Image's Crawl Space: XXXombies - A Review

Well, we finally got back on schedule yesterday. I told you I had a wealth of press releases in my arsenal here, with even more to come. But I also said I was going to get you a few reviews of comics I'm reading, so let's jump right in with Image Comics' Crawl Space: XXXombies #1:

Brought to us by Rick Remender, Tony Moore, and Kieron Dwyer, XXXombies starts off with a bang - literally - as a plane crashes into the Hollywood sign, scant miles from where a gaggle of lowlifes are filming a porn for some mob syndicate.

The dialogue is light and direct - I mean, the premise itself tells you this is not kids' fare, but the dialogue is direct. And hilarious!

We all know my general views on porn - I'm against the industry, not the product - and it was so refreshing to read this kind of dialogue, which reminded me that I, as usual, am so right.

Regardless of how you feel about the subject matter - and I mean it guys, this is rough - any fan will immediately recognize the mastery in the storytelling; this is how comics are supposed to be done! The characterization is quick and unapologetic (this guy's a jerk, that one's a dweeb, this girl's a drug-addicted whore, that one's a lost soul looking for her way, etc.), as is the art. Both are full-fledged, no-holds-barred sketches that are not rendered to impress, but to tell a story.

That is not to say they are not deft and accurate - far from it! - in fact, it's quite the opposite. XXXombies is simply a brilliant piece of sequential artwork, sans crosshatching, political correctness, pathos, or any apologetic overtones. XXXombies is about a 1970s porn set in the direct onslaught of a zombie horde and it does not bother with two-page splashes and superhero poses, nor does it attempt to whitewash what is, in fact, a reprehensible and base industry full of hookers and shitheels.

These aren't misunderstood ne'er-do-wells "just trying to survive"; these aren't misunderstood, "blue-collar workers" carrying on any sort of tradition. These are dopefiends, thugs, and whores, preying on innocents and imposing their will on others. And then there are zombies.

And it's the best thing I have ever read from Image Comics!

Highly recommended!