Type: Single volume
Author: Steve Niles
Drawings: Kieron Dwyer
Publisher: Magic Press
Format: 17×26 cm, pp. 132, Color paperback.
Price: €11.00
It all begins on June 3, 2005, in a reality very similar to our own. Following yet another nuclear arms race by the world powers, humanity clamors for peace, and the world's major countries pledge to the destruction of armaments. In an isolated American desert location, a large oven is built, with the aim of destroying all armaments forever. Unfortunately, an accident occurs during the operation that triggers all the nuclear devices at the same time, affecting all the peoples of the earth in an instant. Many die, but soon awaken in the form of zombies hungry for human flesh. It is against this backdrop that Tom and Tori, two employees of a Nevada casino, who have saved themselves by pure chance from Armageddon, live their adventure, and find themselves the only survivors amid a sea of hungry zombies. Barricaded inside the casino, the two live in a state of hatred/need for each other, and in their attempts to resist the zombies they discover that their opponents grow stronger and smarter with each passing day. Meanwhile, the two survivors must watch out not only for zombies, but also for attacks by marauders who raid everything they find. Eventually the two will be joined by another survivor, who in turn is pursued by a new breed of zombies, much stronger than the old ones, who are commanded by a "king." At this point the three living ones devise an explosive plan to get rid of the zombies, but something goes wrong...
New short story by Steve Niles, undisputed protagonist of modern comic book horror, drawn by Kieron Dwyer, formerly the draughtsman of Captain America. Throughout the reading of the booklet one can breathe a strong flavor typical of Romero's films, both for the settings reminiscent of the most famous films of the master of horror cinema, and for the veiled note (not even too much) of political and social commitment.
In spite of the fact that it is inevitable after so many years of zombies films and readings to go down paths already trodden many times, Niles manages to serve us an absolutely enjoyable comic that still captures the reader's attention, holding his breath until the end. As for the drawings, Dwyer has elsewhere proven to have a more studied and precise stroke, but in spite of this the illustrator gives us many interesting effects, especially on the splatter level, which together with Niles' strong dialogues make this volume recommended for a mature audience.
Very interesting the depth and evolution that Niles influences in his characters over the course of the story.
In the introduction to the story we find an interview with Scott Ian and Patton Oswalt with a debate on the preference between fast versus slow zombies.
"Remains" is a good little volume, an old-fashioned zombie story that you alscia read and enjoy from the first panel to the last. A must-read for lovers of zombies, the works of Niles, and horror comics in general.
Reviewed by Fabio Venanzini
