A lot of well known figures have been fighting the dead (and undead) these days. Abraham Lincoln has been seen decapitating vampires. The word is that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have been taking on zombie hordes. Even Jesus Christ himself has returned to take on those beyond the grave. Mashups like these ones are becoming so commonplace that the danger of redundancy and audience fatigue is high. Fortunately, the first issue of Dead Future King, which resurrects King Arthur in a zombie-infested future, is at the top of its game and is a great example of why mashups can be some of the most fun, exciting, and original stories out there!
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
Dead Future King #1 is the brainchild of David R. Flores, who is responsible for both the story and the art. Flores has a background in screenwriting, having won several awards, and that experience as a storyteller is apparent in the way that the first issue of Dead Future King grabs its audience and doesn’t let go until the final page, (The very first panel of this book starts with Arthur receiving a mortal wound at the hand of his villainous son, Mordred!), when Arthur finds himself resurrected in the future. Flores also does a great job of avoiding the typical pitfalls of both the mashup and zombie genres by refusing to spend extended periods of time covering Arthur’s confusion regarding machinery and other technology not of his time and his shock at being confronted with the dead who have risen. This isn’t to say Flores ignores these necessary story points, but he deftly addresses them and moves on, knowing his readers have seen enough “out-of-time” characters exclaiming disbelief at the site of a radio or a shambling zombie. Too often, comic writers don’t realize that if you don’t grab your readers in that first issue, they may never pick up the second – something that’s not the case with Flores and Issue #1 of Dead Future King. Avoiding the temptation to do a simple, campy take on the subject, Flores delivers a graceful and dramatic story that takes its characters and setting quite seriously, and it’s clear that Flores knows and is a fan of the Arthurian mythology. Plus, Dead Future King #1 ends with a cliffhanger that’s sure to make readers eager for the next issue.
Flores also does a fantastic job with his depiction of Dead Future King’s world and characters. Not only is his artwork appropriately epic in a cinematic fashion, but his use of color, especially in a scene where Arthur reclaims his soulmate of a sword, Excalibur. The colors of the water are vivid, as is the crimson tinge of blood that fills that water when Arthur is forced to face multiple zombies in the underwater environment.
If you are a mild fan of either the tales of King Arthur or the zombie genre, you do not want to miss out on Dead Future King! You can find out more about Dead Future King at the official website or the Facebook page. Dead Future King doesn’t appear to be available online yet, but you can find a decent-sized preview of the first issue here as well as a P.O.D. option through the book’s printing company.
That’s all for now, comic book sniffers! Until next time, keep those swords sharp and dead at bay!!!
‘
Till the end of the world,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer
