REVIEW: 'Dead Kingdom' #1 by Etienne Derepentigny and Jerome Gagnon

 

DEAD KINGDOM #1 

Writer: Etienne Derepentigny

Artist: Etienne Derepentigny

Letterer: Jerome Gagnon

Publisher: Red 5 Comics

Release Date: October 5, 2022

Cover Price: $3.95

A mysterious plague is haunting the kingdom. With the help of a peacekeeper, a group of soldiers investigates a village that may hold the answers to what is happening. But the truth is far worse than everyone could ever imagine. 'Dead Kingdom' is a five-part, multi-layered saga that will explore a world where sorcery, brotherhood, and love collide with the rising nightmare of the living dead.

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

'Dead Kingdom' is a straightforward zombie comic with enough nuance to make it worth exploring. Etienne Derepentigny handles both the script and art in a horror story that's quite familiar but in a new setting offering a new look at the genre. 

In the midst of a plague, a kingdom's knights investigate a village that has gone dark looking for answers. The opening scene establishes what they're up against and as expected, the action is a blood-curdling fright. In the zombie genre, whether fair or not, everything gets compared to 'The Walking Dead.' So from an artistic perspective, Derepentigny creates his own set of zombie characters that are equally menacing and disturbing as the great Charlie Adlard. It's what gives the comic weight because the threat is ferocious and unyielding. The scares are definitely there and that's what you should expect from a story like this. 

The Captain in charge enlists a former soldier now a peacekeeper to accompany the group to the village. Kain has a mysterious backstory that is touched upon but there's obviously more to build in this five-issue mini-series. 

'Dead Kingdom' is a refreshing take on the zombie genre which is off to a gory start. There are more layers to this story that are alluded to plus all the killer zombie action. This is a fun spooky read just in time for Halloween.