Customer Reviews

Remains

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

 

 

Of all the type of monster-based stories I like to read it's the one about zombies and them taking over the world that catches my eye all the time. Zombie movies, novels, games and comic books are like gold to me. I was surprised and excited when I heard that Steven Niles was going to do a zombie comic book mini-series. I thoroughly enjoyed his 30 Days of Night comics. I even remember the good work he did in tandem with Clive Barker for the mid-90's Night of the Living Dead: London comic book. I really was interested in seeing Niles take another crack at writing a zombie story. He finally did and its called Remains.

The time finally came to reading the collected volume of the miniseries and I have to say that it didn't blow me away. It's not as bad as Toe Tags by Romero (he should stick to making zombie movies) but also not as great as Kirkman's The Walking Dead. Steve Niles' Remains falls right down the middle. The horrofic nature that makes zombies such great monsters is shown in full-color courtesy of Kieron Dwyer's artwork. All the gory and bloodspatter zombie movies and stories have is here as well and it's one of the pros in the overall finished product. I also thought the cause of the zombie apocalypse was a darkly comic and interesting twist on the zombie origin. Who would've thought that a booger-pickin' brat would mean the end of the world.

Where Remains doesn't get as right as it did with the zombies and the basic premise of the story is in the characters. None of the characters in the book seem well-thought out. They're all cliched and almost caricatures of your typical survivor template. There's really no sense of sympathy I could garner to want these people to survive. The situations they put themselves into make for exciting sequences and events but it's been done better in Kirkman's The Walking Dead. Even the over-the-top situations have been done with abit more fun, flair and panache in the classic Deadworld and Evil Ernie comics. Though unlike some reviewers I thought the circus ball idea was a fun bit of diversion.

Steve Niles' could've done a better zombie comic and has, but his ok work with Remains still made for a good enough read. Nothing stood out in my mind in terms of story but the artwork was very good especially close-up details of the zombies. If any, I would put Remains as more in the realm of a horror-comedy than that of a straight-up horror comic. Here's to hoping that Niles gets another chance to really write up a zombie comic book on the same level as 30 Days of Night and Wake the Dead.

I have started to pick up as many zombie comics as I can find on Amazon, most of which pale in comparison to "The Walking Dead" by Robert Kirkman, who just about everyone who has reviewed this work has referred to already. Its kind of tough to compare something that comes off as a casual whim of a story to the epic feel of TWD though. I would instead compare this to the likes of Zombies!: Feast and Zombies!: Eclipse of the Undead, which are more in line with this.
Kirkman has chosen to make something substantial and ongoing, and after six volumes, with the seventh coming out, none of the others I have read so far even hold a candle to it. His characters have a real feel to them, they are vivid and raw. In other, shorter works, we are usually subjected to stereotypes and uninspired, angry people willing to turn on each other with little to no explanation.
This was a twenty minute read that I picked up used from Amazon and like the others I have mentioned above, it wasn't all that memorable. Much like in Zombies!: Feast, the characters, for the most part, are purposefully loathesome and the small amount of background you get doesn't make you have any sympathy for them. The cause in this story, is nuclear radiation, with some of the zombies getting extra dosage, which makes them into...superzombies?
Despite the routine here, I just enjoy zombie books and graphic novels so take that into account with the 3 star rating. That plus the fact that we get a point/counterpoint between Scott Ian and Patton Oswald in the front on the pros and cons of fast zombies vs. slow zombies. That was the best part of the entire book.

We get rid of weapons that can destroy the human race. Only problem - idiots do it. That means that the rest of the world suffers and, well, zombies pop up. Out of this you initially have two survivors that have a little history together and, luckily, they hate each other. It isn't a thing, however, because that's the way the end of the world is - not a happy camper's playground.

First, I have to agree with the reviewer that compared this to cliver Barker's books from the 90's in which he explored the dead. It has a bit of that feel and, if the idea it was starting off (1) was brought to conclusion and (2) had more of a finished outlok, it would have been great. Taking survivors and giving them areas to hold onto as the living dead get deeper and deeper - that seems the way to go. The only problem with this is that it doesn't finish the grounds of what seems to me to be set-up material; the pictures look rough (I hate it when people want to call this stylized), the characters are not really finished, and things happen without any real provocation. The zombies have a reason, sure, and the people survive that as well. Things get harder each day because the zombies adapt - again, I get that. But the crux of the story seems to want to be shocking - and it isn't.

I found this at a good price and was happy with that. Still, I can't recommend it because it is a zombie story - and that's that. More or less, it doesn't seem to know how to be anything else. I wish I could tout it more, hapily in fact, because I know the contributors could have done more. Stil, this seems like a sketch that never really got going.

This is yet another very dissapointing zombie graphic novel. If you want no story, no likeable characters then I suppose this graphic novel is for you. This comic much like Dead West and Containment attempt to make a very action oriented ( poorly drawn ) and next to story type of zombie read. Those sort of stories work better on film but when you have to read it you want something more like Walking Dead ( which I loved ). They dont really explain why the odd looking man starts this whole scenario..... they go into some very minor character detail about the annoying blonde character but still not enough to explain why she is the way she is. The guy who I guess is suppose to be the main character isnt even very interesting and then the cheap attempt at a love interest thrown in at the end has no sustence either. They make no attempt to explain really how or why the zombies start evolving..... everything felt very very rushed and pointless.

I hadn't read Steve Niles' work before "Remains", but I'd hate to think that this dreck is representative of it. No quarrel with Kieron Dwyer's artwork--could've been cleaner, and there is a sketchbook-y quality to it, but I don't mind that--but the story was weak, the characters uncompelling, the dialogue unconvincing, and the plot derivative--and derived from the most hackneyed cliches ever--at best.

The worst part, though, is that it's DEEPLY offensive--a nuclear holocaust/zombie-filled post-apocalyptic world (that alone ought to tell you how worn out the story is) brought on by a SPECIAL PERSON? And a crass, vulgar stereotype of a special person at that? Niles' retarded character makes the portrayal of one in "There's Something About Mary" look sensitive and sympathetic by comparison.

I get that this is a zombie story with all the requisite gut-munching, rotten corpses, and survivors planking each other madly that goes along with it, so I wasn't expecting anything politically correct. And I am, as Robert Benchley described himself, "an old public schoolboy with a strong stomach," and pretty difficult to offend, but Niles' retarded character was just uncalled for and revolting.

I read all five issues in half an hour, and I'm ticked that it took that long. If you enjoy the zombie genre, read Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead" from Image--not only the best of the zombooks, but one of the best comics ever. Kirkman genuinely loves his subject, and it shows. "Remains" reads like a cheap attempt to cash in on the current zom craze, and therein lies a cautionary tale.

Comics creators, be careful what you put your name on. Your reputation rides on every book you put out. I was planning on getting into Niles' "30 Days of Night", but after "Remains", I probably won't.

I disagree with that other guy. I thought this comic was great. It's a fun zombie apocalypse story and the art is great. Its drawn almost like the anime movie "blood: the last vampire" with things in and out of focus. I loved it! Its as fun as Army of Darkness with zombies as gruesome as Day of the Dead.

here comes some more watered down paint by the numbers horror from steve niles, perhaps the most overrated writer in the comic book industry today. this is probably one of the worst zombie stories i ever read. from the completely nonsensical way that the zombies come about, to one dimensional and unlikeable characters, to some cooooorny action sequences, i would say you are better off lighting your money on fire than supporting this mans "writing". seriously, i dont even think he is trying anymore. while i wasnt a big fan of thirty days of night, its sequels, wake the dead, or anything that niles has written, at least those books had some redeeming qualities. this one has none, unless you are into the dwyer art. some people cant stand the art in this book, for me it was the only thing halway decent to be found. in my opinion dwyer has an interesting style, too bad it had to be wasted on this garbage book.

I do not read many Zombie comics, but I love stuff about the end of society as we know it....This was a quick read. I thought the art was pretty good. The characters were not super great. Both are hateful lowlife scumbags that personally I felt had no redeeming qualities. I was rooting for the Zombies in this one.

Overall a quick read, nice color pictures. I am probably being generous with the 4 stars, but I liked the pictures (and I read it twice the first day I bought it).

This is the worst zombie comic ever. From the terrible and unrealistic (even for a zombie comic) origin of the undead, to the artwork so bad it hurt my eyes with it's weird, wavy style I was disappointed through and through.

I went into this rather excited because Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Dawn of the Dead) is usually a safe bet but here he just falls flat. I am amazed that this Kieron Dyer guy makes a living illustrating comics.

The end of this book is so bad, so ridiculous that I literally had to laugh. I foolishly bought the whole series hoping for it to turn and aside from a few interesting moments and slight glimpses of decent artwork it was like watching a trainwreck. I have spent the money so you don't have to- skip this at all costs!

If you want to read something amazing spend the same hard earned dollars on Robert Kirkman's work, The Walking Dead, from Image. TWD may be the best Zombie ANYTHING , much less comic book. You can get volume 1&2 for less than this piece of crap.
Oddly enough, Robert Kirkman actually gives Niles and Dyer props on this book in the letters column of one of his issues.

This was my first zombie read in some time. I like the survivor mentality that makes the lead characters so grim and yet still able to cope with their situation. The distrust that manifests when a living gal comes upon the two living on the edge in the heart of the city. Is it rivalry that drives the former waitress (who has made it clear she has no feelings beyond the man's helping her survive) or is it something deeper? This is a good study of the survivor mentality especially regarding the jaded outlook of those who are surrounded by the undead.
As for the art, I loved it! It has a scratchy quality that emphasizes the mood of the book. It's raw and red like a wound but also straight edged and a little on the minimalist side. This art reflects the story so well that it literally adds something to the narrative which is scant but also very effective.
My one beef is the price of this collection which I read in it's original comic book form.
Now, I'm no zombie "fan" so perhaps I'm not the expert you should trust. I'm afraid I read all kinds of genres with ever shifting focuses. I enjoyed this. That's all I can say. I found it scary, edgy and grim, and yet oddly not tooo grim.