A review by allyshay
The Izombie Omnibus by Mike Allred
4.0
This is -nothing- like the iZombie show on the CW, and I'm oddly ok with it. While there are some similarities between Gwen and Liv, the comics are more fantastical. Besides zombies, the series introduces mummies, ghosts, wereterriers, Frankenstein-type monsters (and a zombie hybrid), dead Presidents, vampires, monster hunters, and an all-powerful space god being. They all create this world of mystical beings that coexist (not always happily) in "our" world.
The wit and tone of the TV series is here, but the comics are so much better (if you appreciate that comics are meant to exist on a plane of nonsensical reality) for the creative fantasy world Gwen and her friends live in. I was expecting the comics to follow the tv show, just as Seasons 8 and counting of Buffy picked up after the show went off the air. But I really enjoyed the world that Allred(s) and Roberson created. I wish they were able to continue beyond #28, but I'm happy some iteration was able to continue into a tv show that has adapted it to fit into more tv friendly material. Not to mention that some of the content does have parallels to the TV world of BTVS and Angel - which existed on the CW and ended because of ratings issues (Angel, at least.) So the change in format to not follow comic canon is understandable.
I digress. Thoroughly enjoyable read. There are continuity issues between books and some character development/secondary storylines that never get fully fleshed out. However, in the afterward, Roberson explains that he had expected to be able to do so had the story not ended and because of editorial constraints. The continuity didn't distract from the overall experience for me, however, I have read other reviews where it has bothered other readers. Great "escape" done in a creative way. Also, Mike Allred's art is absolutely phenomenal and imaginative. I'd read anything he has a part in.
The wit and tone of the TV series is here, but the comics are so much better (if you appreciate that comics are meant to exist on a plane of nonsensical reality) for the creative fantasy world Gwen and her friends live in. I was expecting the comics to follow the tv show, just as Seasons 8 and counting of Buffy picked up after the show went off the air. But I really enjoyed the world that Allred(s) and Roberson created. I wish they were able to continue beyond #28, but I'm happy some iteration was able to continue into a tv show that has adapted it to fit into more tv friendly material. Not to mention that some of the content does have parallels to the TV world of BTVS and Angel - which existed on the CW and ended because of ratings issues (Angel, at least.) So the change in format to not follow comic canon is understandable.
I digress. Thoroughly enjoyable read. There are continuity issues between books and some character development/secondary storylines that never get fully fleshed out. However, in the afterward, Roberson explains that he had expected to be able to do so had the story not ended and because of editorial constraints. The continuity didn't distract from the overall experience for me, however, I have read other reviews where it has bothered other readers. Great "escape" done in a creative way. Also, Mike Allred's art is absolutely phenomenal and imaginative. I'd read anything he has a part in.