Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Fanboys Vs Zombies #1Fanboys Vs Zombies #1
Boom! Studios
Humphries & Gaylord

The highly anticipated "versus" release this week wasn't from one of the big two, but from Boom! with the debut of Fanboys vs Zombies. Priced at just a buck you get twenty-two pages of very entertaining dialogue and character establishment as the zombie outbreak begins to simmer. I found the issue to be difficult to get into a grove with for the first third, but then the book took-off and proved to be a terrific starting point to the series. I definitely recommend checking out this title if you have any interest at all in the fanboy culture or even young adult situation comedies…..with a zombie twist of course.

The setup up is pretty basic. A group of five friends always frequent the San Diego Comic Con. Relations have strayed over the years, though, because the one female in the group has been (or previously) dating two of the crew. It's always over a girl isn't it? The group is split up into three subgroups where one brings along his wacky sister to make it an even six.

The comic plays up on a lot of the Comic Con mainstays, like CBR, cosplayers, really bad food and sparsely attended panels. The strength of the book is in the character relationships. The book is fast with the dialogue and it took a few pages to really understand whether it was sarcasm or legitimate emotion. By the end of the book I believe I have a handle on all six characters and I think that says something about the strength of the writing. I actually didn't want to see any of them die….just yet.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe artwork is fun as well as detailed. I found it to be in the same vain of Humberto Ramos, who, fittingly, provides one of the covers. The book does give a cartoon-like feel to the zombies and I wasn't really thrilled with the concept until I saw that they were still fairly grotesque looking. I credit this to the art as well. The mix of fun and horror is perfect for the title and tone of the book. Visually this is a good comic book.

I realize this book is not going to be for everyone. It's got a snarky tone and it plays up on making fun of geeks. The characters could be facing any sort of disaster and still behave the exact same. They just so happen to be facing off with zombies. If you are looking for something fun to read and maybe laugh a little then I recommend checking this out. Plus, the issue is only a buck, so what do you have to lose? I know I am in for the long haul.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles