Indie Spotlight: INFECTION #1

Just when you think zombies can't bring you anything new, along comes an idea that makes you rethink that. INFECTION is a zombie series with a difference - the cause is some shampoo. Yeah, you read that right. And I love that idea.

ABOUT INFECTION #1

INFECTION is a three-issue comic written by H.L. Roberts and drawn by Samanta De La Rosa Batllori.

A conditioner company has released its newest product called Mobie-Z to the public. It's a shampoo product with a mild price tag that provides the nutrients and vitamins needed for hair roots to grow and shine. The product wasn't tested and was just rushed to the shelves as the creators are desperate to at least break even and stay in business. It's the early 2000's, so health and safety regulations were a bit laxer than they are now.

Mobie-Z's side effects of being rubbed into hair cells cause:

• Hair Loss
• Decay of cells
• Reverse Engineering of the human mind, plaguing them with dark thoughts and imbuing them with the obsession to feed on human flesh.

After a quick prologue, we're dumped straight into the thick of a zombie apocalypse. A group of survivors find each other and band together in order to get out of the city to a safe zone.

It's a zombie apocalypse, though... it's not going to go to plan. It never does.

Why you should read/buy

It's the first full-sized comic from creator H.L. Roberts and is a solid start to a promising comics career. With issue two set to crowdfund this year, you won't have too long to wait until the next issue.

You're dropped straight into the action, but if you want to know how we got here, there's a handy page at the end giving you the rundown on Mobie-Z and the infection. Great for people that didn't read the Kickstarter page.

• A frantic-looking art style at times, which helps sell the situation the group finds themselves in.
• Some good humour between a group of characters that hardly know each other.
• The characters are mad, especially H.K., who is a conspiracy theorist that is slightly unhinged.
• Character building is great, you feel like you know enough about who they are by the end that you know how they'll act. You might not like them all, but know who they are.
• There is a lot packed in, but it flows pretty well.

"INFECTION is quite special to me as it's my first piece of work that has gone out to a large range of people. It also brings light onto a place/places that isn't featured within media that some readers may go "Hmm, this place (in INFECTION's case: Peterborough) seems quite interesting. I'm going to look it up or visit there one day".

"Building up the character is honestly one of my favourite things to do when writing, and it's got to the point I've become so connected with these characters that other characters I've been working on for a good 5 to 6 years take second place. I also loved researching into world events within the 90s to Q1 2000 and applying it to the story."

Previews

Creative Team

Writer: H.L. Roberts

Artist: Samanta De La Rosa Batllori

Where to buy

INFECTION is available to buy through H.L. Roberts' ko-fi store. There's only the digital version available at the moment for just £3. For 32-pages of comic, that's a good price.

With more comics on the horizon, it's a store to keep an eye on.

More information

Twitter: H.L. Roberts (@HLRobertsComics) / Twitter

Website: INFECTION Issue 1 Digital Edition - HLRoberts's Ko-fi Shop - Ko-fi ❤️

If you'd like to see your comic featured, please do get in touch with us either through our contact page or via Twitter DM. Like always, the only condition is that it's a UK published comic.