Down By Kontact, The Living Dead Live

Recently, one of the godfather's of horror was taken from us. George Romero! Appropriately, even in death he lives in the hearts of every horror fan who has been shocked by his zombie films. Fortunately, unlike his zombies, he isn't eating our hearts. My good buddy Matthew Myers has given us a nice homage to Mr. Romero. In a terrifying comic book, "Down By Kontact," Mr. Myers has used influences of "Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," and I maintain a tip of the hat to "Shaun of the Dead" in this work.

 This is a comic book (okay...graphic novel, if you must) and hits us in black and white (Dixie Filloy does some great work here). What is important here is the use of the black and white medium. To say it is a reference to "NOTLD" is an over-simplification. Mr. Myers and Dixie Filloy utilize it to seduce us into a false sense of security. Don't be fooled, the reds...deep reds, may not be present, but the detailed artwork activates our minds and allows our own minds to enhance the experience in all its gore, real and imagined. As our story begins, all is good. Like all zombie stories...it will deteriorate quickly. This is extra sad because Mr. Myers introduces u to some likable blokes who could be us. Too bad for these chaps they missed the opening scene (you'll see). They sleep late, drink a lot of beer, smoke, and behave like juveniles...at the age of 54...I can still relate. They also pick up a sultry barmaid and go party in the woods.

Boom! Isolated in their own forest party they miss the start to the end of the world. They'll emerge to a Romero-esque zombie apocalypse. However immature our boys....and barmaid are, the end of the world does something to the good-at-heart. The flesh ripping horror that besets them will take its toll on our quintet, but a plot device from Mr. Myers will change their priorities. Amidst the sacrifice of life and limb, our schmucks turned hero-wannabes will have a chance at redemption (albeit, a lot earlier in life than they would've liked). Okay, the world was good...the world ended...then...well, you'll see.

No spoilers for the ending but when you get there it will take you a couple days to figure out what exactly happened. Sure, the story ended with a gut-wrenching, blood soaked finale. However, the very last page not only wrapped up this story, but if you look real close, perhaps Mr. Myers meant it to be a salute to Mr. Romero. George Romero won't be climbing out of his grave...er, at least I don't think he will...but Mr. Myers has put together a comic which pays great homage to much of his work. In that respect, George Romero lives on in the minds of all of us horror fanatics. "Down By Kontact" is a zombie story you need to read...and experience. To order this work click on the link below:
Down By Kontact