Under the Net with Jake Estrada
The Zombie Years
Welcome to the tenth edition of Under the Net.
I will be rating the elements of the book on a scale of one through five.
One is poor, two is mediocre, three is fair, four is good, and five is excellent.
Hey folks, how are you doing? I hope everyone is doing well; I know I am. I went to Mega Con in Orlando, Florida. It was a beautiful event, and I met some guys who ran a small web comic series called The Zombie Years. I picked up the first print copy of the book. I figured I would read the rest online, and I picked up a few more of their titles that I will review later. As the title suggests, it’s about zombies. There are graphic horror scenes and lots of depressed people trying to make it out alive. The story takes place in South Florida, namely Miami, and the world has ended for most people, but there are survivors and they will do anything they can to eat. In the first chapter of the story, you are introduced to Frank Nuñez, a guy trying to survive in this world filled with zombies, and as he scavenges through society, he finally comes across a woman who is passed out and he does what he does to protect her from the rotten zombies.
The Art
The art is done in black and white with a few dabs of color in the story. The black and white is what keeps the art going in this very scratchy style. The blacks are rich and the visuals in the story are drawn in such a way that you feel the nastiness of the world. You know this is a mean place, and you can feel the sense of urgency and doom in each panel. You can see the people have been weathered and are completely tired.
ART: 3 STARS
The Writing
The writing was nice and Juan Navarro has crafted a nice dialogue. I like the fact that all the characters are Hispanic and it shows and represents that demographic nicely as we watch these characters play out with each other, and I like how we learn about these characters’ lives through the panels in the story as it progresses.
It was a nice touch for the writer to use South Florida for the backdrop. Just thinking about a zombie outbreak down here in Florida, I could only imagine the stench of rotting flesh and how much worse it would be down here than, say, in Maine.
WRITING: 4 STARS
Originality
Zombies are being done to death, so in that market, there is nothing original. Zombies have been going on forever, but the public loves zombies, and it continues to get new fans daily. What I liked about Juan Navarro’s touch was that he used Florida as his characters’ backdrop and he used Hispanic characters instead of the typical white guy model. We get Cubans in the mix, and I loved this. I felt that a lot of comics fall into this trap where we get the typical white face or black male character. I think the beauty of a writer is to write what they know, and if they are Hispanic, they understand what it is to be Hispanic and write about that sort of life and it shows here. It gives you a great sense of drama and it runs high with adrenaline.
ORIGINALITY: 4 STARS.
Grand Total: 3.6 Stars
The Pros
The story is nice; it gives us the action, the horror, and the suspense. You can feel the characters’ agony and despair, yet they try to live another day. I like the main character Frank, and the other characters of Seb and Del. I like the sense that none of these characters are safe. For example, the female character Del lost one part of her leg, and the scenes that followed were brutal as other humans were trying to rape her. The sense of danger is high always, you never know if a person will kill you or a zombie will get you next. This is what I call a dramatic rollercoaster, and it is fun.
The Cons
My problem is the art. Sometimes it gets very cartoony, but the scratchiness works. What throws me for a loop is seeing a photo used in the art, and that throws me out of the story. Now I know they do it so they can move along with the story very quickly or to cut a corner, but Juan Navarro’s style does not mesh well with the photo thrown in here and there, and it is off- putting. If he had a more lifelike style in art, then I could accept it a bit more, but with his dark, moody style, it does a disservice to his art. I would say please draw all your scenes even if you aren’t happy with it. I want to see your twisted world through and through.
My Final Word
If you like zombies that have real consequences and a varying degree of cast members that aren’t your typical type, then please check out this title. You will not be sorry, and it certainly will be a fun read. I know I enjoyed it. J
The web strips update here:
Enjoy folks!
Jake Estrada
Email me at estradajake@yahoo.com for website suggestions. Thanks.
Jake Estrada is a published author who holds degrees in Multimedia Design and Criminal Justice. He is a father to three wonderful children and married to his beautiful wife, Beth. You can find his comics at http://graphicly.com/estrada-mediaand other fine online stores.
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