FREAKSHOW KINGDOM (ONE-SHOT) – Review

In FREAKSHOW KINGDOM (ONE-SHOT), available from Second Sight Publishing on October 20th, 2021, a trio of shorts about a zombie apocalypse looks at the toll the undead can take on lives already dealing with tragedy.

The Details

• Written By: David Galiano, Johnathan Hedrick
• Art By: Gino Kasmyanto, Ben Worrell, Stefano Cardoselli
• Colors By: AGUS, Sunil Ghagre
• Letters By: CJ Jeffrey, Jerome Gagnon
• Cover Art By:
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Release Date: October 20, 2021

Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.

Was It Good?

Surprising. This was a surprising anthology about the weight of trauma and tragedy in people’s lives, set in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

You can almost anticipate that any anthology will have a mixture of good and bad stories. Thankfully, this offering is mostly good across the board. There’s a down point here and there, but the sum of the collection is a net positive.

Of the three stories, Knight has the best art with its soulful watercolor aesthetic and deep shadows that paint a tragic mood. In terms of writing, Princess takes the top spot for the shocking twist ending that you don’t see coming.

Solid anthologies always have a winner or two, but there are bound to be weak spots. The weakest story of the bunch is Joker. The premise of a recovering alcoholic being chased by his sponsor-turned-zombie is a pleasantly ironic twist, but the ending missed a panel or two and didn’t really make any sense. That said, Joker‘s art is decent enough, so there’s still something to enjoy for all readers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

For all anthology reviews, we cover each story briefly and rank them based on what did and didn’t work.

Joker

A recovering alcoholic recalls how drinking nearly destroyed his life, that is until he got help and turned his life around. When things start going his way, the world is taken over by zombies, and he laments the cruel fate of his sponsor-turned-zombie chasing him to end the life he just got back.

Decent art and a decent story. The karmic twist of a recovering alcoholic being chased by his sponsor could generate loads of philosophical debates. That said, the ending feels like it missed a beat or needs some explanation to make sense.

Princess

A woman and her dog are trapped inside her house, barely protected from the zombies by the unfinished deck her husband was building. When the zombies figure out how to overcome the obstacle, the woman takes the only way out with the help of her dog in a move you won’t see coming.

Heartbreaking. The art is solid, and the entire story seems geared towards helping you feel this poor woman’s grief, so kudos to the creators for not pulling any emotional punches. And yes, there’s no way you’ll guess what happens at the end. It’s a shocker.

Knight

A man named Red with a troubled past counts the days living alone in the woods. When he’s suddenly befriended by a dog and an orphan girl, he remembers the daughter he lost while in prison and finds a reason to fight for life.

This is a haunting tragedy in every sense. As with Joker, a man turns his life around only to have the zombie apocalypse steal it all away. You feel for where Red’s been and what he had to overcome which makes the ending hit even harder. In both writing and art, this short is the best of the bunch.

Final Thoughts

FREAKSHOW KINGDOM (ONE-SHOT) is a sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes thought-provoking, and entirely surprising human drama in the midst of a zombie takeover. As with any anthology, the quality of art and writing will vary from story to story, but every short in this issue has a unique idea to offer.

Score: 8.5/10

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.