DAY OF THE DEAD: DESERTION
Stefan Hutchinson, Barry Keating and Jeff Zornow Arrow
Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King Vertigo
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #1 Scott Snyder,
Brunner, Kieron Gillen, et al. Marvel
THE MYSTIC HANDS OF DOCTOR STRANGE #1 Peter Milligan, Frank
ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS AVENTURE #1
Chris Ryall, Menton Matthews III, Kieron Gillen, et al. IDW
Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson IDW
THE GHOUL #3
Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice Vertigo
GREEK STREET VOLUME 1
C
omic book movie tie-ins are almost as old as the medium itself, but they have definitely become an industry staple over the last fif- teen years. Traditionally, most movie comics
have been mere adaptations of the films, but these days it’s more common to use these publi- cations to further the movie’s plot, either through sequels, prequels or side stories. Horror films in particular have found a second
home on the four-colour page, with countless printed spinoffs ranging from the popular Alien to the more obscure Witchfinder General. To com- memorate the 25th anniversary of George A. Romero’s third Dead movie, Arrow Films follows suit with the exclusive Day of the Dead: Desertion comic, bundled with its UK Blu-ray release. (North American readers take heart! As reported in RM#99, the disc is region-free.) “The project started with [co-writer] Barry Keat-
ing,” explains writer Stefan Hutchinson. “He and I had been talking about working on a project for some time, and he had approached Arrow Films about producing something for their Day of the Dead 25th anniversary release. Being that we’re both huge fans of Romero’s work, this seemed like the ideal thing to work on together.” Hutchinson is certainly not a stranger to movie-
licensed comics, having worked on several Hal- loween projects in the past. However, this is his first time working on a comic that is being re- leased outside of the mass market. Did that affect the writing itself? “Definitely,” says
Hutchinson. “As the story is coming with the film itself, there’s less need to remind readers of the minutiae of the universe.” For those who
haven’t seen the film, the majority of the ac- tion takes place in an
isolated military bunker, seemingly safe from the world outside, which is now completely overrun with zombies. With attempts to exterminate the undead becoming increasingly futile, a small
RM76
group of scientists believe they need to train and control the undead for co-existence to be possible. To this end, they attempt to housebreak “Bub,” a zombie with an ap- parent army background. Bub is easily the best thing
in the movie, and a clear choice for the main subject of the comic. Desertion sees Bub in his pre-zombie days, having quit his military post to safeguard his family from the horrendous infestation. “Well, he’s oddly enough
the most human character in the film in many ways,” notes Hutchinson. “We draw on those themes and show the story of a man who has de- serted his military role to care for his family – to save the in- dividuals and not the many. That’s a decision of heart, a human decision. The unfortu- nate counterpoint to that is the oppressiveness in the film, so our story comes from those two ideas colliding.” That oppressiveness – combined with the lack
of sympathetic human characters – has led some to dismiss Day of the Dead. And while the film was once considered Romero’s weakest entry (until 2007’s Diary of the Dead came along, that is), it has still amassed many fans over the years. Hutchinson says, “Well, Night has always
been my personal favourite but Day comes in second. While it may lack the epic scope of Dawn, its immediate predecessor, it still moves all of Romero’s themes forward. He started with the family, moved to society in the second film and here, in the third, he addresses the gov- ernment. It’s the perfect ending to a trilogy. It’s a brutal, nihilistic film, and we carried that tone through to the comic book.” Hutchinson was keen to observe Romero’s so- cial commentary, including a new subplot about
Day of the Dead: Desertion tells the back story of Bub and his family.
the fate of Bub’s son at the hands of human sur- vivalists, brutally demonstrating that people can be even more inhuman than the zombies them- selves. “If anything, I wanted this also to be a coda to
the original trilogy in terms of theme, which is one of the reasons that the first page evokes all three films. I think it’s very important when ex- tending a story from something that already ex- ists that you try to capture the mood and feel of the source material. Most tie-ins capture nar- rative elements, but really, if that’s all you do, you’re insulting your readers and the films you’re supposed to be paying tribute to.”
The Day of the Dead 25th Anniversary Blu-ray
with exclusive comic is now available. North Amer- icans can purchase it through
amazon.co.uk.
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