Dead@17

Dead@17

Story and art by Josh Howard
Published by Viper Comics
(Review to be published by Independent Propaganda.)

Asia is one of those teenagers with such a strong personality that she is tough to contain. She beats boys up at school for grabbing her and does it with such ferocity that she is the one that gets into trouble. She’s the perfect person to save the world from the legions of the dead, especially ending up dead herself.

The track record for writer and artist Josh Howard already speaks for itself. He’s already had DEAD@17 as a bestselling mini-series and two successful sequels and two spin-offs. This issue of DEAD@17 is the first of the regular series. Even though the reputation precedes itself, this is my first experience with Howard’s work.

And that reputation simply does not disappoint. First of all, the cover is one of the best I have ever seen on a comic. It is so mysterious and menacing yet so provocative at the same time. The art throughout the book, evocative of manga or a stylistic cartoon series is phenomenal in every panel.

The storyline is also clear and multi-faceted. While following Asia through her day before her eighteenth birthday, we also learn of Henrick Strauss on the trail of the undying walking among us. We learn of Zach Pitch who wants to discover the truth behind his father’s death. They all blend together to form a very decent and enthralling story that will definitely make people pick up successive issues.

DEAD@17 is alive and well. If this first fantastic issue is any indication, this series will keep kicking for a long time to come.