The Complete Zombies vs. Robots

The Complete Zombies Vs. Robots by Chris Ryall

 

My review

  rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this collection.  It's not Sandman in terms of story telling - there aren't many layers of subtext or interweaving plot lines.  What we get is pulp action at its finest.  Humans are cleverly used to set the stage and help get the story moving, but once it does there's no mistaking they play second (or even third) string in this cast.  The robots (well, one main robot) effectively carry the story, and we get a lot of fun robot v. zombie carnage that actually makes sense and is fun to see. 

And do we see it!  The art grabbed me immediately (I'd never heard of the book before, so it was the first impression of the art that caused me to pick it up).  It's unpolished, kinetic, and integral to the post-apocalyptic tone of the story.  As you might guess in a story with a robot protagonist and a cast full of zombies, the story hinges less on dialog and more on action.  What the illustrations lack in intricate detail they more than make up for in camera angles and fine use of sequential panels to render the action from a variety of perspectives.  The art also helps establish the character of the non-humans and gives them depth and personality.  The zombies reminded me a lot of those in Thirty Days of Night - incomplete, decaying, terrifying, something less than human.  It's all about brains, and they rip and shred the page trying to get them.  The robots are unique, solid but not indestructible, and when their parts fly, they fly.

Ryall's Warbot carries the story as any pulp hero would, and the limited use of humans* reinforces that this is a robot and zombie world and humans are merely trying to survive.  Wood's art reinforces that notion, and brings the battle between the zombies and the robots alive.  I've heard people complain that Aliens vs. Predator didn't need humans in it to be the sort of story fans want to see, and I think Ryall and Wood have created exactly the sort of story that zombie fans and robot fans will really enjoy.

*Yeah, I know there are Amazons in it, but that's all I'm going to say about them.  Go read the book and find out about them yourself!