Eric Red, the screenwriter (The Hitcher, Near Dark) and author, first had his zombies in space graphic novel published by IDW back in 2005. It’s been out of print for a while but is now coming out of cryosleep and is now available in both paper and digital again.
How do you approach a comic book that has an introduction by Wes Craven who warns you about what’s about to hit you. You approach it carefully, that’s how.
Craven suggests you’re not going to be sleep after reading. I don’t know about that. Zombies have had a good decade since 2005 and perhaps we’re all a bit familiar with their antics now. Biting your nose off? Chomping through your friends? Yeah; we know what to expect. What makes Containment particularly hard hitting is the skill of Red’s storytelling and Nick Stakal’s dark and edgy art.
I don’t think it is the relentless zombies that are the true horrors in Containment. It’s not even the technological malfunction that created them. It’s the people. It’s the supposed friends of humans on board.
In fairness to the humans that freak out on board this NSAS space ship millions of miles from Earth – what would you do? You’re surrounded by the bleak expanse of space and the zombies in your ship are dismantling the air supplies. You can’t sit and wait. You can’t run. Whoever wins a zombie encounter by taking the fight to the shambling horde?
Stakal’s dark colours and lines do a great job at presenting this oppressive challenge and the sense of entrapment. Eric Red knows where the true fear is.
I’m not surprised that Containment was a success when it came out in 2005. Even today, nearly 10 years later, the graphic novel still packs a punch. Yeah, sure, I think some of the zombiehorror is a little familiar know but that’s like dismissing a Lovecraft as “yet another unspeakable horror trapped in the ice” story.
Overall? One for zombie fans! Like me.
My copy of Containment was provided for review.
