It started out as just another sun-splashed morning in Evans County, PA, but reanimated corpses with insatiable appetites have stained the perfect Sunday crimson for those unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Now available from Double Take, the Ultimate Night of the Living Dead #3 issues follow the continued chaos caused by the living dead legion, resulting in hearty helpings of horror, havoc, and humor on the paneled pages.
While the #1 and #2 Ultimate Night of the Living Dead issues effectively introduced the series’ large cast of characters and diverse environments, the writers really open things up in this third round of storytelling. The zombies continue their organized assault on the citizens of Evans County, and with the body count rising, the pace picks up across all ten issues as characters are forced to face the harsh reality of being hunted by the ravenous living dead, whose ranks seem to be growing every hour.
Two people who certainly realize that the intestines have hit the fan are Dr. Oswald Grimes and Dr. Angela Kifo, who feature prominently in the Slab and Medic series. They both bring a badass vibe to solving problems with science, making their methodical approach to the infectious epidemic all the more intriguing. A character that Jeff Goldblum was born to play, Dr. Grimes has stolen scenes since his appearance in the #1 issues, and he shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Also making his mark on the third round of issues is Secret Service Agent Clancy from Jeff McComsey’s Z-Men, who is having one of those “this couldn’t possibly get worse” kind of days. Clancy faces his biggest challenge yet in Z-Men #3, relying on bullets, a garden rake, and one-liners to survive a cellar-set showdown with the living dead. Along with his alcoholic partner, Agent Stuart, Clancy continues to be a fun character to follow, and his investigative mission in Evans County gives Z-Men a welcome X-Files-esque flavor.
Those reading the series to find out the fates of Johnny, Barbara, and Ben (had they survived George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead) will see some critical changes in this third round, as the familiar faces from the classic film take their biggest steps yet into original territory. Also popping up in the panels to pump some lead into zombies is Chief McClelland, who could sure use another cup of hot coffee after numerous attempts to instill law and order in the living dead. Bill Jemas has done a wonderful job fleshing out McClelland from a secondary character to an intriguing leading man in the Honor series, giving the character more depth while also maintaining his mannerisms from Romero’s movie.
In addition to offering satisfying storylines for the film’s surviving characters, the most impressive element from the #3 issues is its deeper dive into its mysterious side. On the surface, a zombie uprising is underway and Evans County citizens are just trying to hold out until help arrives, but there have been hints in previous issues of something much bigger behind the living dead infection. The third issues pull back the curtain more than ever before, teasing a new element to the story that should ignite plenty of interest in the upcoming fourth issues (especially for Spring, which has enough mind-bending moments to please diehard Lost fans).
To match the higher stakes of the story, the overall artwork is at its best here, too, as more encounters with the living dead have set the stage for further destruction around town. The mayhem really pops off the page in Dedication and Home, while sections of Slab effectively capture the socially conscious ’60s party scene (readers will also want to keep an eye out for a ridiculously large margarita glass).
Readers who have dug the series so far will not be disappointed with the story progressions of the third issues. The humor is there, the horror is starting to creep in a little more, and the mystery behind the infection is at its most intriguing. Those looking for a more straightforward zombie survival tale still likely won’t embrace Ultimate Night of the Living Dead with open arms. However, readers hungry for a different take (albeit in a familiar setting) on the zombie genre will find more than enough eclectic characters and creepy carnage in these third issues to sate their appetites.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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