Dead of Winter #2
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Gabriel Bautista
Cover Artists: Brian Hurtt with Bill Crabtree
Publisher: Oni Press
Review by Anelise Farris
As I said in my review of Dead of Winter #1, I am not familiar with the tabletop game this series is based on. However, this does not in any way prevent me from enjoying the comic! Dead of Winter #2 picks up right where the first issue left off. It is your basic zombie apocalypse situation where humans are banding together to survive. Dead of Winter is completely unique though because we have a zombie-hating dog at the center of it. Sparky showed us in issue #1 how he can defend his humans against zombies, all while wearing a majestic red cape. But, what happens when a bomb goes off and scatters the crew?
Following the bomb, Dead of Winter #2 shows us that most of the crew has been kidnapped by a cop who, though human, does not have a sane state of mind. Carly and Sparky, managing to avoid the kidnapping, meet up with Forrest: an ex-group member. Forrest definitely brightens the story up a bit, with his mall-issued Santa suit and humorous behavior. Sparky is not about to let anyone—human or zombie—disrupt his family, so Dead of Winter #2 is primarily a rescue mission. And, of course, it is a rescue mission filled with lots and lots of zombies.
As with the first issue, we continue to see believable dialogue and a story that moves along at a smooth pace. While the zombie apocalypse narrative might seem overdone, the team behind Dead of Winter delivers their own spin on this familiar genre. The characters are well-developed, and Sparky, our cape-wearing dog, is my favorite animal I’ve met in comics lately. The heavy use of grey and other muted colors enhance the spooky, ethereal feel of Dead of Winter. And, if you think that a zombie comic can’t be beautiful, then Gabo is here to prove you wrong.
Verdict:
Buy it! If you are looking for a surprising zombie tale, Dead of Winter is it. The creative team delivers a diverse cast of characters—furry, dead, and undead alike—and a great mix of horror and humor.
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