REVIEW: ‘Call of Duty: Zombies’
Call of Duty continues to be a highly influential video game franchise, with gamers welcoming each new release as if it were a birthday present. It’s no surprise that the successful series has spun out into several other media, including comic books.
Dark Horse is about to release Call of Duty: Zombies, with a story by Jason Blundell and Craig Huston, and featuring writing by Justin Jordan, pencils by Andres Ponce, inks by Mauro Vargas, colors by Dan Jackson, letters by Nate Piekos and cover art by E.M. Gist.
Minor spoilers ahead.
The action in the new book starts very much in media res. It’s Hampshire, England, in 1912, and the zombies come out in full force by the second page. In fact, that second page is a doozy thanks to a startling image that’s split into five different parts, each with visions of action and dread to come in the series.
This England circa 1912 only serves as a prologue because the story eventually moves to Morocco, and both fans and newbies should be able to follow along quite easily. The protagonist is a commander in the French Foreign Legion by the name of Bruno Delacroix. The person doing his bidding is none other than Alistair Rhodes, who sends Delacroix on a hunt to find an important object with devastating power.
What’s great about the comic book is how quickly the story moves. The two central characters meet, and it is within a page or two that they are beginning their search for the coveted item. The backstory is largely missing, which doesn’t seem like a plot hole, but actually a tantalizing preview of what’s to come.
There is certainly a good deal of violence within these pages, mostly in the form of stabbings and gun battles. However, it’s not all about the weapons because Bruno was apparently educated in a hard knocks school because he can throw a heavy punch (case in point: look at the cover art). In fact, with him being so menacing, the zombies take a backseat in issue #1. After that initial preview, the undead remain off the page — again this doesn’t feel like a plot hole, but a tantalizing preview of what’s to come.
There’s enough within the first issue of Call of Duty: Zombies for readers to want more. Alistair and Bruno prove to be interesting — an unlikely tag team, for sure! — and their adventures merit a return visit.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Dark Horse’s Call of Duty: Zombies #1, featuring writing by Justin Jordan, will be available Tuesday, Sept. 5. Click here for more information.
