Fire & Ash (Rot & Ruin)
It’s been less than a year since the events of Rot & Ruin(2010), but hundreds of pages of grueling adventure have transpired on the way to this fourth and final volume, which happens to be the best since the original. Benny and his band of post-apocalyptic samurai find themselves positioned for the kind of battle royale at which Maberry excels. In the first corner of this four-cornered conflict, our heroes; in the second, the burgeoning American Nation government; in the third, tens of thousands of cult assassins; and in the fourth, the endless streams of zombies, many of them mutating in speed and intelligence. With the help of ex-military bad-ass Joe Ledger, the gang hunts down the cure, hopefully in time to rescue almost-zombie Chong. Even those who felt the middle volumes touched upon overkill will be taken by this finale, which manipulates the large cast with wonderful clarity. Best of all is the epilogue, which poignantly brings us full circle. Time for Mr. Maberry to enjoy a different kind of R&R—he deserves it. --Daniel Kraus