The zombie fad continues here as we get a fun premise– what if the Zombie Apocalypse broke out at Comic Con!  We are introduced to a group of friends, The Wrecking Crew (named after the Marvel villains?) who vow to meet at Comic Con every year, until a girl comes between two of the bros, Rob and Kyle.  The girl in question is Jenna.  There are also a few tag-alongs, Rob’s chubby pal Burger, hunky adonis J-Mac (who is likewise looking to score with Jenna) and Kyle’s fangirl sister Amanda, who has some undisclosed issues.  Loads and loads of in-jokes ensue.  (Rob works at a video store in a possible homage Kevin Smith, but… do those even exist anymore?  They don’t here in Cincinnati!)  The zombie outbreak is the result of a processed, half-eaten hot dog that gets doused in energy drink, spider fluid and assorted other grossness and is then picked up and eaten off the ground!  Ew!  By the end of the book, it looks like The Wrecking Crew are the only ones left unaffected as they use whatever they can grab to slay the zombies and get to safety, in Comic Book Resources’ private suite.

I said this was a fun premise and it is, but it’s doled out in a pretty clunky fashion.  If you’re a fan of Kevin Smith and his style of nerd homage, this might appeal to you a bit more, but I am not, therefore I didn’t care for it.  The dialogue is definitely in-jokey to the nerd degree, but it felt forced and awkward to me.  There are nonstop references to comics, Comic-Con, Tumblr, blogs, Craigslist, etc.  It feels over-done and to be honest, tired.  It was like the characters spoke only in catchphrases.

The art is definitely cute and appealing.  It’s got a definite cartoon-y/anime vibe but it works overall.  There are some cute background details, that I’m not sure whether they came from the artist or writer, but they are there to be enjoyed.

Zombies are the cool nerd “thing” right now, thanks to “The Walking Dead” and other properties.  And we ALL spend shameful amounts of time every day further plotting out Zombie Apocalypse survival strategies… or is that just me?  If anyone is going to come out okay in a Zombie Apocalypse, it’s Fanboys and girls!  So the premise is solid and the book isn’t loathsome, but it just was not well executed, in my opinion.  I rarely “Burn” books, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to in this case.

Verdict: Burn

FANBOYS VS. ZOMBIES #1
Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Jerry Gaylord
Covers by Various