s creators … and the audience.

iZombie: Dead to the World

The first iZombie trade paperback, iZombie: Dead to the World, is due out 3/22/11.  I have not received a copy  yet, but have read the issues this one covers, and I got to say that between the writing of Chris Roberson and Mike Allred's art, this is one great series.

With a cast that features zombies, vampire vamps, werewolves, vampire hunters, ghosts and whatnot who mainly sit around playing role playing games, dating and drinking coffee, this won't appeal to those whose comic book reading comprises mostly of men in tights battling it out over the skies of New York.  That's not to say the comic has no action -- it does.  It's just not the main focus of the story.  This is a book where characters actually talk about their problems and turn to fists last (except in the case of the monster hunters). 

I don't know how the series is selling.  I have long since stopped paying attention to those sort of things.  I do know I've enjoyed it, though I won't be picking up the trade because I already have the issues.  (There are few comics where I have the story in both formats, Preacher being one.)  I will recommend it to certain readers, however. 

iZombie is never going to displace any of the superhero books as a top seller.  It could easily lend itself to a movie or a television series, but I think its fanbase may be too small to make it profitable.  That says nothing to the quality of the work.  If you, like myself, don't live in a world where everything is quick edits and explosions, then you may enjoy taking the time to read a story where the characters actually develop and seem real ... despite being monsters.  (There are humans in the book, too.)  Then again, you may just want to stick to something which doesn't require too much attention on your part.  If so, there are plenty of books out there for you.  They're all about the same, too, so it really doesn't matter which one you pick.

*In an attempt to comply with stupid FTC "laws," the following post has affiliate links, which means if you click on them and order the item, I will earn a comission.  I did not receive any copies of iZombie for free, and nor did I receive the trade paperback for free. 

Brain Eaters

I will admit that the first thing that attracted me to iZombie (not the way the title is shown here) was the Mike Allred art.  I am a huge fan of his work and someday hope to own some original stuff.  A tale of a zombie girl who has to eat brains every thirty days or she goes all shambling, coupled with vampires and ghosts -- well, it can only be a good thing.

The first three issues from Vertigo have not disappointed me.  The art, as to be expected, is top notch.  The story has its humor, and it is something you can easily see being made into a television series, as is everything comic book related these days.  It's not the best series I've ever read, but it is holding my interest.

Zombies have been huge for the past couple of years.  There are too many titles to list, and the it seems like there are more being published each month.  It is -- no pun intended -- over kill.  At least it's not vampires, though.

I'm all for a good zombie tale.  I like my zombies slow and methodical.  With that in mind, it seems strange that I like this series.  The zombie is portrayed as a normal woman.  The horror is almost non-existent (as of the first three issues), and there is a little too much humor for my usual tastes.  Somehow, however, writer Chris Roberson makes it work.  He keeps me reading it despite it firmly falling into the land of things I don't normally like.

Time will tell if this will be a series worth watching or just another one taking up space.  (I have far too many of those for my liking.)  My guess is the former, but if I'm wrong I'll at least have some nice art to appreciate.