One of the hardest things to do in the comic industry is start a new company. Unless you have the resources to jump right up to the “second tier” with publishers like Image and CrossGen, often times your product gets lost in the shuffle. No matter how good it is, no matter how exciting and new, your book is just another title buried in pages and pages of Previews solicitations. You can forget about good exposure at the comic shop- unless the storeowner has a personal love of the title- you will find your book buried back in the indie section, where few dare to tread. Part of my mission here is to draw your attention to books exactly like this, so enough about Marvel, how about Viper?

Viper Comics has tasted the good and the bad of this uphill battle. One of their two debut titles, Moon Rush, was shelved prior to publication due to low orders. Their other egg, Dead@17, made the cut, and just had its second issue released.

If the buzz at my local comic shop is any indication, Josh Howard’s debut work is picking up steam. At first, my local shop’s owner expressed no interest in either of Viper’s titles, yet last Wednesday I actually found a copy of issue #2 on the shelf. Apparently people began requesting the title, so he ordered a few copies of the first issue, which all sold out. He bumped his order for #2, and by the time I got to the shop there was but one issue left on the shelf. With any luck, this trend is continuing everywhere for Dead@17.

So Dead@17 has started out by outlasting a great deal of adversity, and seems to be picking up steam in the comic shops. So what is the book all about?

Cast of Characters

Nara Kilday seemed to be your ordinary teenage girl with ordinary problems, until the day she was brutally murdered in her own home. You would think that would be the end of it, until she returned from the dead, wielding an axe, and saved her friend Hazy Foss from a hoard of zombies. So what exactly is Nara now, who killer her, and why exactly has she been returned to the land of the living? That is the question Dead@17 sets out to answer.

Hazy’s biggest problem before the death of her friend was breaking up with her boyfriend Patrick. Her life turned around after Nara’s death. Special Agent Raddemer, who was looking into the death of her friend, soon visited her. Curiosity piqued, she began to look into the life of her departed friend, only to discover that she did not know as much as she thought about Nara.

Nara, before she died, was subject to violent dreams in which she seemed to lash out at evil demons, In her diary, Hazy found strange runic writing and insane pleas for help, which more and more dominated the pages of the book in the days leading up to her death. Things take an even weirder twist when Hazy was attacked by zombies- only to be saved by her newly resurrected friend.

Several factions are out to get Nara for yet unrevealed reasons- her ability to fight back the zombies with such ease no doubt plays a huge part. Special Agent Noel Raddemer was the first on the scene, from an agency who deals with “more important matters than the FBI.” Another group, far more evil in nature than Agent Raddemer, is also seeking Nara, and is willing to stop at nothing in order to get to her. Hazy’s brother Simon is also involved, and is being commanded by a dark force for some evil purpose. Unfortunately for Hazy and Nara, they still trust him and have already called on him for help. Harried by zombies at every turn, Nara and Hazy struggle to find out why everyone is interested in Nara, and why she has returned from the dead.

Thoughts

Horror comics do seem to be making a resurgence in today’s market, and that it a fantastic thing- there are only so many fresh super-hero stories to be told. With any luck, the horror genre will flourish to a point that all of the great writers and artists will have a chance to shine- to tell a different kind of story than what we are all used to seeing.

In the meantime, newcomer Josh Howard, who does everything but letter Dead@17, has been given a great opportunity by Viper to tell this unique story. At first I honestly expected something very similar to Route 666 or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While this story does share one or two elements of both of those popular titles, I am happy to say that they are merely superficial. There is a lot more going on in this title than a simple rip-off.

Josh Howard’s art is one of the greatest things about this book (hell, I have a story I want him to draw for me someday). It is very simple and direct, and pulls of dark very well. Sure you don’t have hypersensitive gore scenes, but with this story, it couldn’t be any other way. Nara’s death scene in issue #1 is a stunning example, it just would not have the impact that it does if it was drawn with extreme realism. His color choices are superb, and his restraint produces a visually stunning book that is elegant in its simplicity.

As to his story, it is equally as simple. Sure there is a bit of mystery and build to it, but only where necessary. Too often a comic writer will cram too many questions into a single issue, so many mysteries that you can’t make heads not tails of what is going on until the arc is at an end. This is not the case with Dead@17. One mystery to ponder at a time, and as all good riddles go- once you have the answer to one question, another one pops up to take its place.

It was a real shame to see Moon Rush fall by the wayside for Viper, as I am sure they would like more exposure for their first outing by having a couple of different books on the market. However, to be perfectly frank- the better title survived, and if Viper was going to have one title carry their banner through their opening days, this was the one to go with.

Bottom Line

Dead@17 is slated to be a four-part mini series, but according to an interview Josh Howard gave on this site, there is more Dead@17 in the works, and after reading the first two issues, I can’t see how their couldn’t be. It is simply too good of a concept and story at this point to let fade into obscurity with a measly four issues.

For more information on Dead@17, check out Viper’s Website. There you can find preview pages for the first issue (we have those too here at ComiXtreme in the News section), and a flash trailer for the series. In addition to the interview and previews, you can find a review of issue #1 here, and hopefully another of issue #2 coming soon.

Dead@17 #2 hit stores last Wednesday, December 3rd, and issue 4 is expected out in January. You can get copies of the first two issues online at Viper’s site, or by asking your local comic shop to order you a copy. Dead@17 is in Previews, so they should be able to fill your request. It sounds like a bit of trouble, but believe me, it is worth it.

Credit where credit is due-

Dead@17 is
Written, Pencilled, and Colored by- Josh Howard
and Lettered by- Greg Gatlin

Next week? – Another Guest-shot? That lazy bastard!

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