Customer Reviews

Zombies Calling

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

 

 

Faith Hicks delivers a wonderful graphic novel, filled to the brim with humor, Zombie movie puns such as "fast zombies," and Faith's zombie designs are pure hilarity and of course a cameo of the number, "42." But it is not all fun and games, there is also danger and drama.

Faith's wonderful art pays great attention to detail, and facial expressions tell the story in a wonderful seamless style from panel to panel keeping you on the edge of your seat. Each panel is love, and even after reading from front to back more than once the story and panels have not lost their novelty.

Joss the heroine, is just an ordinary British-loving zombie geek, turned heroine in the midst of a zombie infestation. Sonnet, playing the part of best friend and the one to ask the questions we are all thinking (which adds much to the humor), adds drama, reality, fear and depth to the story. Robyn "The lovable pervert" is the guy of the trio. His unconcerned and carefree attitude is hilarious, and the occasional seriousness of him adds depth to his character. Each of the three are wonderfully depicted as their own characters with their own individual personalities.


I had high expectations for this book, and was not disappointed at all. Zombies Calling is a wonderful and cherished addition to my collection.

I was searching for zombie graphic novels on Amazon one day. There really aren't many so after a few minutes of searching I found one that interested me. My wife gave me an allowance to spend on books, I know, what a bummer. But I did find a used copy of Zombies Calling for a more than fair price. I saw it, bought it and now I've read it.

Joss has an obsession with zombie movies. She's watched every walking dead film imaginable. She's studies them so well that she created the `rules' of zombie movies. It was just another typical day in Joss' frat house. She has spent most of her time there with her friends Sonnet and Robyn. They're not obsessed zombie fans like Joss but none the less they love having her as a friend.

Joss stepped out of the frat house for only a few minutes, and within those minutes her dreams have become reality. Zombies have invaded her university's campus. She manages to escape and makes her way back to Sonnet and Robyn.

Of course when Joss tells her friend they don't believe her, until they are face to face with the undead. Joss uses the zombie rules that she has collected from movies in order to save herself and her friends. When they decide to ignore the zombie movie rules they find themselves in big trouble. If the rules can't save them now, then who else can they turn too?

Zombies Calling, is a wonderful little graphic novel. It is a very short book but it will hold your interest until you reach the end. I would have considered this more of a children comic book if it wasn't for the group's brief virgin talk. The plot was well thought out but it was lacking in the suspense department. There was little to no action, but in the few action scenes the fighting was entertaining. The zombies illustrated in the book are brilliantly drawn. They do look very cartoonish but this is a cartoon comic that is what I expect them to look like. The zombies were after brains, not really the type of zombie I like to read about. No one was even eaten by the zombies so that was a little bit of a let down. Someone has to die in the story, right?

This graphic novel was a fun read. I do recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and inexpensive zombie comic. The price is just right for what you're getting and it's very entertaining with superb Illustrations. I will give Zombie Calling a fair 3 Undead Heads out of 5.

Instead of the usual zombie story, people trapped in house, zombies come, people part ways and get killed one by one this story is a little different. It takes place on a college campus. It has 3 main charecters. Your heroine, the sarcastic know-it-all about zombies (kinda like the guy in the first scream movie saying the rules for murder movies) and your typical male companion. The story moves quick and is more humourous (they use a spork instead of a shotgun) then scary and at the end has a little social commentary to it. I won't say more so I don't spoil the story. Highly recommended to kill an hour or so.

Faith Erin Hicks, Zombies Calling (SLG Publishing, 2007)

Amusing one-off that does something that's always seemed obvious to me-- have the protagonist of your zombie story be a fan of zombie stories. I mean, isn't it obvious that the people best equipped to survive are those who know how to handle zombies? In any case, the story takes place on a college campus, where a British-obsessed zombie fan and her two friends seem to do little more than sit around, watch TV, and talk. Until, that is, zombies start appearing on campus. The big reveal of where the zombies come from is cleverly foreshadowed and the plot builds nicely. I was hoping for a bit more character development (of the survivors, though really, why doesn't anyone do character development on a zombie?), but you can't have everything. Quite fun. Recommended. ***

A common complaint about zombie stories is that the characters never seem to know anything about zombies. This is obviously for a reason: so that the characters will have no idea what they're up against and have to figure out how to protect themselves against it. But this story, set on a college campus in Canada, is based around a anglophile student who knows everything about zombie movies, knows the rules of a zombie outbreak, and thus knows exactly what to do when the dead start crashing through doors and windows. She has a goth girl and a virginal guy as her companions who, of course, aren't buying any of it, but as the protagonist shows that she really knows what she's talking about, you have a zombie story that finally acknowledges that other zombie stories exist at all. It's really about time.

In other words, our hero is who you're pretty sure you'd be if the zombies did actually rise.

It's a small comic, drawn reasonably well, with fun characters and a solid story, and it's worth having. I'm glad I have it in my extensive collection, and you'll be as well.

Joss is stressed over exams and her debt from student loans. She wishes she could just move to England and watch zombie movies all day. The stress of exams is no match for what she finds in the hall one day though. ZOMBIES! In the flesh, rotting flesh that is. Now Joss has to take her knowledge (from movies) of the walking dead and put it to the test. Can Joss's rules save her and her friends? Or will they all be zombie food?

This comic was ridiculous. Really it was pure entertainment. There was hardly any sort of plot line or anything. If you love Zombies, add this to your collection right away. If you want to check out another, older version of this comic you can. In the older version Joss kicks even more ass than in Zombies Calling printed edition. I do have to mention that I hate her hair. Why would you barrette it in the front like that? It seems like it would be super annoying and in the way all the time. Anyways, there is no a whole lot to say about this comic. It's pretty much like watching the middle of a Zombie movie. No drawn out character development and nothing seems to get resolved, only contained. It is in your best interests to get your hands on this and read it though, it was quite brilliant. ;)

After reading The War At Ellsmere, by Faith Erin Hicks, I was eagerly anticipating diving into this graphic novel. But, it was not quite what I was expecting. I am not sure what I wanted, but I feel I did not get it with this book. It was well written, and the illustrations are amazing. The joke of comparing university life to being a zombie and stuck in a zombie film was charming at first but wore thin. I really liked the three main characters and hope Faith returns to them in a future volume, for I would definitely pick it up. I loved the info at the back of the book about the development of the story and the characters. I will read it again, but it is not one of my favorite graphic novels.

Books By Faith Erin Hicks:

The War At Ellsmere
Zombie Calling

Online Comics:

ICE
Demonology
Random Comics

I had to read this graphic novel for one of my college courses. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of creativity and quality of this book; the novel's binding fell apart the moment I had opened it. I thought this book would be unique and would be set apart from other zombie stories, but it was merely a poor attempt of satire.

As a huge zombie fan, I was pleased to receive this comic as a gift. I breezed through it in an hour and could not be less impressed.
The characters are thin, the story is poorly thought out and largely nonsensical, and nothing of note happens in it. There are some zombies, a couple halfwitted plot turns, and done in time for
supper.
Not worth your time or your money. Certainly not the cover price of $10.