Book Review: iZombie Vol. 4 by C. Roberson et al.

iZombie Volume 4: Repossession written by Chris Roberson, art by Michael Allred, J. Bone, and Jim Rugg, colors by Laura Allred, and letters by Todd Klein

After the massive zombie outbreak in Eugene, Oregon, an even worse apocalypse is about to befall our heroes. Galatea, the evil scientist, is trying to speed up the arrival of an inter-dimensional being that will eat the entire world. Various forces are trying to stop that, including the government-backed Dead Presidents (a group of vampires, ghosts, and other monsters), the ancient society known as the Gravediggers (including Gwen's boyfriend), and Amon the Mummy who has personally fought Galatea before. Gwen is caught in the middle when Amon explains that she has the power to send the being back to its own dimension by sacrificing everyone in Eugene. Too bad her brother and parents just showed up in town, huh? The story races to a dramatic finale with Gwen finding another way to defeat the bad guy.

The apocalyptic story is imaginative and pulls a lot of different elements in the story together. Unfortunately, the book gets saturated with romantic intrigues between various characters, creating a lot of soap-opera style subplots that are a lot less interesting. To me, they read like filler. The art style switches in a couple of issues that were drawn by guest artists. I found the change distracting. The story ends well, or as well as a horror-comedy comic could.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: The Guild Vol. 1 by Felicia Day et al.

The Guild Volume 1 written by Felicia Day, art by Jim Rugg, and colors by Dan Jackson

In this prequel to the web series The Guild, Cyd Sherman is working as a violinist in an orchestra. Her boyfriend Trevor was in the orchestra but he's trying to hit the big time with a pop band (even though he plays the cello). Being supportive, she takes flyers for the band's next big gig to various shops in town. She goes to a video game store where she gets the owner to put up the flyer if she buys something. She gets "The Game," an MMORPG or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game set in a fantasy universe. She's already a bit of a nerd, playing Tetris, reading Conan-type books, and using her webcam to make a personal diary at the behest of her therapist. The Game both fits in with her interests and offers her the chance to reinvent herself, something she feels a desperate need for since neither her therapist nor her boyfriend are very supportive. Her real life is a bit of a wreck, can her online life (and the friends she finds) be better?

The story has the awkward and quirky tone of the web series, which isn't surprising since they are both written by Felicia Day. I found it enjoyable since I like the show (though I've only seen the first four of the six seasons). This is a good entry point for the show or a good addition for those who have seen the show and would like some more Guild goodness.