Zombies Christmas Carol
Most of Dickens’ cherished elements are in place: the Victorian setting; each unforgettable character, from Cratchit to Fezziwig; the arrival of the three ghosts to alter Scrooge’s miserly ways. Other details—well, let’s just say they’ve changed. A plague known as “the Hungry Death” has so overwhelmed the poor of London that there’s ne’er a caroler about. Fine by Scrooge until the zombified form of his old partner, Marley, arrives (riding a fiery chariot down the grand staircase, no less) to forewarn of the three ghastly visitors. The mutation of this personal tale into one of sweeping grandeur makes for an odd if intriguing fit. There’s an implication that the plague started with Scrooge himself (a bite from a sick horse, of all things), though the final act of this five-comic-book compendium wisely chooses to make more metaphorical hay out of the poisoning of the impoverished masses. The glossy, spectacle-laden art is uniformly fine and plenty disgusting. If you’ve ever wanted to see Tiny Tim devour his own father, you’re in luck. A true Christmas (ahem) feast. Grades 8-12. --Daniel Kraus