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June 1st, 2007
02:37 pm

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The Weekly Webcomic Review: The Zombie Hunters

One of the things I hate about movie reviewers is the way most of them try to hide their prejudices. They won’t come right out and say, “I would sooner drink a glass of devil’s urine than laugh at an Adam Sandler movie, and I’ll fall to my knees in supplication at the first whiff of Truffault”; no, instead, they talk about the ways in which this latest Adam Sandler movie is substandard.

Who the fuck cares? I mean, I don’t like Adam Sandler, but that means that I’m patently unqualified to review his movie for anyone except for other people who don’t like Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler clearly has millions of fans who are willing to pay bucks to see him.

The question is, is this latest Adam Sandler movie more Adam Sandlier than his last? If you found Adam stammering in a high-pitched voice to be a gut-bustin’ calamityfest, is this next movie featuring his quavery voice even better?

That’s why I hate it when most mainstream critics review horror movies. They try to couch it in terms of whether this was predictable or this was witty, but I don’t go to horror movies to be scared witless. I go to scream and be scared.

Most of ‘em hate schlocky horror films… And that’s okay. Just be honest about it. Don’t fuck around and try to tell me why this slasher pic isn’t superior to Texas Chainsaw Massacre; you never got why I liked the original Chainsaw, and you won’t get why this is good, either.

It’s okay. Just be honest. That way, I can at least know to disregard your opinion.

So as a critic, let me tell you the honest-to-God truth: I fucking love zombie films. On a scale of 1 to 10, “zombies” are a +2. That’s right; for me, the worst zombie film in the history of mankind is a 3. A good zombie film like Dawn of the Dead – either Dawn of the Dead? It’s a fucking 12.

Yes, this critic goes to 12. Where can you go from there?

This might sound like my entire DVD collection is filled with the living dead, but the fortunate thing for my budget is that most zombie films are an objective 2 or a 4. Very few people know how to do zombies right. Romero knew in the beginning, but he lost it come Day. The number of objective 5-or-greater zombie flicks can probably be counted on two hands.

Fortunately, I’m here to tell you that thus far, The Zombie Hunters does zombies right.

Let me qualify that, though. The Zombie Hunters is a no-gag strip, which is to say that it’s sheer drama. There are moments of humor in it, but mostly it’s characters struggling to survive.

This is a tough act for a webcomic to pull off. The reason gag strips are so prevalent (and popular) online is because gag strips are largely self-contained. If you show up at Home on the Strange, we may be in the middle of a dense, character-heavy storyline, but there’s a dick joke at the end of the final panel. That’s something even the uninitiated can laugh at.

Tune into today’s Zombie Hunter strip, however, and you just see someone you don’t know about to be torn apart by zombies. That’s a tough sell, because Zombie Hunters is also very action-oriented.

I’ll be honest. I don’t know that much about the characters yet, because the story opens in the middle of an escape from a crowd of zombies, and seventy strips later they’re still not out yet. Action’s hard to do in a webcomic, and even harder to do consistently.

Yet the skill and quality of Zombie Hunters is such that even though I barely know these guys, and the story is moving slowly because they keep getting assaulted by the mobile corpses, I’m still riveted.

Zombie Hunters knows how to do action – which is to say, they can make a set of five panels so that it’s exciting and easy to follow and you know that the characters are half-a-second away from becoming Zombie Chow. The art is filled with stitchy little lines, very detailed and clean yet somehow messy, as befits a comic about a messy world; the splashes and splotches of color are disorganized but somehow tie everything together. It’s just damn pretty to look at, even when things are getting axes put in their heads.

And for all of the slow plotlines, it feels like it’s moving from strip to strip. There’s a momentum about the Zombie Hunters that feels urgent; I haven’t gotten time to know the characters, not really, or their backstory, but the hints and flashes we’ve gotten thus far make me want to know them. I’m sticking with this story not just because the action sequences are darned good, but because I’m pretty damn sure I like the people I’ve been presented with and I want to know more about them. The only way I can find that out is to stay tuned in so that I can get to the point where they’re not struggling for survival.

That’s pretty awesome stuff.

So yeah. I’m biased. But it’s a very nicely put-together strip, and I await with interest the inevitable explanation of the physiology and behaviors of zombies (What kills a zombie dead? Can you fool them? What are the other kinds of zombies that are hinted at but not explained?).

The Zombie Hunters comes highly recommended. If you like zombies. And even, probably, if you don’t.

(And as always, if you have an underappreciated webcomic you think I should review, leave a comment and I’ll take a look at it. Reviews will be only for strips with less or equal traffic to my own strip, Home on the Strange, in order to highlight smaller comics; as such, the reviews will always be at least mostly positive. If you note any traffic I’ve sent your way and feel the urge to shower me with gratitude, feel free to plug HotS in your own comic. Danke!)

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(Tell me I'm full of it)

Comments
 
[User Picture]
From:[info]guttaperk
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:11 pm (UTC)
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I like zombies.

Do pseudo-zombies ('The Hills Have Eyes') count?

And how does 'World War Z' formally rate in your books?
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From:[info]allah_sulu
Date:June 1st, 2007 09:37 pm (UTC)
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And how does 'World War Z' formally rate in your books?

Or "Marvel Zombies"?
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From:[info]roniliquidity
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:15 pm (UTC)
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Somehow i didn;t know you were a big zombie fan. Probably because you describe 28 Days Later as ok. How did you not jump on our vast collection of Zombie DVDs?
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From:[info]coffeeinhell
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:28 pm (UTC)
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On movie criticism: I had lunch with a critic pal yesterday, and one of the things we talked about was our irritation with a couple of other critics we deal with who seem to think that it's their duty to be jaded. That "I hate everything" attitude. I don't get that.

I mean, I'm getting more than a little jaded after 7 years on the job, and I hate feeling that way. I feel like I'm losing my innocence somehow, my lifelong adoration of movies. For me, it comes from watching way too many films from a critical perspective rather than an entertainment perspective. When you go into a movie with an agenda -- that it's going to be your job later to write about what's good and bad about it -- you watch it with a different eye than when you just want to have a good time.

After 7 years of watching at least 150 movies a year with that critical eye, the template of the three-act, action-every-20-minutes, insert-standard-formula-here storytelling technique wears pretty thin. I'm more demanding than I used to be, because I want to see something that's done well rather than another something that's written and directed to the template. Sometimes that makes me sad, because I really do go into every single movie hoping that I'll enjoy it.

BUT. God help me if I ever start to think that I'm somehow above liking something of a specific genre if it's done well. I'm not a fan of Adam Sandler, either -- but I think "Happy Gilmore" was a darn good movie. I love a good zombie flick (yes, the "Dawn of the Dead" remake is a fucking 12.) I'm not a fan of chick flicks, but every once in a while one comes along that's fresh and clever and, hell, I actually like it.

And, to veer back to topic, Zombie Hunters is pretty damn good. It satisfies me in ways that the later issues of "The Walking Dead" failed me.

Zombies are go.
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From:[info]breklor
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:29 pm (UTC)
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One of the things I hate about movie reviewers is the way most of them try to hide their prejudices.

Yeah, that's right up there with reviews of children's movies where they say "Oh, we've seeeeeen all this before." Well, duh. That's because you're forty and you watch more movies in a week than most people watch in a year. My child - hello, can we say "target audience"? - has not seen all this before.

I don't mind a section of the review being devoted to the parents, who after all do have to sit through this stuff with their darling tots. But the majority of the focus should be on the kids' perceptions.
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From:[info]jfargo
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:40 pm (UTC)
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If it updated more regularly I would call it one of the best strips out there, but that's probably because zombies are a +4 for me in all forms.
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From:[info]nedlum
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:42 pm (UTC)
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I'm not sure if Left Behind at the Fishbowl counts as a webcomic. But then, you weren't quite sure if Index counted. So I'm throwing it out there.
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From:[info]emosnail
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:51 pm (UTC)
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I read through the archives of that webcomic and it is indeed excellent.

A number of us bloggists are commencing today a yearly tradition of posting once a day throughout June. Usually the participants end up trying to one up eachother with the funniest entry, and build off eachother creating some inside jokes and generally having as good a time as one can have in the blogosphere. As you most more than once a day on average you probably have too much momentum going already to benefit from joining us, but if you were to mention the undertaking to your readership, some of them might find it interesting.

See also
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From:[info]kingnat
Date:June 1st, 2007 07:55 pm (UTC)
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I ignore movie review (and in fact, most peoples opinions) on the following

Pirate movies
Swashbuckling movies
The Matrix sequels

Why, because I know that they probably just don't appreciate the same things that I do about those sorts of movies.
On the other hand, when it comes to professional movie critics you're supposed to temper all of their reviews with a knowledge of how well that particular critics tastes match with your own, otherwise it's all completely worthless. That's why they have to go into depth about all the things they don't like about the movie if they're panning them, or all the things that they do like about the movie if they're being positive in their review.
It's pointless just going to the score at the end; you actually have to read the context in order to understand how well it applies to your own personal tastes, and people (and a lot of reviewers) seem to forget that.

Hell, one of my favourite movie reviewers is Barry Norman; even if he doesn't like the movie himself (and he'll tell you that he doesn't like it and why) he will give you enough information to let you come to a fairly accurate conclusion as to whether or not you would feel the same way about the movie. He understands the art of the critic, and that's what makes him so damned good.
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From:[info]amberfox
Date:June 1st, 2007 08:33 pm (UTC)
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This is one of the reasons I love Movie Mom. (current - older) She rates for all ages, and she takes things like target audience into account. (She even gave Grindhouse a good review, though "only for its intended audience, fans of this genre." Short of finding a reviewer who likes only and exactly what you do, finding one who critiques instead of just criticizes is worth their weight in gold.
From:(Anonymous)
Date:June 1st, 2007 08:14 pm (UTC)
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This is about a month too late...but? I just wanted to say I like your webcomic reviews... not necessarily because they're funny, though at least half of them are, but because they led me to Mansion of E. Spart from HotS and S*P, that's the only webcomic I regularly visit.

So thanks.
[User Picture]
From:[info]mystic_savage
Date:June 1st, 2007 08:14 pm (UTC)
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But why? Why do you love zombies? Is it the brain-eating thing? The contagion? I'm curious.
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From:[info]oakdragon
Date:June 1st, 2007 08:18 pm (UTC)

"Has something happened to Timmy?"

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One good zombie film on the horizon is Fido. I saw it as an advanced screening for at a local "cinema club." Very good!
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From:[info]allah_sulu
Date:June 1st, 2007 10:44 pm (UTC)

Re: "Has something happened to Timmy?"

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From:[info]oakdragon
Date:June 1st, 2007 11:08 pm (UTC)

Re: "Has something happened to Timmy?"

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Thank you for posting the link. I was too lazy (and distracted by work).
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From:[info]clodia_risa
Date:June 1st, 2007 08:47 pm (UTC)
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I'm not a zombie person, but this comic is awesome. I'm very glad you recced it.
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From:[info]mcsnee
Date:June 1st, 2007 09:21 pm (UTC)
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Two things:

1) I'm assuming you've already checked out The Walking Dead, the excellent (printed) zombie comic that has been running for a year plus now. If you haven't, you oughtta.

2) This is utter laziness on my part, but UI-wise I think it'd be great if serial webcomics like Zombie Hunters and HotS added a link from each page image to the next page, rather than making the user scroll down and find a smallish arrow button.
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From:[info]peterchayward
Date:June 1st, 2007 10:35 pm (UTC)

If you've got the link on-hand...

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Which is that post where you initially discussed the whole "+2" concept?
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From:[info]directordale
Date:June 1st, 2007 10:45 pm (UTC)
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Truffaut makes excellent movies. Some of the best in the world. That's really all I have to say. I think the critics would love not to review Adam Sandler movies but their bosses make them most times. I don't think disliking that kind of movie means you should not review it because sometimes critics do say "this is actually really good" and that is a true test. I think it is just too easy to send a fan of the genre to review a particular flick.
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From:[info]allah_sulu
Date:June 1st, 2007 10:45 pm (UTC)
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I consider The Wedding Singer to be "a film with Adam Sandler in it", not "an Adam Sandler film"... which is why (or because) that's the only one I found watchable.
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From:[info]ubergeek2
Date:June 2nd, 2007 12:14 am (UTC)
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I am about to combine almost perfectly, two of your most recent post.

http://www.wetanz.com/collectibles/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6

$225.00 statues. check out The Male Templar.

That's right. Zombies.

Check me out.

\/\/
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From:[info]ubergeek2
Date:June 4th, 2007 05:15 am (UTC)
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This is one of those times, you totally expect somebody to really pick up your comment...

and it just dies on the line.

\/\/
From:[info]slayride27
Date:June 2nd, 2007 09:35 am (UTC)
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Zombie-fan eh?

Last Blood is a comic about Zombies and Vampires, with Vampires trying to protect the last living humans from swarms of Zombies, lest they lose their entire food supply.

Last Blood

Currently doing a Zombie/Ninja arc:

Dr.McNinja
[User Picture]
From:[info]megalomaniac2
Date:June 2nd, 2007 03:25 pm (UTC)
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The artwork looks good, but the self-insert character has me very wary. Will read with caution.
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From:[info]bolindbergh
Date:June 3rd, 2007 11:57 pm (UTC)
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Not to be confused with Zombie Hunter.
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From:[info]ashwings
Date:June 5th, 2007 01:21 pm (UTC)
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I really don't know how I found this, but, I did! I don't read reviews often, because I get so self conscious and nervous, but I have to say thank you for that review! It means so much--especially if you are just starting out in the webcomic world.

I can't wait until I get further along in the story, and I have to admit, a lot of the up and coming strips will leave you going wtf? But never fear all things make sense in their own good time :)

Thank you again!
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From:[info]theferrett
Date:June 5th, 2007 09:51 pm (UTC)
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No problem! If you ever feel like reviewing HotS, lemme know, but your comic is good enough that I need no reciprocation. I like it a lot.

Plus, you know, zombies. Heh.
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From:[info]ashwings
Date:June 18th, 2007 07:51 pm (UTC)
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eeeeee sorry for not responding back to this xD time for me is a little tight (as you can see)but if I ever get the time to do reviews I give you a holler n_n

Thanks again for the wonderful review! Much appreciated n___n
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From:[info]cynic51
Date:June 7th, 2007 10:58 pm (UTC)
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Given some other things you've told me does this mean that a Zombie movie featuring William H Macy and Steve Buscemi could theoretically reach a +14?
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