Zomblicity: A Z&T World Exclusive

Todd Jepperson



A typical day in the life of Curtis Madsen is about to get dreadfully interrupted. This is not your usual Zombie story....



Zomblicity is a new webcomic launched on December 6th 2010 by creator Robin Sandiford and artist Farcreazy Fahad which revolves around main character Curtis as discovers what life is like as both human and Zombie. So far, issues one and two (issue two being in two parts) have already been released to the website for your free viewing, and the plan is to keep it that way for a while. The story is just barely getting its feet underneath it, but so far I’m a fan; also, I’d skip ahead if you can’t take spoilers…

(Highlight to view)
Curtis Madsen has woken up in the middle of a Zombie outbreak. On his way to work he sleepily wades through the morning rush at the Tram station, where he is met by a wave of panicked commuters running for their lives from something terrible. The scrambling masses nearly crush him trying to flee from the newly arrived train, but Curtis holds his ground and steadies himself for what’s to come. The doors of the tram open and Curtis’s shoulder becomes breakfast. End issue one.
Issue two begins the same day, only it chronicles what might have been if Curtis would’ve slept in and woken up 30 minutes later. He misses the first wave of people and rudely interrupts what was probably a very nice Zombie brunch. This time, he’s feeling a little more rested; he kicks some ass, decides work is for those not in mortal peril, and rushes home in time to rescue his lady, Jo, from what could be a very unfortunate end.
(you can start reading again)

When asked about the comic and how long it will run, Sandiford responded:
“We're currently in the midst of finalising issue 3. It's been an 'epic' issue and one that’s been really hard to nail the mood of. [Let’s] just say, [it's] difficult trying to convey the emotions of 'The Dead'. Volume 1 of the comic book series will span 9 issues initially. After that we’ll see what the general reception has been and (hopefully) continue to create these comics as long as humanly possible. We’ve certainly got a story long enough script to cover at least 3 volumes and possibly a prequel series.”

This I’m all for. The art has a strong manga influence and is all high-contrast black and white pencil sketch work (which I like). Frames are well drawn and fit together very well page-to-page. I can’t lie, the story is kinda predictable so far, but I can move past that with an eye toward the necrotic horizon. There is a little bit of language here and there, and also a shower scene; however, the artist has been careful not to get too *detailed* with the anatomy, so I’d still say this is pretty reader friendly for anyone mid-teen and older, so far.

Also when contacted, Creator Robin Sandiford and Illustrator Farcreazy Fahad were very quick to respond and have been generous enough to give us the opportunity to present a few world premier goodies. You won’t find these images anywhere but here, folks. Take a look at some Zombies and Toys and Zomblicity exclusives:

Prototype images of two of the four tees in production, designed by Manchester based illustrator Libby Vickers. These tee shirts will be launched along side Zomblicity Issue 3: Alive inside but are available to Zombies and Toys readers for preorder (£14.49 delivered in the UK, but sadly that’s $32.95 for those of us in the ‘States) by using the contact form on the Zomblicity website (here), or by sending them a ‘tweet’ on their Twitter. Using ” Zombli tee pre-order” as the subject, include your name and address along with which design you'd like (black or white) and, finally, your tee shirt size.

And here’s a never before seen Alive Insde concept sketch of Curtis, the Zombie, Madsen in the middle of a down pour and a sneek peek at the art of issue three. Thanks again to Robin and Farcreazy for the opportunity.

Take a ride on the links and check out the comic for yourself here, here, and here, then stop by the main site and let them know what you think. If you’re so inclined, you could also hunt them down on Facebook and Twitter.