The Rise #1

The Rise #1

Heavy Metal Comics 2021

Written by George C. Romero

Illustrated by Diego Yapur

Coloured by DC Alonso

Lettered by Saida Temofonte

The film Night of the Living Dead changed popular culture forever, and now George C. Romero, the son of legendary film director George A. Romero, tells the story before the worst night on Earth. Learn about the death, destruction, and tragedy that led to the birth of the modern zombie in this prequel horror saga to the most significant and influential horror film franchise in history!

Here’s what this story does that I hadn’t expected it to, it brings a scientific point of view to light so that when the dead rise it has nothing to do with the unknown, voodoo or sorcery it’s all about science. Sure since the science to do this does actually exist we don’t get the hard science just the talk surrounding it, see rewiring the brain so that fear and trust are gone and all that’s left is rage. Nowadays, well ever since the first film hit theatres, we have contingency plans for a zombie outbreak but we still never see the science behind it that makes it all actually make sense. Bath Salts and other combinations of drugs can drive a person to eat another’s face off sure but is that person a zombie if the one whose face is ate doesn’t rise up and do that to others?

I love the way that this is being told. I am engaged on a level so that I am collating old and new data without being privy to the hard science and yet here I am pontificating on it. So yes this has drawn me in and engaged my mind and that in and of itself is what strong, powerful storytelling is supposed to do. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development is crazy good and we are seeing those whose own personal interests override morality in ways that are scarier than the zombies about to be created. The pacing is immaculately done and as it takes us through the pages revealing the cast of characters and the circumstances under which they meet well at a certain stage there’s no backing away.

Diego’s interiors here are beyond gorgeous. The linework we see is exquisite and with it’s varying weights and techniques that are being utilised to create this level and quality of detail work we’re being drawn into this story in some amazing ways. The creativity and imagination that we see is astounding and if you see the chimpanzee you’ll understand everything I refer to in one fell swoop. That we see backgrounds utilised as they are to not only enhance the moments, that wallpaper is but one example, but to bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story that is outrageously good. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The fact that this is black & white with gray tones and reds throughout is a modern nod to the original films black & white origins. I’m as equally impressed with how the reds are utilised as I am seeing what kind of impact it has.

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With how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story are emerging or created for a limited run as well as how the mind is able to be manipulated by others so that your perception becomes blurred is the kind of work I wasn’t expecting to see. With how everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it constantly moves the story forward is mindbogglingly brilliant to see. This is by far the most intelligent, influential and intriguing story in the franchise that we’ve yet to come across and this is only the beginning. Imagine if you dare what’s still to come.