Comics
Review: 28 Days Later #5
As the 5th, and subsequently, final issue of the first act of BOOM’s ’28 DAYS LATER’ came to a close I found myself wondering: how dumb would you have to be to take a flight into zombie infested England with nothing but a camera and your shell-shocked buddy in tow? Alas, this is where we find ourselves as the arc draws to a close. Thus far the series from BOOM Studios has been pretty stellar, with the tie in to the first films characters the soul driving force behind my interest. But with this issue we are transplanted from the regular characters to the 2 journalists Clint and his buddy Derrek. Clint is trying to enjoy his vacation away from deadlines (oh yea, thought of that all on my own) and decidedly using the 2 weeks to drink himself into a comatose state. Sounds fair. Unfortunately the zombie apocalypse is ringing, and Clint decides to answer. (I’m on a roll here people) But first he has to stop by the bar and pay his alcoholic buddies tab, because after all what’s a journalist without his photographer buddy at his side? But it gets better. Derrek is not only an alcoholic (ordering 2 of everything he can get on the flight that has blood thinner in it.) But he also has post traumatic stress disorder from being a prisoner of terrorists who forced him to watch as his buddies were beheaded. Truthfully I can’t fault Derrek for drinking heavily. If my buddy pulled me out of the bar half drunk and told me we were hopping the next plane ride to Danny Boyle England then I’d be inclined to take a liquid wrecking ball to my liver too.
And this my friends is where we end up in issue 5. With two of the most inept leads I’ve ever read. I can understand coming out of a 2 week vacation for the biggest story ever, but to drop yourself in the middle of hell with an alcoholic as your sidekick? I don’t see an upside, especially when the military tells you you are almost guaranteed to die. Oh which reminds me, the military plays a pivotal role in this issue, too. It is revealed that they are pulling something even the guys at Guantanamo would frown upon using the virus, but not only that but they are using it on one of the men who decapitated Derrek’s buddies. This is an almost nonissue to the story as it is mentioned in one bubble and then forgotten. Almost as if it were just an attempt to draw a connection between the characters and the situation. Sadly it feels like a desperate one.
The entire issue kind of rolls to a dead stop in the end, as we are shown a glimpse of how these two and our regular characters will come together. The main issue I have with this story is that this was saved for the final issue of the arc. It almost feels as if issue #4 was the real ending, and that this is the start of the next arc. Had that been the case I’d have possibly enjoyed myself a bit more. But as it sits the issue did nothing more than make me laugh at the ridiculousness of the ‘heroes’ choices throughout. Giving us a back-story to Derrek was necessary, but I think it would have made more sense a few issues ago to do this.
To be fair the art is still great, with an amazing spread of a money shot from the streets of London that makes you stare at it for a good couple of minutes. I also appreciate the fact that we are finally seeing how other countries (IE-America) reacted to the infection for the first time, and I look forward to seeing that expanded on in the future. But as it sits this “origin” story just didn’t work for a ‘wrap-up’ to the first arc of an otherwise great series.
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Skulls
Comics
‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]
From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.
You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.
In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.
“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”
The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.
Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”
Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*
Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”
Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!
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