Return to the Reviews Page
Archives
   Gotham Knights #25
   Gotham Knights #26
   Gotham Knights #27
   Gotham Knights #28
   Gotham Knights #29
   Gotham Knights #30
   Gotham Knights #31
   Gotham Knights #32

Feedback
This reviewer is open to getting feedback e-mail from readers. You may email her at:

haines@ev1.net

Gotham Knights #29
Bridget Haines
Title: The Mortician: Zombie Zero Pt. 2 of 2
Cover Date: July 2002
Story: Devin Grayson
Pencils: Leonardo Manco
Inks: Leonardo Manco
Colors and Separations: Gloria Vasquez / Wildstorm FX


Synopsis: (WARNING! SPOILERS!)

This is the second part of the Mortician story. Batman as of last issue, had just dived into a fray between the mortician's zombies, and the terrified, and armed, Keung. The Bat knocks Keung to the ground and the gun from his hand. He asks the Mortician if the zombies are really dead. He says thet were, but as his formula isnt perfected yet... Keung spots the man he is accused of killing there, and he cries out to him, asking him if he's alive. Batman blows up some of the zombies. He uses his grapnel to get himself, Keung, and the body of Viper out of the building. The Mortician comforts his animate corpses. Keung swears he did not kill Viper, who is animated but silent.

Tat has a conversation with his closet, or something in it. It turns out to be a hulking zombie who doesn't take well to being scolded. Batman is in his secondary cave doing some research. Keung wakes up, he knocks him back out.

The mortician is in a terrible rush to embalm bodies. He has a conversation with his father, who doesn't speak, being dead as he is. He apologizes to the zombie for yelling. Meanwhile the Bat is further investigating. The Mortician seems to be in a war against death itself.

Batman roughs people up to find out who is hiding the rogue zombie. They don't understand. He picks up a police call about someone maybe ill or in makeup. He finds Tat fleeing the creature and he squares off with it as Tat flees to a cop car. He shoots the zombie with a dart. It falls.

Batman returns to the mortuary to tell the man that one of the zombies committed homicide. It turns out he is embalming them with biolumiescent parasites, nothing more. The one who Tat found wasn't completely dead when he was embalmed, and will now live out the rest of its unnatural life in prison. Batman goes about destroying the zombies. The mortician destroys his parents himself.



Analysis:

Cover
: (5 of 5 cowls)

Brian Boland.Creeeeeeepy! Outstanding as per usual. Great expressions on the zombie faces. Great sense of being overwhelmed and reflective of the final scene in the book as well. Bravo. .


Story: (4 of 5 cowls)

I think I liked this better because it WAS a standalone and wasn't bearing a "Fugitive" banner. It was an interesting idea, though I'd like to know what became of the Mortician at the end. A little bit of horror injected into our books, though it might have been best dished out around Halloween.


Artwork: (4 of 5 cowls)

I like Manco for this type of story and subject. Normally I'm not a fan of the loose sketchy, gritty style of drawing, but it really works in this horror-flavored tale. I especially like the hulking visage of the zombie emerging from Tat's closet on page 7. Very eerie.


[Top]