Mind Things of a Dirty Zombie Review

Writer Arkein
Artist Juan Manuel Hernandez
Colorist Sambas Suryadi and Bryan Magnaye
Letterer Chris Johnson
Based on Characters Created by Brandon Rhiness, Adam Storoschuk, and Chris Johnson
From a Scripted Animated Adult Show Proposal Written by Arkhein
For Anomalous Comics

When I think about zombie my mind automatically goes in the direction of classic movies like Dawn of the Dead, or comics The Walking Dead; but sometimes I forget that comedies have just as much of an effect in the larger look of the genre. Comedies like Sean of the Dead, Life After Beth, and Zombieland are just as classic in their own right and have just as much of an impact on pop culture. It’s strange that my mind wanders to the serious side, it must be because of the fact that side of it started it all, but when it comes down to it I enjoy comedy much more.

Elvis is a zombie. He’s also a totally depraved degenerate that slides through life as an undead smart ass, but also a zombie. I love the idea of Elvis as a character because he’s so versatile, the comedic points can come from anywhere, and they usually do. The plot in Mind Things is centered around Elvis and his search for superpowers and/or his soul so he can trade it for superpowers. Elvis is a quirky, lovable, jerk as he mindlessly wonders through life trying to pick up the pieces of his ever decaying body and the life he had before the turn. The comedic hits are always on beat and even though their mostly reliant on Elvis’s degenerate nature their fairly tame; or at least tame enough for the teenage demographic I feel their probably aiming for. As I said before, I enjoy comedy, and Elvis is a laugh riot.

With a funny book it’s imperative the art style matches the tone of the writing and Hernandez has nailed the funny looking vibe of Elvis. Elvis’s character design is funny so when he does funny stuff it just adds to the visual laughs. Elvis is an off blue/gray color and Hernandez really knows how to cycle through expressions and body language to add to the hilarity. Hernandez and colorists Suryadi and Magnaye really click together, the entire visual palette truly stands out, characters other than Elvis are surprisingly normal looking while some of the backgrounds are very detailed and given care in their crafting.

There is always an unsung hero in the creation process and a lot of times it’s the letterer. Letterers bring what every comic needs and when done right most people never notice it. I notice, a lot of comic lovers notice, but most people don’t. When looking at letters I always know if it fits or not because it’s visually evident right away, as it is when it’s done right. Something about letters either fit or they don’t and there is no way to fake it. One of the best ways to see the talent of a letterer is to look at the way they accentuate, bold, and make the letters pop with their own style and pizzazz. Johnson really does his best to make the letters fit the unique style of the book, an effort that achieves its goal and then some.

If Elvis looks like an undead guy you would want to hangout with then check out the Mind of a Dirty Zombie Facebook page!