Shawn Reviews Dan Mendoza’s Zombie Tramp #50

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After I read most of Dan Mendoza’s Zombie Tramp run, I got HOOKED. And I’ve been anticipating picking up the 50^th issue for months. Mendoza has done an amazing job setting up the storyline for the Death of Zombie Tramp and I’ve been eager to see what the payoff will be. And I can honestly say Mendoza does not disappoint with this milestone issue.  

Ever since Zombie Tramp #32 and he run in with the werewolf trucker, there’s been a storyline building regarding the declining state of Janey Belle’s humanity. As readers know it’s been Janey’s semblance of humanity that keeps her from becoming a true monster. But with the suicide of her father in the prison arc, it’s looking she’s become more and more detached from her human side. After murdering Xula and taking her dagger, Janey has started her transformation from a Zombie Tramp into a Demon.  In her new demon form she’s been leaving a trail of bodies and unwittingly setting up Earth for an invasion from the Kaiju Queen.

Over the last few issues of Zombie Tramp, Action Lab Danger Dolls Vampblade and Dollface have become more aware of Janey’s mental decline and monster hunter Black Betty has been hired to kill the Zombie Tramp. An epic battle builds in the 32 pages of Zombie Tramp #50 which ends with a surprise ending. Is Janey really dead? What happens to the Kaiju Queen’s plans to invade Earth? There are a LOT of questions that need answers to. Zombie Tramp #51 comes out next month, and I’m eager to pick up the next issue to find out what happens! 

Zombie Tramp #50 is classic oldschool comic book storytelling. Dan Mendoza set up a lot with this storyline over the last year with his Death of Zombie Tramp overreaching arc and he PAID OFF BIG in the 50^th issue. Zombie Tramp #50 does what a good milestone issue is supposed to do, payoff an overreaching story arc while setting up a new one. We don’t get this kind of storytelling in comics much anymore and it was great to see a writer put that kind of craft in his comic storytelling. Dan Mendoza has been a CLINIC with the writing on Zombie Tramp and any aspiring writer who wants to learn how to write comics can learn a lot picking up his run.

What I loved the most about Zombie Tramp #50 were a lot of parallels to the Classic Hulk #300, where a mindless Hulk was taking on most of the Heroes of the Marvel Universe. With the heroes at their wits end they were frantic looking for a solution to beat the big green monster, Dr. Strange had to come up with a solution to save Bruce Banner and protect the earth from The Hulk's threat. And the Action lab heroes had to come up with a similar solution to save Janey Belle and protect the world from Demon Zombie Tramp's threat.

While I enjoyed  Zombie Tramp #50’s story my only issue with the comic was the art. Celor’s pencils didn’t do a good job of conveying the action in some panels and some of the transitions were a little off. That threw off the pacing for the action and kept the book from flowing smoothly from page to page.

As I see it, ACTION LAB NEEDED TO HIRE MARCELO TROM FOR THIS ISSUE! As I see it, Marcelo Trom is the definitive Zombie Tramp artist and his art really would have made this issue flow a lot more seamlessly in a lot of the action sequences. Trom has a much better eye for action shots and does a much better job of conveying emotion with facial expressions. If anyone should have done this milestone issue it should have been Trom. He drew some of the best story arcs in the series like Kuntry Klub Kult Kill Kill and the Prison arc, and he should have been hired for this milestone issue.  

You definitely have to pick up Zombie Tramp #50 at your local comic shop or on Comixology. This one is a CLASSIC and you DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!