A smart and engaging comic take on a classic cartoon show about a group of supernatural investigators who drive a minivan spiked with a welcome shot of gore and a sharp edge. On Blackwod Island four investigators set out for the Blackwood Funeral Home (right beside Black Wood Cemetery) to check for ghostly activity. Naturally things take a turn for the worse and then the worse starts to expand and become significantly worse again.
What is greatly enjoyable is the way that Kim Roberts does not fight against the genre requirements, instead they are embraced and employed as fully as possible and then given a little boost. The conflict in the group is not banter it has a force that gives the story the push it needs. A ridiculous situation is not just taken seriously, it is actually serious and that brings the reader right into the story.
James Jonson’s art is perfectly matched to capture the nuances and hints within the writing and delivers a deeply satisfying balance. The first zombie to be revived is both funny grotesque and horrifyingly grotesque at the same time, there really are no rules for talent. The rest of the cast manage this same fine balance, cartoony art that brings astonishingly eloquent and expressive body language that allows for laughs and is nasty at the same time.
Chris Allen’s colours match the cartoon heritage of the story and the art perfectly, when it comes to delivering the gore the colours smoothly and naturally manage the process without blinking. The lettering is quiet and natural to read, the sound effects are cleverly placed to give just the extra push needed at critical moments.
Resurrected has managed an fantastically difficult task in comics, take a well known pop culture idea, mash it with a related idea and make it work as an independent entity without betraying the origins. The steely core of horror in Resurrected makes everything else work and makes for great story possibilities that the talented creators can exploit for the delight of their readers.
