







Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Michael Allred
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Length: monthly serial
Gwen Dylan is a spunky and typically pretty girl who lives in Eugene, Oregon. She’s also a gravedigger. She’s also a zombie. She’s not a “Night of the Living Dead” stumble and moan zombie, but only because she consumes the brains of some of her recently interred customers about once a month. This has the unfortunate side effect of giving her some of their memories, sometimes memories like those of Fred, her most recent brain donor, who was murdered; and Gwen being who she is feels compelled to pursue these loose ends and lines of inquiry and solve the mystery of the recently murdered Fred.
Gwen’s partners in this life are a somewhat ditzy ghost-woman who died in the 60’s, and ‘Spot’, a were-terrier who’s enamored of her. The universe also contains vampires and mummies and the seemingly always necessary mysterious group of paladinic monster hunters to work as a foil.
There are things that I don’t like about this comic. I get tired of stories, like the tv shows Being Human and True Blood, where just because one thing exists, everything exists. Personally, I think I would have enjoyed just exploring the world of zombies that were more than mindless shuffling bodies. And all the little monsters being buddies is what made Being Human seem dumb to me. I am also not excited by the oh-so clichéd monster-hunters-organization-which-has-existed-from-ancient-times-to-serve-as-foil-to-the-creatures-of-darkness.
But the character of Gwen is interesting, and her companions while somewhat one-dimensional are good supporting cast members. The plot is well-paced and, I’ll admit, has me intrigued. Even the hackneyed twist of a potential love-interest between zombie, Gwen, and one of the monster-hunters does not grate too much, especially since she quickly realized what he was and is not just blindly mooning after a man who is secretly bad for her.
Michael Allred’s art is attractive and surely part of any leniency one gives what is probably a pretty lightweight storyline after all. But Gwen is probably the cutest zombie girl you’ve seen in sometime and worth a read. I mean, who doesn’t love a hot girl with brains?
3 out of 5.