SWAMP DOGS #1 – Review

In SWAMP DOGS #1, available from Scout Comics on October 27th, 2021, a wild house party gets even wilder when zombies are accidentally awakened from their Bayou graves.

The Details

• Written By: J.M. Brandt, Theo Prasidis
• Art By: Kewber Baal
• Colors By: Ruth Redmond
• Letters By: Steve Wands
• Cover Art By: Robert Sammelin
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: October 27, 2021

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Was It Good?

What’s not to like about another stellar offering from Scout’s Black Caravan imprint. You’ve got a zombie curse dating back to the Civil War in Baton Rouge, Lousiana, you’ve got a Rock ‘n Roll house party that gets all kinds of spicy. Shake it and bake it until you just can’t take it, and you wind up with the spiritual successor to The Return of the Living Dead – Cajun style.

Our main protagonists are a couple of party-goers who have instant chemistry as soon as they meet. Kudos to Brandt and Prasidis for nailing (*ahem*) the on-panel chemistry between Ayana and Violet in a way that’s both believable and spicy.

The story doesn’t spend a whole lot of time developing the rules (yet) but that turns out to be a high point for how well this comic executes its story. With nary a caption box of narration, you quickly see the early part of the zombie curse, what’s going on in the present day, how the curse gets “reactivated”, and what type of shenanigans you’re in for. That’s not to say the story is predictable, but the building blocks are all familiar enough to get readers off and running with the story without a lot of explanation. Where the creators go from here is wide open.

Baal and Redmond are proving to be an exemplary art team in this issue. The lines are detailed, clean, and smooth, The coloring is phenomenal, particularly during the party scenes where all the costumes are shaded in blacklight colors and the colors look just like the real thing. Rough, grindhouse horror comics sometimes come up a little short in the art department, but thankfully, the art here is just as visually captivating as the story.

What’s It About?

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

We begin with a flashback to the swamps of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1865, right at the tail end of the Civil War. A trio of Confederate soldiers is running from someone (or something) when they try to hide their trail by trudging deeper into the swamps. Their efforts are in vain as faceless figures emerge from the murky waters and tear the soldiers apart.

Now, a house party is raging with a local band playing to a crowd of costumed teenagers. Ayana, a tattoo artist working in the US for her residency, decides to lose the crowds and noise by snooping around the upstairs bedrooms. When she gets the urge for a little personal time, she’s interrupted by another party-goer named Violet dressed in a schoolgirl outfit. The two hit it off instantly and proceed to have their own little party.

Meanwhile, a vagrant and his dog make their way through a nearby cemetery looking for food or junk they can pawn for some quick cash. Something spooks the dog and he trips the vagrant as he runs off. When the man falls down, he breaks his nose on an odd-looking headstone, splashing blood over its face. You already know where this is going, and it’s worth every page turn.

Final Thoughts

SWAMP DOGS #1 is a perfect homage to classic zombies-attacking-a-party stories ala The Return of the Living Dead and Night of the Creeps. The chemistry between the main characters is so electric you could power a small city, the setup is familiar yet completely devoid of predictability, and the art is a cut above most indie grindhouse horror comics.

Score: 9/10

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