The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
Written by: Max Brooks
Illustrated by: Ibraim Roberson
Published by: Three Rivers Press (Oct. 2009)
Page Count: 144
Where to buy:
AmazonPublishers Comments:
Those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.From the Stone Age to the information age, the undead have threatened to engulf the human race. They’re coming. They’re hungry.
Don’t wait for them to come to you!
This is the graphic novel the fans demanded: major zombie attacks from the dawn of humanity. On the African savannas, against the legions of ancient Rome, on the high seas with Francis Drake . . . every civilization has faced them. Here are the grisly and heroic stories–complete with eye-popping artwork that pulsates with the hideous faces of the undead.
Organize before they rise!
Scripted by the world’s leading zombie authority, Max Brooks, Recorded Attacks reveals how other eras and cultures have dealt with–and survived–the ancient viral plague. By immersing ourselves in past horror we may yet prevail over the coming outbreak in our time.
About the Author:
The New York Times bestselling author of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, Max Brooks has been called “the Studs Terkel of zombie journalism.”About the Artist:
Artist Ibraim Roberson brings a diversity of graphic influences into the dark vision of this story.
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
Tonight, for your viewing pleasure (or peril) we bring you the latest in Max Brooks’ Zombie Survival series – The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. When Lee Clark Zumpe emailed me asking if he could write up a review for this book, I was happy to say yes. Max Brooks and Zombies – what could be wrong with that? Well… why don’t I just let Lee tell you. Here are his thoughts on Brooks’ latest zombie extraveganza. Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks is the latest addition to Max Brooks’ thriving zombie franchise. Presented as a graphic novel, Brooks has expanded his zombie mythos with epigrammatic historical accounts showing how other eras and cultures have fared in the face of this ancient viral plague. Brooks kicks off with a prehistoric incident, dated to 60,000 BC. This introductory short is set in central Africa and, as the book’s title infers, depicts the circumstances of a zombie attack.
The reader is swept through time, from ancient Egypt and Roman-occupied Caledonia (Scotland), to feudal Japan and the Colonial era in the Caribbean. Of the 12 episodes represented, three tales are set in the 20th century.
Fans of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z may be disappointed by The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. Many of the individual accounts read as though they were little more than preliminary sketches. While the illustrator, Ibraim Roberson, provides strong black-and-white visuals to augment the work, the artist can only go so far in cultivating Brooks’ themes. As for the overlying storyline, the graphic novel fails to explore any new ground. There are no revelations here … just one zombie attack after another, set in different time frames.
Incidentally, although this is a graphic novel, the publisher omitted the illustrator’s name from the cover of the book as well as the title page. Roberson’s name appears toward the bottom of the copyright page. He also gets a brief mention on the back cover. Roberson, whose work will likely draw some comparisons to the illustrations of Richard Corben, deserves a little more credit.
Final Thoughts:
Strictly as a curiosity, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks offers some passing amusement – it can easily be devoured in less than 30 minutes. Not as innovative as Brooks’ previous genre work, this graphic novel suffers from franchise redundancy and lack of ingenuity. It is provisionally fun but hardly ground-breaking. I give this book a 2 out of 5.Note: After reading The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks and writing this review, I discovered a post on the author’s website explaining that the omission of Ibraim Roberson’s name on both the cover and the title page was a “class-A, solid gold screw up.” According to the post, Random House will make sure the illustrator’s name will be included in the second printing. Source: Max Brooks News
Lee Clark Zumpe – Minion (Reviewer)
