Review - Plants vs Zombies Lawnmageddon Chapter 1Review by Paul Fiander
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Writer; Paul Tobin
Penciller; Ron Chan Inker; Ron Chan Colourist; Matthew J. Raiwater Letterer; Steve Dutro Cover Artist; Ron Chan Published by; Dark Horse Comics Inc |
Plants vs Zombies Lawnmageddon will be a six chapter series with the first two chapters on release from the 17th of July 2013.
Plants vs Zombies (PvZ) is an odd premise for a game. A tower defence game where the towers are plants and the attackers are zombies sounds like a crazy idea. However after playing the game its hard not to be seduced by its charm. So with the translation to the (digital) page, can the recipe that made the game such a hit be workable in comic format.
From the outset the front cover hits you in the face with a plethora of images from Popcap's gaming franchise. There is very little real estate on the cover that does not contain an image that will make you smile. From the cherry twirling girl, to the cone wearing zombie every image feels like it was perfectly imagined to be there. Its so over done that it looks perfect for the story you are about to dive into. The visual style continues throughout the comic and this is kind of a no brainer. in my opinion a deviation from the images we get from the game would completely ruin the experience and I'm glad the creators decided to stick with the the original art style. (Assuming they had a choice which is doubtful). The panels are a mixture with at times just like the cover you do not know where to look as the images bombard your retinas. This is countered by panels depicting our intrepid duo superimposed on a white background. The mixture makes for an enjoyable visual experience. The story itself is very light hearted especially for a zombie apocalypse story. The setup for which starts in earnest from the outset, there are no questions to the reader about what is happening. This is a good move as from the title and history of the franchise what else would people expect to see other than zombies. Our main characters introduced in the first chapter are likable and their fast talking dialogue is generally condensed in length to one liners. Most of the jokes do hit the mark and you will generally find yourself chuckling along. |
The story itself though is quite straight forward and their are obvious twists (use the term loosely) that you can see coming a mile off. Again I feel its correct for the piece.
With all this in mind the comic seems to aimed at the younger end of the market. Which is no bad thing. If the usage of the PvZ name can get new people to appreciate the medium then it will help make the next generation of comic book fans. For me the title feels like a dessert sort of an affair, great to experience but not essential. The score is based on those who area childish at heart
With all this in mind the comic seems to aimed at the younger end of the market. Which is no bad thing. If the usage of the PvZ name can get new people to appreciate the medium then it will help make the next generation of comic book fans. For me the title feels like a dessert sort of an affair, great to experience but not essential. The score is based on those who area childish at heart
The Comic is available in both print (coming later this year) and digital from Dark Horse comics. Follow this link for more details.
Wrap Up
The Good - Aimed a younger audience (both in age and at heart)
The Bad - Aimed a younger audience (I do have reservations on its universal appeal) |
Score - 4/5 |
Images courtesy of Dark Horse Comics
Comic - Provided by Dark Horse Comics
Comic - Provided by Dark Horse Comics