Comic Books for Horror Lovers: DCeased

It’s no secret that I love horror in any and all forms. While watching films takes up a lot of my free time, I do find myself being somewhat successful in keeping up with some of my other hobbies. One of those other, more enjoyable, ones is collecting and reading comics. There are tons of horror-themed comic books to choose from these days, but it’s always intriguing to me when one of the “big two” gets in on the action. This time, DC Comics has reached into the darkness to bring its readers DCeased.

The Plot

A mysterious techno-virus has suddenly been released onto Earth’s population. With 600 million people almost immediately being infected, there is no telling how far this outbreak can reach. Who can stop this plague before the entire planet is transformed into violent monsters?

My Thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, there are tons of comic books that fall into the horror genre. I’m sure there are a bunch of you guys reading this and thinking, “why the Hell is Frank talking about a DC title when there are things like Harrow County or Gideon Falls on the shelves?” The answer is simple really. I am trying to ease the “less experienced” readers into things here.

I love those terrifying tales as much as the next guy, along with many other greats from writers like Cullen Bunn. The thing is some people want to jump into stories with characters that they are familiar with. That is where DCeased comes in.

Who isn’t already familiar with Batman? Who doesn’t want to see how Bats would react if a zombie-like outbreak occurred not only in Gotham, but around the world?

Planned as a six part miniseries, DCeased starts off strong with its first chapter, “Going Viral.” Without spoiling too much, from page one, we are thrust into the action with almost all of DC’s major stars. The likes of Batman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and more are facing off with one of their most powerful nemeses and are in for more than they bargained for once the fight seems to end on a rather abrupt note.

New York Times best-selling writer Tom Taylor has done an amazing job of taking the zombie virus tropes of our favorites horror films and combining them with DC Comics’ rich history. His ability to then also factor in some very relevant real-world issues like the zombie-like addiction people have with their cell phones and other smart devices is all that is needed to present us with a genuine horror story.

DCeased‘s first chapter contains 32 pages of gut-wrenching artwork by some very talented individuals. Fans are treated to panels by Trevor Hairsine (Legends of the Dark Night), Stefano Gaudiano (The Walking Dead), and James Harren (Seven to Eternity) that fit perfectly with the story that Taylor is setting up for.

Like all good stories, we are left with a pretty big cliffhanger at the end of DCeased number one. I cannot wait to pick up the second issue, set for a June release, and all of the remaining issues to follow.

If you are a horror fan and are interesting in checking out something new, give DC Comics’ DCeased a try. Head over to your local comic shop… trust me, they exist… and ask for issue one of this bad boy. There are actually quite a few variant covers available, as well. One of my favorites is a very nice ode to Stephen King’s IT by the very talented Yasmine Putri. Be on the lookout for that and a few others to get the full effect of this title.

Hit the comments section below and let me know if you, too, checked this one out. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the first issue and where you think the story will go from here!