Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Last Resort #1

The Last Resort #1 of 5
IDW Comics
Palmiotti, Gray & Caracuzzo

The Last Resort takes the old 1970s disaster film concept and adds in the twist of zombies with some gore, some humor and some outrageous characters. This comic was a fun read despite the fact that it had the backdrop of death throughout the entire book. This opening issue establishes some of the characters and puts the larger cast in an impossible situation that will probably end badly for most of them before the series is over. This was a very good comic.

The comic opens with a beautiful day at the beach. Girls swimming, kids playing in the sand and a half-man, half-zombie washing up on the beach and mangling a lifeguard. Whatever happens next at the beach and in that resort is anyone’s guess but you would have to think the area gets permanently spoiled.

Fast forward a day or so later back in the real world and we get little one or two page intros to various characters about to board a plane heading to Aruba. There’s a pilot and his flight attendant girlfriend, an elderly woman and his son, a troubled couple, a celebrity, etc. The cast is a good mix and all seemed to bring something unique to the table. Sure they are all bordering on the ridiculous side in terms of how they act but it makes the story more fun to watch the annoying characters die later on.

Eventually they all board the plane and head to Aruba. The plane is forced to make an emergency landing on a nearby island. They thought they had clearance but the storm broke up communications and that bit about restricted airspace didn’t seem to get through to the pilots. They land in what appears to be a deserted airport. Something happens at the end to expedite the death toll.

This comic seemed to move slowly through the introductions but with only a page or two to establish each character’s voice you need to add a ton of dialogue. Finding a way to bring everyone in for the opening issue is just a very difficult task. I could also see how to some the limited exposure to the characters isn’t enough. However, I prefer a larger cast with a nice mix of personalities so this was right in line with what I like. The more characters there are, the more fun you can have killing them all off.

The artwork was a lot of fun. It has a murky, clouded look to it but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the beauty. There was one page that seemed to be either colored way too dark or I got a botched print job. Either way the comic’s art was basically flawless and provides a great visual story with some very distinct character looks.

If you are looking for a horror story with some adult themes and some zombies all set in the style of Towering Inferno or any of the other 1970s disaster movies then this comic is worth a shot. The introductions are out of the way and I can’t wait to see how this cast meets its doom. Some of them have to survive, right?

4 out of 5 geek goggles