ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS #1 IDW Publishing, 2006

Do you love Zombies, and Robots? Do you sometimes find yourself wondering, "Where can I find a comic that combines my love of both?". Well I know I did, until I made my fantasy, a reality, by purchasing Chris Ryall's ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS!

The plot of ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS is as simple as it's namesake implies. In a distant future man has created primitive robots capable of basic independent thought. These are your classic 60's horror movie, Robots. The Zombies are also pretty standard, they fit the mold of what I call a typical Romero style Zombie, with the exception that have bouts where they seem to be capable of moving faster than two mph.

It also follows your basic imprint of what would be your stereotypical Zombie survival story, except the human are replaced with Robots.

I realize that the last review had to do with zombies, and this may be considered "overkill", but hey, what can ya do.

So here's the set up, Humans make Robots, they send Robots into future everything goes well until one of the Robots comes back with, the virus. So humanity is, for all intents and purposes...screwed. The plague spreads with the Robots unable to help their fleshy overlords. Eventually humanity is wiped out, with the exception of one. Whats left of the Robot resistance operates out of a hollowed out mountain. Their plan, clone the last human child on earth, because apparently all the Robots want is to be loved and without the human to serve they have no purpose.

This, in all honesty is a pretty mediocre set-up, but luckily Ashely Wood's stunning illustrations turn what could have been a generic Zombie/Robot comic into a really fun read! I'm a huge fan of Mr. Wood's work, and for me personally he really made this book.

So basically everything is coming along quite well...Until for some reason or another one of the Robots decides to bring two Zombies into the hideout(I mean honestly what was it thinking). Needless to say they get free and wreak a bit of havoc, but they're exterminated relatively quickly. Unfortunately it gets a bit messy(it usually tends to when you execute someone with a shotgun.) and a splash of blood flies right into Lucy's(the baby) mouth, Kobe!

Unfortunately it ends there and goes into a promo for a Jack Bauer comic.

This really is quite a short comic and it's actually a dollar more than most books $3.99. But, Ashely Wood's illustrations make it well worth the price, pick this up I mean seriously, the art is stunning. I apologize for not scanning more but the book makes it awfully hard to, without compromising its integrity.

Here's the back of the issue, tell me that isn't a turn on!

NEXT: SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH MECHANICAL ABOMINATIONS, OR THE UNDEAD!! I PROMISE!!!

MARVEL ZOMBIES.

I have chosen to go the more the more recent route by talking about one of NATHAN'S favorites, Marvel Zombies.

Written by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Battle Pope), and drawn by Sean Phillips (Hellblazer, Batman), Marvel Zombies follows the plotting reanimated corpses of various Marvel heroes hunting for warm human flesh. Mm, people.

Myself being an asshole when it comes to zombies, this goes against beliefs of how zombies would wind up, (i.e. talking, etc.). But I am willing to forgive that if the zombies are in something as well written and well executed as Marvel Zombies is.

Issue 1 opens with Magneto having trapped the zombies in their own dimension, closing their only way to get human flesh outside of their own Earth. But, with him seeming to be the only food left in the area, he is faced with a massive mob of zombies, led by an undead Captain America. Magneto, being the badass he is, put up quite a fight, impaling the slowly rotting Matt Murdock with an iron girder, and slicing off the top of Captain America's head with his own shield. But he is unable to fend off all of the zombies, and is consumed. While the zombies plan their next move, the Silver Surfer is noticed, as he has come to inform the planet's inhabitants of the fact that Galactus gon' eat 'em. Tasty tasty.

I am far too lazy to summarize all five issues, but in short, the zombies win.

The covers of the five issues of this mini-series were all based on those of classic Marvel comics, as seen to the right, all beautifully bloodied by industry veteran Arthur Suydam.

According to THE INTERNET, there is a coming one-shot prequel, called Marvel Zombies: Dead Days. I guess this is supposed to chronicle the earlier days of the outbreak, those not included in the aptly named Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness crossover, Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness.

So yeah. In short, I heart Marvel Zombies, no matter what mean old Nathan says. It is wonderful, and you should ALL go read it.

X-men #149 Marvel Comics, 1981

This book will always hold a special place in my heart. This is the first comic I ever received and didn't tear to bits after I was done looking at the pictures. I'll never forget it I was probably about 6 or 7, just learning to read, me and my mom were downtown and there was the comic book store and I forced my mom to take me there and I got to pick out two, count 'em, two comics! I got this issue and Green Lantern (I don't know where Green Lantern is...oops). But anyway I love this book for two reasons, one of which is the aforementioned. The other, is it's from the bygone Claremont, Cockrum era. But enough with my nostalgic recollections.

Like I said, this issue is written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by David Cockrum, who if I remember correctly just passed away recently, which is a shame. Now, see the first indication you know this is gonna be a good book is the cover I mean look at that, X-men and flash lights, and Kitty Pryde dressed like a slightly less gay Gene Simmons, you know it's goin' down!

This issue starts out as just about every other comic book written by Chris Claremont with a long winded narration explaining the character in the panel and his powers. Professor is contemplating the past battles his X-men have had with their arch-nemesis Magneto. When a dolled up Kitty Pryde come skating in! Making the the Prof. hella pissed. So how does the passive Professor handle the situation he psi-shouts her outta the room, way to handle the stress!

So after allowing Kitty Pryde to become well acquainted with the backside of his left hand, he explains to the X-men that they have to for some reason go on a reconnaissance mission to Magneto's old liar which was built under an active volcano and subsequently destroyed by said volcano. So remember kids when looking for places to set-up shop an active volcano should be avoided I don't care how low the interest is.

So they arrive at the volcano, large flashlights in hand, and decide hey you know what lets split because that makes perfect sense! Kitty why don't you go with Colossus, the man who will later deflower you. So soon enough Garokk, comes along and y'know he's pissed because the X-men threw him into a thermal pit. But in all fairness Storm tried to rescue him, but couldn't because she's claustrophobic, luckily our good buddy Magneto saved at the last second and took the liberty to enlist him to his cause.

Next thing we know Colossus is on the ground unconscious and Kitty Pryde is playing the part of the beach babe to Garokks Jason Vorhees, until she realizes she can hurt him by phasing through him. How sad is that, your a man turned arcane demi-god and your weakness or at least one of them is getting phased through by Rip Taylor's little sister (that's the last of the caddy gay jokes I promise). This really pisses Garokk off so he takes decides to go ahead and smash some shit to create a lava flow. A lava flow which apparently he can now survive but couldn't a few issues ago...hmmm did I miss something, strange I sense some incongruencies could it be, yes, yes it is! It's a plot hole!

Storm senses the change in the temperature, deduces that a lava flow has breached the chamber, so in some classic wind-goddess creativity creates some hurricane force winds and lowers the temperature freezing the place over, how awesome is that!

The X-men realize there has been foul play and discover Colossus' body but where is Ms. Pryde why she decided to phase through the lava flow with some of that classic X-men ingenuity. Garokk goes ahead and makes himself known to the other X-men who are defeated one by one then Garokk takes Storm's now unconscious body make a hole in the crust of the earth a la heat vision and decides to take some revenge, by throwing her limp body down the pit. But not before Kitty Pryde has anything to say about it she wakes up the X-men and they prepare to kick some demi-god ass. Kitty jumps through Garokk make him lose his concentration and night crawler goes ahead bamf's over to try and retrieve Storm from Garokks clutches, but as luck would have it both Garokk and Ororo fall into the pit. Kitty goes down the pit in search of Storm who she finds along with Garokk who lunges at her, but she goes ahead and phases and he falls down his own pit. GOTCHA BITCH!

So they get Storm out of the pit and everybody happy! Until they realize Magneto has really got it out for them. UH OH!

So, like I said before I really enjoyed this issue. I love the Claremont, Cockrum tales of the 70's, 80's good stuff. I just hope you don't expect every review to be this long because it won't be. Also I'll try to get some of the other guys to contribute or something.

NEXT!!! I DO SOMETHING YAY