Year Zero #8 Review
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Juan José Ryp
Colours: Frank Martin Jr.
Letters: Andworld Design
The first volume of Year Zero was like a masterclass in not only how to write an incredibly successful zombie apocalypse story but also in writing a strong, character led story in general. If anything the second volume looks set to top that. Were now at the third issue of Year Zero’s second volume and we’ve reached a midpoint in each of the individual stories. The first two issues did a fantastic job of introducing us to an all-new cast, and now that readers are comfortable with the new characters their individual arcs are all progressing and it feels like they’ve each hit a turning point.
With Year Zero Benjamin Percy has created an inspired cast of characters, each of them so different from the typical post-apocalyptic zombie affair, each individual story and the struggles our heroes face so different and unique, that it makes for incredible reading. A Norwegian grandmother looking after her two grandkids on the water. A Colombian drug lord who is every bit the stereotypical villain. The Rwandan doctor who’s consumed with guilt over abandoning his patients as they turned into the living dead. A young pregnant girl trapped inside a supermarket. Each of these setups are intriguing from the get-go, individually, but by combining them in an anthology series like this makes each one a real page turners.
And by the time we’ve reached this third issue and the reader is getting a chance to really get stuck into the meat of the story. Each story is so interesting and different from the last, the characters are well developed and refreshing to read, and as the story progresses it only gets better and better.
With four incredibly different stories and settings artist Juan José Ryp has his work cut out from him, but he manages to give each of the tales a very unique and instantly different look to them. It’s instantly apparent who’s story is being told and which corner of the globe we’ve jumped to. With comics being such a visual medium it’s great to see just how much of the story Ryp gets an opportunity to tell. Each of the characters feels real, with their appearance telling the reader as much of the story as the writing does. Helping to differ between the different tales is Frank Martin Jr.’s colours, who with only the subtlest of differences manages to give a distinct feel to each of the divergent tales.
A post apocalyptic zombie anthology series is an intriguing concept for a series, but it’s Percy’s fantastic characters and settings which really set this story apart from all the other zombie apocalypses. Not a weak story in the entire bunch, the first volume was an excellent example of comics done right, and this second volume has the potential to surpass the first. Stunning art and colours from Ryp and Martin Jr. are the icing on the cake in an excellent, page turning comic.
Artist: Juan José Ryp
Colours: Frank Martin Jr.
Letters: Andworld Design
The first volume of Year Zero was like a masterclass in not only how to write an incredibly successful zombie apocalypse story but also in writing a strong, character led story in general. If anything the second volume looks set to top that. Were now at the third issue of Year Zero’s second volume and we’ve reached a midpoint in each of the individual stories. The first two issues did a fantastic job of introducing us to an all-new cast, and now that readers are comfortable with the new characters their individual arcs are all progressing and it feels like they’ve each hit a turning point.
With Year Zero Benjamin Percy has created an inspired cast of characters, each of them so different from the typical post-apocalyptic zombie affair, each individual story and the struggles our heroes face so different and unique, that it makes for incredible reading. A Norwegian grandmother looking after her two grandkids on the water. A Colombian drug lord who is every bit the stereotypical villain. The Rwandan doctor who’s consumed with guilt over abandoning his patients as they turned into the living dead. A young pregnant girl trapped inside a supermarket. Each of these setups are intriguing from the get-go, individually, but by combining them in an anthology series like this makes each one a real page turners.
And by the time we’ve reached this third issue and the reader is getting a chance to really get stuck into the meat of the story. Each story is so interesting and different from the last, the characters are well developed and refreshing to read, and as the story progresses it only gets better and better.
With four incredibly different stories and settings artist Juan José Ryp has his work cut out from him, but he manages to give each of the tales a very unique and instantly different look to them. It’s instantly apparent who’s story is being told and which corner of the globe we’ve jumped to. With comics being such a visual medium it’s great to see just how much of the story Ryp gets an opportunity to tell. Each of the characters feels real, with their appearance telling the reader as much of the story as the writing does. Helping to differ between the different tales is Frank Martin Jr.’s colours, who with only the subtlest of differences manages to give a distinct feel to each of the divergent tales.
A post apocalyptic zombie anthology series is an intriguing concept for a series, but it’s Percy’s fantastic characters and settings which really set this story apart from all the other zombie apocalypses. Not a weak story in the entire bunch, the first volume was an excellent example of comics done right, and this second volume has the potential to surpass the first. Stunning art and colours from Ryp and Martin Jr. are the icing on the cake in an excellent, page turning comic.
A Look Inside
