Customer Reviews

The Abandoned

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow, what to say about this book? Well first of all, the artwork is gorgeous on absolutely every page. I finished it ages ago but I've just been looking through it all day. Ross's girls are amazing. (Along with his everything else.)

The characters are unique and have very realistic personalities, and you'll really be sympathizing with them right from the intro.

And of course, there is a lot of completely awesome zombie-slaying, (and assorted gore) which is beautifully emphasized by the fact that the entire book is done in nothing but blacks, reds and sepia tones.

Another plus is the illustration gallery and the fanart section in the back of the book.

edit: The only downside is the cliffhanger ending that will never be resolved. (So sad it got canceled!)

The Abandoned by Ross Campbell is a wonderful find. It's not often someone can take the oft-used zombie tale and inject it with a good dose of emotional depth. Campbell's tale of estranged and outcast youth is made even more tragic as an unexplained event occurs overnight to add even ore danger to these young characters' internal strife and angst.

The premise for The Abandoned is simple enough. Some sort of event happens which turns everyone 18 and older into the living dead who want nothing more than to devour the remaining survivors who happen to be everyone 17 and under. This puts a new spin on the concept of the old eating their young. The main character in Campbell's dark tale is Rylie, a black lesbian teenager who lives with her near-catatonic father in the rural backwoods of Georgia. It is through her eyes that we see her witness the end of the world as she and her friends know it. We're also privy to her genuine, loving relationship with Naomi even as death slowly encroaches around them and the rest of their friends.

The bittersweet tale is made more tragic through the horrifyingly violent situations when the zombies that used to be the adults slowly, but surely thin out Rylie's group of survivors. These interludes are shown in all their gory detail through Campbell's excellent artwork. He pretty much keeps the tone of the artwork all in browns, grays and shades in betweem. Then suddenly as violence and death occurs he adds in vivid splashes of red as limbs are torn and ripped. Stomachs and throats are ripped open. Viscera and entrails are fought over. Such images and the vividness of the red Campbell uses are like shocks to the system. Campbell knows his zombie lore and he doesn't deviate from the "Romero Rules" which makes this fan of the genre pretty happy.

The Abandoned is a well-written and drawn graphic novel that takes the typical zombie tale and adds a heavy emotional depth to the proceedings. Ross Campbell's story and its characters are well-done and fleshed out (no pun intended) which helps in making them relatable. The only thing that disappointed me about the book was the smallish size of the book in comparison to the usual comic graphic novel. Other than that minor flaw everything about this book is very good. I highly recommend The Abandoned to fans of the genre. They won't be disappointed.

I recently read The Abandoned by Ross Campbell (published by TokyoPop). Wow! Very, very cool. This has love, lesbians, a storm that brings only a wave of death only to have those who pass on come back as meat and marrow starving zombies who attack without mercy or memory that often they are eating their family and love ones. Gah! Our main character, Rylie, rocks with her plunger of skull crush and the other main characters all shine with their brilliant and unforgettable characters. The thing about The Abandoned is it's a quiet parody of the zombie genre but it's also enchanting because of the dialogue between the friends, lovers and allies and how Ross Campbell takes his time drawing them and giving them their own plot arcs between the horrific zombie attacks. I like how none of the characters are above being attacked and there's a survival mentality that kicks in for the group that's tough, wise and smart. Had it all been men, well, they would have all died in the first wave of attacks. Man, what a great graphic album! Warning: it's very, very gross. It's made more gross and graphic because in the short time it takes to read the graphic novel, I found myself rooting so heavily for the characters. To see them eaten alive with that horrible look in their eyes frame by frame is, well, brutal.

You have to check it out!

Richard Van Camp
[...]

Length:: 1:49 Mins

Confessions of a Video VixenEverything But the Burden: What White People Are Taking from Black CultureJust a Sister Away: Understanding the Timeless Connection Between Women of Today and Women in the BibleSo You Call Yourself A ManThe First Lady

I'm a huge fan of Ross Campbell so this review might be a bit biased. However, I'll try to write helpfully. Campbell has a knack for characters, and he realizes their realtionships carry the book. They are developed very well, from what they wear to their indivual reactions to the undead to their realtionships with one another. Another amazingly strong point the Abandoned has is it's gore. Now, usually gore in comics will seem cheesy and silly. This is not true in the Abandoned. Campbell takes the meaning of gruesome to a new level with his zombies and their feasts. The detail are extravagant and grissly. The gore makes this book an amazing one. Also, Ross Campbell's artistic ability is one reason to just buy this book and look at it. His unique style of ink wash and thick lines is brilliant. This book is a visual fest.

Buy it.

ive been a fan of Campbells work since Wet Moon. So when i saw this new work at my local books store i was giddy! I didnt even wait to get it home i read it over lunch at my local chinese resturant! this is a horror/zombie fans dream there are refferancces to all of the "of the dead" flicks as well as some most folks might not even know about! (note the slow eye ball impailing) the art is, as always, wonderful, and the store is sort of an american "shaun of the dead" . also look out for guest stars, belle morte and ross him self! i give this book a solid five and would give it higher if such existed on this site!

i look forward to a continuation of this store.... and whats with all the old folks up and dieing?

If you liked "Wet Moon" or "28 days later" then you should consider giving "The Abandoned" a read. Its extremely gory and revolves around a group of young kids and 20 somethings. Just good ole zombie killing fun really. But if that's your bag (I didn't realize mine was untill I read this) They'll be no complaining with this purchase.

I became a huge Ross Campbell fan after reading the Wet Moon series. This short, but sweet, graphic novel paints a beautiful portrait of genuine terror and fear amongst a rise of zombies. Unlike action films, all the scenarios in this novel feel true and are emotionally effective. The emotions of the characters feel real and you feel it right with them. One of my favorite things that Ross does with his comics is that he creates a visual uncomfortable silence to communicate things like tension and attraction. The panels Ross chooses to use without dialogue can set the entire moment for a scene about it happen.

My only criticism of this graphic novel is that there is only one and it ends too soon. This suffers from something I call "Blood: The Last Vampire" syndrome. Something awesome that just ends without any true resolve. I certainly hope he doesn't choose to do that with Wet Moon!

Ross Campbell, The Abandoned (Tokyopop, 2006)

Someone please tell me that a second volume of The Abandoned is on its way, because the ending of the first one is driving me absolutely nuts. (A quick check of Campbell's website says there is a second volume in the works, but that things are gummed up; I guess the highly-publicized fracas with Tokyopop that resulted in Campbell's leaving the fold is behind it. Someone pick this up pronto!) Conceptually, it's your basic zombie manga-- dead rise, small group of the still-living have to survive both the zombies and each other-- but Campbell has a fantastic sense of pacing that pulls this above the herd and onto the same level as Kirkman's The Walking Dead. Except manga-style, and a whole lot gorier. It's got the same feel to it as Kirkman's series or a Romero film in that the real focus of the story is on the living, breathing human beings and their various petty grievances and futile quests for power, but is closer to the Romero side of things in that Campbell is obviously very fond of his roamers, and gives them a great deal more screen time than one gets in Kirkman. It's the best of both worlds. Highly recommended. Except for that painful ending that has me drooling for the second volume. ****

Horror fans, get this one at all cost! Beautiful artwork... mostly black, white and grey, but with plenty of red thrown in the mix which pops off the page. The story rocks, and leaves us with a cliffhanger which should carry into a future volume of The Abandoned. Hell yeah! Get your gore on!