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‘Train 8: The Zombie Express’ - Comic Book Review
Zombies are no stranger to the horror
genre, having slowly (or quickly - depending on your zombie mobility
preference) crept into the pop culture zeitgeist over the past fifty
years. From Night of the Living Dead to iZombie,
re-animated corpses have not only come to pervade the horror genre, but
they have paved their way into various other genres and mediums of
entertainment. Given the ever-present nature of the zombie tale, it
takes a truly special story to stand out from the ambling crowd, and
Bliss on Tap Publishing's Train 8: The Zombie Express does just that.
Train 8 is a three-issue comic book series written by David
Stephan and Marysol Levant and illustrated by Alex Cormack. The series
takes place on Train 8, the famous Seattle to Chicago rail line, and
sets the stage for an unfortunate virus outbreak that quickly infects
the passengers and staff on board. While this may seem like a familiar
series of events for a zombie tale, the train itself is as much an
unwitting passenger on a tragic path as are its inhabitants, speeding
ever so quickly towards impending doom and bringing a subtle increase in
intensity to the pacing of the story.
Writers Stephan and Levant
waste no time in getting to the action within their inaugural issue,
quickly and efficiently depicting the cause of the zombie outbreak in a
medical research lab and then accelerating the story by transporting the
audience to the titular train. The reader receives a brief glimpse at
the passengers on board but is, perhaps, spared from connecting with
them individually, as many on board quickly succumb to the bloody
outbreak. The series' description notes that "the surviving passengers
are then left with the moral dilemma of stopping the train to save
themselves but also letting the outbreak infect the world or being
heroes by keeping the train rolling and suffering the consequences."
While the first issue of
Train 8 does not delve into the moral
quandary in which the passengers find themselves, given the short run of
the series, the next issue will likely waste no time in examining the
hard choices that befall the riders, making for a more cerebral and
fascinating approach to zombie fiction.
Artist Alex Cormack's
realistic approach to portraying the passengers of Train 8 makes the
issue truly take form, and it serves as a perfect storyboard for the
forthcoming feature film that is based on the series. (The lead
scientist has a striking resemblance to Tom Skerritt!) The most
remarkable illustrative standout from the issue, though, is the coloring
by both Cormack and Ashley Cormack. A muted color palette eases the
reader into the storm, yet a moodier tone seeps in as the story reaches
the train, crescendoing into bursts of deep red with each zombie
attack.
If you are a fan of the horror genre or - more particularly - of zombies,
Train 8 #1
sets the stage for a unique and intriguing tale that is sure to
delight. I cannot wait to pick up Issue #2 and dive deep into the
uncertainty of the passengers of Train 8.
Creative Team:
David Stephan (writer), Marysol Levant (writer), Brian Phillipson
(additional writing), Alex Cormack (artist/colorist), Ashley Cormack
(colorist), Alex Murillo (letterer)
Publisher: Bliss on Tap Publishing
Click
here to purchase.
issue two (of three)in stores June 2018 by Bliss on Tap Publishing