Eibon Press- Zombie #1

Earlier this year, Eibon Comics announced that it was redoing the old graphic novel of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie (Zombie Flesheaters to those in the UK and Zombi 2 in its native Italy) originally released through Blackest Heart Media, this time in color and expanded into an ongoing series, from what I have read.  The first issue of this new version went on sale more than a month before it was due to ship and sold out rapidly.  Happily, I was able to order a copy before it sold out.  Eibon and since stated there will be a second printing of the issue and that future issues will be printed in higher quantities.

My copy of Zombie Issue #1 arrived recently and I am quite pleased with it.  It is just as Eibon advertised it.  The presentation alone is remarkable, including the outer sleeve each copy comes in.  My copy also came with a liner note booklet about Eibon and the development of the comic sleeves Eibon is putting all of its comics in, as well as a “Fulci Lives” bumper sticker.

Having purchased the original black-and-white graphic novel back in 2000, I am quite interested to the see the differences.  The original graphic novel is bound differently, with a glued spine, which makes it more difficult to read (not to mention the glue has started to give out on my copy), but it also came with a soundtrack CD, which included, in addition to the complete score, several cover versions of pieces from the movie done by rokOPERA.  The score itself is wonderful, but the rokOPERA tracks are bit of a mixed bag.  Some of them aren’t bad, but others just don’t work for me.  It is mostly an issue of arrangement/instrumentation.  Some of the covers sound a bit lounge-style to me.

The new version is done is a more traditional, stapled spine comic, but with high-quality paper and packaged in the Eibon comic book sleeve.  The original pages were redone a bit, with new elements such as redone captions (I have noticed changes in some of the actual dialogue as well).  It also has the story broken into separate issues—four issues from what it looks like on the website, after which I imagine will be additional issues continuing the story past the end of the movie. 

Also on the horizon from Eibon is a 3-part adaption of The Gates of Hell (aka City of the Living Dead, Paura nella città dei morti viventi, Fear, and numerous other titles).  I do remember an older Gates of Hell comic, so I imagine this will be a similar restoration/re-release treatment of that older adaptation.

I am looking forward to seeing what else the guys at Eibon have up their sleeves, pun always intended.