’68 Homefront #1 Review

For many, the zombie genre is overdone and repeated to undeath. For others, the genre is full of potential and done well, is entertaining. For those in the latter camp, ’68 Homefront #1 may be something worth looking into.

The original description from Image:

In 1968, the horrors of the Vietnam war invaded every American living room. On February 13th of that year, a new war began, bringing horror…and hunger home to stay. ’68: HOMEFRONT returns the series to the American heartland and the small, sleepy town of Harbinger, Pennsylvania (home of the Heralds) in the first two-issue story arc, “’68: PEECE AND LOVE.” Fresh accident victims sit up on morticians’ slabs, a busload of visiting athletes rises from wet red asphalt to become an army of the damned, and Jenny Love–homecoming queen, cheerleader, and girl next door–prepares to reveal her deepest secret to the world. A secret in the form of leather-clad town bad boy, Johnny Love.

This title definitely takes its cues from the movies. Much of the first half is set up establishing the time period and setting. From regional dialects to enough teenage drama to fill another comic book entirely, the beginning might not please some people.

However, if you’re looking for atmosphere, this slow opening might please some. Mark Kidwell knows what makes a zombie movie and this comic hits on just enough tropes to get the point across. It’s well written, I’m just not sure if its unique. It hits on so many of these elements it sometimes comes across as a tribute rather than an original piece of work. Heck, one part even feels like a comic version of Grease more than anything else.

Visually, however, there’s enough effort here to set the tone. Kyle Charles’s pencils are great – a little loose, but plenty of detail. However, the coloring from Jay Fotos gives the game away too early. ’68 Homefront #1 starts off grim and it’s hard to get darker it terms of colors and shades. As a result, there’s a lack of a sliding scale in terms of appearance, even when the plot ramps up.

In any case, this is a zombie comic for the fans. It hits all the retro marks and offers enough detail to enjoy as a stand-alone title.