LIFE ZERO #1 – Review

LIFE ZERO #1, from Ablaze Publishing on February 9th, 2022, is a fresh take on the Zombie Apocalypse sub-genre when a military team infiltrates a prison overrun by the undead to rescue their Captain.

The Details

• Written By: Stefano Vietti
• Art By: Marco Checchetto
• Colors By: Andres Mossa
• Cover Art By: Marco Checchetto (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: February 9, 2022

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Was It Good?

LIFE ZERO #1 is a fairly good start to a zombie apocalypse thriller story. If you’re familiar with any of George Romero’s films, the near-infinite number of imitators that followed, or the modern and fresher take on the sub-genre ala The Walking Dead, there’s almost no combination of zombie horror you haven’t already seen. However, this first issue feels slightly different than most because it does one thing right that most other groups of civilians racing to say alive do wrong – there are no stupid civilians in the group making dumb mistakes.

That’s where we are in the modern zeitgeist of zombie entertainment. Zombies are so integrated into pop culture that when you see the typical group of survivors trying to get from point A to point B, you get angry with them for making bonehead decisions. You find yourself repeating the mantras: “Stop shooting the zombies in the legs and wasting ammo!” or “Don’t make any loud noises to draw their attention!” or “Stop going into dark basements when you don’t know what’s down there!”

Well, there’s none of that here, which makes this zombie comic a refreshing change of pace. Vietti efficiently drops the reader right in the middle of the action without much setup, dropping just enough dialog and narration to bring readers up to speed on what happened. Not everything is divulged in this first issue (why is the Captain in prison?) but enough is revealed to keep the reader invested and not frustrated.

Of course, much of the tension and fear-induced panic relies on the art team, and Checchetto and Mossa turn in spectacular art in this first issue. The zombies are menacing. The gunfights hit hard. And the character designs are memorable. We often single out linework as a first litmus test for the quality of the art with good reason. Here, Checchetto’s linework is exquisite. You’ll struggle to find a better-drawn comic on the market right now.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

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

We begin with a hardened prisoner sitting in his cell replaying snippets of a past conversation in his mind. As the scene expands from the cell to the prison to the city outside, we see the city is besieged by fires and chaos as zombies now walk the Earth. News reports attribute the rise of the undead to a mysterious cloud that recently passed over the city.

Now, a military team flies over the city in a chopper. They’re discussing their plan to land near the prison, find their Captain, and evacuate quickly before they’re overrun. Through their conversations, the team discusses what they know about the zombie outbreak, how it started, and what precautions they need to take.

We conclude the issue with everything going according to plan, shining the light on the problem, and a change of plans.

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