Written and art by Etienne Derepentigny
Letters by Jerome Gagnon
Edits by Kurt Blecher
Published by Red 5 Comics

“After the shocking discovery and the loss of his fellow soldiers, Kain with the help of another survivor must find the strength to carry on and get back to his love Alice. Let’s hope he gets to Field Valley before the undead does. The second issue of a 5-part story arc, Dead Kingdom is a multi-layered saga that will explore a world where sorcery, brotherhood, and love collide with the rising nightmare of the living dead.”

This issue keeps the momentum going as we get a glimpse into what drives our protagonist Kain – his love for Alice. The world continues to be built up as we meet new characters who have had their own encounters with the undead and those that come out alive appear to be prepared to do what it takes to end the zombie apocalypse or die trying. Etienne takes time building up Kain’s character and then throwing him, yet again, into the fire – sometimes literally – to fight the undead and save the living.

For those that were a fan of the gore seen throughout issue 1, have no fear, because this continues to be a mainstay in the artwork as zombies reach their end. Etienne’s command of using colors for a purpose really stands out in this issue with complete background color swaps in moments of battle and as ways to accentuate the action taking place. This is a fantastic action-packed gorefest that keeps you guessing as the mystery builds around the origins of this plague that is causing the undead to exist. We get left on a cliffhanger that will leave you begging for the next issue to be released sooner rather than later.

As I said in my review of issue 1, the artwork definitely is giving us hints as to some important pieces of information. Take the axe that Kain now carries – it is intricately designed in a way that it stands out from the rest of the weapons used. I am loving that Etienne is utilizing the artwork to build more mystery in the story and does a great job of consistently letting the art tell the story when words are not needed. With the incredible linework and coloring, the reader is going to be drawn to the artwork anyway, so it becomes even more effective. I really enjoy thick lines so Etienne’s art style is awesome to see.

As always, Jerome Gagnon makes Etienne’s words shine like a knights armor using top notch lettering. The sound effect lettering helps the reader to feel more immersed into the world and helps the story to flow smoothly. This is a must read entry into the zombie genre. I cannot wait to see this story fully explore the magical side of the world that gets hinted at throughout the first two issues and could be a huge thorn in Kain’s side going forward.

Rating: 8.5/10

Dead Kingdom Issue 2 will be out 11/9/22!