Review: Love Death Eat Repeat #1
This Halloween, how about checking out a comic with mindless, ravaging zombies set back in the olden days of 1345, Wharram Percy, England? Love Death Eat Repeat from K K Hemmings (writer), Dimitrios Stamadianos (artist), Alfredo Rodriguez Murillo (colourist) and Serhii Yatovyi (letterer) could be the comic for you.
Love Death Eat Repeat is the latest comic series from Scifantasy Ink, just in time for Halloween. Persian Princess Zabrina, wedded to English aristocrat Lord Percy, is envied throughout the land for her unparalleled beauty. On Halloween night, she succumbs to an evil curse, and upon her death, she is transformed into a mindless, ravaging zombie - compelled to enact cruel and monstrous deeds.
Starting with the art, Dimitrios Stamadianos has created a rather frantic look on every page, which is quite fitting for the story on offer. There's a slightly rough feel to it that suits a horror comic. Mixed with the colours from Alfredo Rodriguez Murillo, they blend together well - Alfredo chooses to add the occasional vibrant colour and not go too dark with the majority of the comic. There's plenty of gore, as you'd expect, but the frantic look of the horror going on, without leaving you wondering what is happening, is nicely done.
The lettering by Serhii Yatovyi is done in some rough-looking speech bubbles that match the rest of the comic style perfectly. There are no crisp, clean outlines. And whilst the text is clear and easy to read, there's a style to it that matches the speech bubbles so that it doesn't look out of place.
As for the writing, K K Hemmings has crafted a story filled with gore and horror. The main character, Zabrina, fights to regain her humanity while uncovering the secrets behind a magical family heirloom that has granted her the power of regeneration, which is both mysterious and cosmically irresistible. You gain enough of what's going on with the main cast of characters, with enough intrigue for others - I love plague doctors, so he has my interest in what he'll do in the coming issues.
It's an interesting first issue. There are one or two choices that weren't for me - namely, going for a "sexy" zombie look at times. They're dead, so don't make them try and look attractive. It feels out of place in a comic that is so full of people being torn limb from limb. Some people might enjoy that, though. But from start to finish, this is very much a horror comic. There's zero doubt from page one to the very end that this series is going to be pure carnage.
I like that it's a story inspired by true events and archaeological evidence - things were pretty wild 700 years ago when they believed in all sorts of things, including the rising dead. But with a promise that the story will span hundreds of years, connecting with a multitude of cultures, covering pivotal points in history and mysterious worlds that rest outside the reach of mortal souls, there's a lot to come, and it'll be interesting to see how the team handle that.
If you want to check this out, it's available over on Global Comix, where it's available to buy for $1.99.
Rating: 4/5.
