The Meek #1

Dark Pond Creations bring us issue #1 of The Meek – a post-apocalyptic zombie tale which aims to offer something more in a sea of zombie comics already out there.

Writer Patrick Scattergood & artist Carlos Moreno bring us the Edward’s story as he tries to survive in a world that has seen 90% of the population fall sick and return from the dead.  A familiar setup and with his trusty canine friend Buddy by his side there’s an air of “I am Legend” about the whole issue but the key difference here is the writing from Scattergood.  He sets Edward off on a number of run-ins with the undead as we’d expect but his strong narrative sees our tortured central character ponder his existence and just how crucial it is to survive at all.

This steer’s Edward away from being another mindless, throwaway action hero type character and more realism with that additional depth.  True that most other comics/movies of this type may try and achieve the same but there’s a definite sense of accomplishment on that front from Scattergood.

While Edward makes his way through the city encountering some other survivors…..and more undead he also has someone tracking him from the shadows.  It soon becomes evident that there’s far more significance to our relatively normal protagonist & that alone gives a mystery to get caught up in as well as the quest for survival.  Picking up another survivor along the way in the form of Emma, a young girl he’s soon fighting for 3 and getting irritated by her along the way.  An interesting mix and an extra level to build on in future issues I’m sure.  The chance discovery of his niece Kelly in abandoned building brings the numbers up and after a night of rest & nightmares……they make their escape from the city……although that’s under the watchful eye of a group of soldiers keeping their distance but watching Edward closely.

Moreno’s artwork is fairly simple as he keeps the black & white pages flowing with those set-pieces and the deeper, darker moments of Edwards torment.  The level of detail varies across the book though and there are some expanses of white that I’d like to have seen filled in more but there are some smart panel layouts that help make this standout.

A solid first issue from the pair and with that background mystery & a central character that’s struggling to find the will to live…..there’s more than enough potential for this to improve and build into something far bigger.

You can pick up this and other titles through Sellfy and keep tabs on Dark Pond Creations over on their Facebook page.

Keep up to date with Patrick’s new projects and his cracking reviews over on his blog too.

7/10

G-Man