Call of Duty: Zombies
Written by Jason Blundell & Craig Houston
Illustrated by Jonathan Wayshak
Dark Horse Comics
October 26, 2016
Reviewed by A. Renee Hunt
I only knew Call of Duty as a video game, but to find there are graphic novels by Dark Horse Comics isn’t surprising. Call of Duty: Zombies is one that’s easy to latch on to and a fun introduction to the fandom. What I didn’t expect was for it to be so dorky.
This is issue one of the miniseries. It’s more of an introduction to the characters and what they do, but as filler. What I mean by filler is, it’s giving a story between stories. If you are a graphic novel and comic reader, you know how this works. It allows characters to die in one reality but exist in another, so you can’t claim they’re dead! Happens all the time. The special team that we follow in this story is trapped in a sort of future Earth, where zombies are the dominant species. The characters (Stuhlinger, Misty, Russman, and Marlton) are trying to escape a horde but aren’t doing so well. They tend to ignore and fuss regularly with one another. The team is rag-tagged and on the run the entire book. Marlton, the Tech, is busy working drones and other devices for security; for some reason everything seems inoperable. He’s also on surveillance. Misty, the only female, is the sharpshooter. Then there’s Stuhlinger, who I believe is not crazy but being spoken to by either the narrator or someone assisting from from another world or dimension, and Russman, who’s odd because he refers to himself in third person.
Call of Duty: Zombies is a segment of the characters’ journey and really carries no plot. I believe this book is to introduce you to the character’s alternate reality and ultimately has one purpose: to inform readers of a greater evil. There is something lurking about more than the walking undead. This evil is pulling the strings on the fetid, meat-puppets and it remains a mystery. There’s no name given in issue one, but he may be from a previous series.
I liked the graphic novel because of the action. The illustrations were magnificent — detailed and bright, eye catching and perfect for the story.
Comics are great, but the digital ones make zombies gruesome, which is right up my alley. If you like zombies and you’re dwelling within the walls of Call of Duty fandom, this graphic novel is perfect for you.
