Review: Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons
Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons by Chris Ryall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade: B; Sardonic yet morbidly funny robots vs. dull Aliens. Plus, Amazons!
I loved the premise of the Zombies Vs. Robots comic by Chris Ryall, with its dark comedy, and sardonic robots with sass equivalent to Marvin, the manic, paranoid, depressed robot from Dougles Adams' brilliantly hilarious The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
So naturally, I wanted to explore more of this world, and how it came to such a depressing, yet hilarious stalemate between the undead & unfeeling.
This collection features a series of standalone stories, some of which detail how (view spoiler)
The other part of the narrative focuses on a hidden population of Amazons, in paradise island, doing a good job at surviving and engaging in Bacchae like raves and orgies; that is until the zombies find their way into their coast.
From which point they are forced to team up with a no-nonsense Terminator-esque Warbot, with its big-ass elephant rifle in wiping out the Zombie plague.
Much like the tone of the main story, here, despite facing annihilation and extinction of the human race, the characters, especially the robots are pretty nonchalant and indifferent to the shit show that the world had ended up as.
On one side, there are the zombies, who are always drawn to murder, death, kill, eat, any living being; you know, regular zombie stuff.
On the other, there are the robots, who rather be doing anything, I mean anything else than cleaning after humanity's mess. Unfortunately for them, even the most advanced versions are hardwired with an imperative to do the very same, eradication of the undead.
And they would do that, either until the mission is completed, or they end up as a scrap heap. But hey, nobody said they can't also kill a bunch of annoying humies through clever bending of the three laws, eh?
Thoughts
This comic provides some more context, as to the origin of the Zombie virus which brought about Armageddon in the Zombies vs Robots storyline. It also maintains its none too serious tone, which actually makes the tale refreshing to read, without all the excessive drama that other zombie flicks like the Walking dead tend to have.
But this also means that characters are killed off a bit too callously, even before we get to really connect with them.
The stories themselves are nothing much to write home about. They're entertaining, and don't stay in your mind after reading. They're adequate.
Art
The art style of the Graphic Novel, which was the highlight of the series, still shines in its excessive gory glory.
Adopting the same, minimalistic, sketch like, painting style, the art makes gratuitous use of black cores, shadows, negative space, and even makes the smudge like contrast of the panels aesthetically appealing.
This, combined with the generous use of reds and dark shades, allow the pages to stand out, and make for some panels which, frankly, I'd love to take a printout of, and hang on a canvas in my wall.
In conclusion, read it for the rich, vibrant and engaging art.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade: B; Sardonic yet morbidly funny robots vs. dull Aliens. Plus, Amazons!
I loved the premise of the Zombies Vs. Robots comic by Chris Ryall, with its dark comedy, and sardonic robots with sass equivalent to Marvin, the manic, paranoid, depressed robot from Dougles Adams' brilliantly hilarious The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
So naturally, I wanted to explore more of this world, and how it came to such a depressing, yet hilarious stalemate between the undead & unfeeling.
This collection features a series of standalone stories, some of which detail how (view spoiler)
The other part of the narrative focuses on a hidden population of Amazons, in paradise island, doing a good job at surviving and engaging in Bacchae like raves and orgies; that is until the zombies find their way into their coast.
From which point they are forced to team up with a no-nonsense Terminator-esque Warbot, with its big-ass elephant rifle in wiping out the Zombie plague.
Much like the tone of the main story, here, despite facing annihilation and extinction of the human race, the characters, especially the robots are pretty nonchalant and indifferent to the shit show that the world had ended up as.
On one side, there are the zombies, who are always drawn to murder, death, kill, eat, any living being; you know, regular zombie stuff.
On the other, there are the robots, who rather be doing anything, I mean anything else than cleaning after humanity's mess. Unfortunately for them, even the most advanced versions are hardwired with an imperative to do the very same, eradication of the undead.
And they would do that, either until the mission is completed, or they end up as a scrap heap. But hey, nobody said they can't also kill a bunch of annoying humies through clever bending of the three laws, eh?
Thoughts
This comic provides some more context, as to the origin of the Zombie virus which brought about Armageddon in the Zombies vs Robots storyline. It also maintains its none too serious tone, which actually makes the tale refreshing to read, without all the excessive drama that other zombie flicks like the Walking dead tend to have.
But this also means that characters are killed off a bit too callously, even before we get to really connect with them.
The stories themselves are nothing much to write home about. They're entertaining, and don't stay in your mind after reading. They're adequate.
Art
The art style of the Graphic Novel, which was the highlight of the series, still shines in its excessive gory glory.
Adopting the same, minimalistic, sketch like, painting style, the art makes gratuitous use of black cores, shadows, negative space, and even makes the smudge like contrast of the panels aesthetically appealing.
This, combined with the generous use of reds and dark shades, allow the pages to stand out, and make for some panels which, frankly, I'd love to take a printout of, and hang on a canvas in my wall.
In conclusion, read it for the rich, vibrant and engaging art.
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