Michel, Doug – Monkey Squad One #8

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Monkey Squad One #8

One thing that bugs me about most of the zombie apocalypse fiction/shows/games out there is that they rarely bothers to explain WHY said apocalypse is happening, mostly because 60 years or so after “Night of the Living Dead” everybody just understands that it’s bound to happen sooner or later and nobody knows why. Well, that’s lazy storytelling right there. Doug, to his credit, has an inspired explanation for this version of a zombie attack: they raised up just as the saddest song ever written was being sung by a man who was perfecting his depression for years. This man can also prevent the zombies from eating him if he keeps playing, but has no control over them other than that, and I’m getting ahead of myself. This one starts off with the origin story of the man who kicks things off, and it turns out that he knew Doug (Monkey Squad Doug, not real life artist Doug) back in the day and they had their own band. When things get back to the present we see the current members of Monkey Squad One gleefully taking advantage of this rare opportunity to shoot zombies at close range, while the people at their headquarters are trying to figure out how to rein things in. The sad rocker, Monkey Squad One and the other group of Monkey Squad types (I don’t remember their number) eventually all meet up, and I can’t get too much further into things without giving away large spoilery bits. I loved that cliffhanger ending, and it would be tough to think up one that was much more dramatic than that. I may have been slow getting on this particular bandwagon, but Doug (the creator, not the character) won me over the old-fashioned way: through interesting stories that were well thought out and put together. The art doesn’t hurt a thing, as he clearly spent some time on damned near every zombie in the background when he probably could have gotten away with a few faceless blobs here and there. And the violence! I’m not sure if depicting intestines as striped is anatomically accurate, but it makes for a nice touch in the double page spread of zombie mayhem. Next issue wraps up this storyline, so if you’re looking to jump into this series but are intimidated by that “#8” on the cover, pick up the last issue, this one and #9 when it comes out. One complete story just for you! $2.50