Dead in the Now
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Braz, a clever but cynical boy, believes he's the most fortunate boy in the world when he discovers the world's first, authentic zombie. Dubbing the zombie Z-Rex, Braz decides to keep it, feed it, nurture it and learn its habits. Z-Rex is a jovial sort of zombie, clever in his own way, and capable of learning basic things - like not to bite Braz. Z-Rex and Braz quickly become best friends. Soon enough, Braz and his friends decide that the world is total crap. They've had enough of Earth's monotonous routine and initiate "Project Z" where they usher in an age of chaotic, zombie-infested adventure! Gathering weapons and supplies, Braz sets his friends up like modern, urban Lost Boys with himself as their Pan. They hatch a terrible plot to set Z-Rex up as a "Zombie King" and create a dystopian future where only the strong survive and the rest are zombie food!
Interesting style you've got there. Keep it up! :)
TOP TEN!
what THOSE TWO said!! this needs to be in the invitational to the max!! zombie TAKEOVER!
Yeah, RKB, this is one of the first comics I ever lobbied for (sometimes a bit harshly, sorry, Illinest!) and I still support it. I'd love to see it in the July "reader's choice showdown" and it's on my top ten.
Anyone else?
-Rob
I don't know if it matters but this made my top ten list of comics I would like to see in the Zuda Invite. Contest.
does anyone know if this one is being continued elsewhere?? it was really a fave of mine, and i'd LOVE to see more.
this web site needs more zombies :)
needed more skulls!
I like zombie stuff but I didn't really get into this. Hated the art and dialogue. I guess it's based on the fact of having a zombie army of friends that makes it okay. Wouldn't care for it if it became a series.
I am excited to see more
One of the best.
Title is great. Art style is similar to Pirates of Coney Island but that's cool because that's a fresh style. Zombies are runnin shit right about now. I dig this one.
I think this deserves it place towards the top of the pile. The style is refreshing and it all looks good. I can't see it winning because it just doesn't read that well. It may connect with a lot of young people, but they'll grow up eventually. Excellent art, though there's still something niggling me, like it's not quite the finished article. The other stuff here and there on the web looks good too. I've obviously been missing out on Rey's considerable talent!
i want to read more
Those extra pages you posted looked really cool Corey.
Rey your work rocks my socks 5/5, keep living the dream dude
awesome concept, awesome art, awesome everything
Every comic/video game/movie/everything that is even just a tiny bit morbid and awesome has been compared to columbine. Basically it just means that this comic is awesome and metal! Personally, I prefer the messed up main character on a twisted vendetta to the rosy cheeked super kid on a mission to rid the world of anything evil.
Easier to relate to you know.
Honestly I think your comics are some of the best things ever to come out of the comic world, I've got mad respect for you and your unique style/storytelling. You've got my vote for sure Reyyy
Keep on rockin' with this comic, it's made of pure awesome.
dudes! everyone needs to get their eyes fuckin checked..unless you're blind. Dead in the Now will be a revolution in comix as well as zombie lore, so why are you all buggin? This is just a teaser, and the final product is gonna RAWK.
you totally get my vote, rey-sensei.
At least there's no need to call in a burn unit yet.
Wow, there are some folks getting black eyes in this here forum. Yowzah!
Another thing to remember is that Braz doesn't necessarily have a vendetta with HUMANS per se... As much as he just simply enjoys the company of ZOMBIES! Although his role with humans will certainly come into play.
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In that sense, it's not so much a "vs human morality" tale, than it is simply a selfish boy wanting to be surrounded by the things he loves. ZOMBIES!
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It has spices of Peter Pan / Pied Piper in the fact that he's a tunnel-visionary, and he gains supporters in his skewed views.
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It'd be very interesting to play with all the moral fibers that are inherent in a story like this... Innocent humans turning to zombies, the forces that oppose Braz, etc...
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Also, the way my storytelling mind works... It's not like "death" is the last stop for humans that get infected. I can interpret turning into a ZOMBIE any which way... It doesn't have to be the "end of the line" like in other zombie stories. That's what's paramount about DEAD... It's a Zombie story unlike any other. Expect the unexpected.
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I will admit I should've put more of these ideas and tones into the teaser. But this Zuda competition has unlocked a lot of my hidden potential just in itself. I actually feel more in tune with Braz than when I did the original teaser. So, thanks everyone (and I mean everyone) :]
I wanted to throw my two cents into the pot, seeing as how an awful lot of the comments left here have to do with the artistic styling Rey's used for DitN:
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The whole point of this first round is to grab the attention of as many people as humanly possible. This is an election, so the idea of using flashy images and quotable lines is a brilliant strategy. The point here is to get as many votes as possible.
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One key thing to remember is that not everyone is going to like what you like, and it's literally impossible to please everyone. With that said, it's slightly narcissistic to keep harping on why *you* think the comic is good/bad. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for a strong defense, but I think those of us arguing for/against Rey's talent have seen/read his comics before. We know what he's capable of, so why whine and complain about an 8-page teaser? And since when was it a crime to experiment with a different style?
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Since when was it decided that Braz is the *hero*? Depending on your point of view, Braz is the bad guy in this story, but he's also one of the most intriguing characters. WHY does he hate humans so much? WHY does he want to kill them all and fill the world with zombies? This is why I want this comic to win.
RKB says: t seemed more like a flip re-working of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Instead of a figure taking away all of a town's kids you have a kid getting rid of all the parents. It seemed to me it could also turn out like children of the corn. You have the humor element (at least to me) of a boy and his pet zombie.
Whew! That's being generous! You can dress it up anyway you want, this is basically the cute adventures of a kid getting even with people by killing them. It's asking us to get behind and cheer for a mass murderer. "You go, Jeffery Dahmer! You rock!"
El Castelo says:
Dude no matter what people say ur the Shit cuz u fallow your own style fuck u brent ur lepircon thing is gay
Oooohhh brother! Don't get bent out of shape because I peed in your drinking water. Congratulations on enjoying this thing, but I didn't. You can't hold up a bunch of crude scribbles and expect it to be everyone's cup of tea. Some people are going to look at it and say, "Hey! It's crude scribbles!" Like my Grandma used to say, "You can't wear a turd on your head and then complain when everyone says you smell like shit!"
It was just an idea on my part, might have been reading into it. How about some more insight Rey?
i like the pied piper idea. something i hadn't considered myself.
any truth to this?
WTF????
A couple of things: I'm not the best speller on the net, but El Castelo give me a damn break. Also don't be knocking Leprenomicon, it is a funny (good script/ good art) comic. If u- sorry you don't don't like it fine, have a reason besides cuz- sorry again cause brentcraig likes it so you put it down. You don't read any of the creators putting each other down, I'm sure they all want to win, but they also respect each other.
As far as brentcraig's comments go-
creator's can do whatever they want with zombie's even have them get knocked out after being hit upside the head. Robberry has done a fine job of standing up for rey's art, and Illinest with criticism's of it. I won't repeat that argument. "Evil kid out to take over the world" colombine kid with zombie's instead of guns" Brentcraig that's not what I got out of it- it seemed more like a flip re-working of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Instead of a figure taking away all of a town's kids you have a kid getting rid of all the parents. It seemed to me it could also turn out like children of the corn. You have the humor element (at least to me) of a boy and his pet zombie. For more on this part of the story check out Rey's link to some rough pages. I don't know how much humor vs. get rid of controling adults horror Rey has planned for the story. None of us know what a longer version of the story will look like (mass murder 50% nhillistic philosophy 30% 20% zombie humor ???????) because we only have these 8 teaser screens to judge it on. I want to see where the story will go, regardless. Rey seems like he has a plan, and I like it well enough to trust Rey's judgement about where the story goes.
Anybody else out there agree with me on this?
" It's essentially a Colombine kid but armed with a zombie instead of a gun."
Seriously hilarious.
Dude no matter what people say ur the Shit cuz u fallow your own style fuck u brent ur lepircon thing is gay
Right off the bat, I'm not a fan of this type of art. Call it what you want...crude...primitive...I prefer to see more solid drawing. As for the story, while I like zombie stories, basically what we have here is an evil kid out to murder the world. It's essentially a Colombine kid but armed with a zombie instead of a gun. Are we supposed to get behind this guy? He's unlikeable and unsympathetic. Lastly, you can render a zombie unconscious by hitting it over the head?!? One star for this one.
i liked the style but the story sucked i realy want to see more my the artist just better story
First thing that popped in my head...Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
As for the writing, the idea has the potential to remind me of some of my favorite kid stories,like "Where the Wild Things Are"....dark, funny, and artistically adventurous.
It's like something you'd find in a storybook.
Sorry, I also thought I should comment on why I like this. I think the art work is great! It fits the story, perfectly. Its wicked and whimsical. It's visual energy is outstanding. Imagine if this story was drawn in a style like, lets say Jae Lee (one of my all-time favorites). The story and the idea would be tampered with. As for the writing, the idea has the potential to remind me of some of my favorite kid stories,like "Where the Wild Things Are"....dark, funny, and artistically adventurous.
I think this one's is going to get my vote. After a few weeks, this is the only one I come back to re-read.
Thanks Famished and Illinest for your responses. I had meant to point out the fact that it was never my intention to chastize people for their views regarding Rey's work, only to get them to take another look at some of it's subtler merits.
Phillip and I have corresponded on projects outside of this messageboard and he was one of the people in the group of artists I mentioned who had been questioning my support of DEAD IN THE NOW on our shared site. He has an excellent critical eye, but since I feel he's mis-representing my intentions here a bit on the public site, I probably should respond.
I'm not an elitist nor am I an advocate for art with a "capital 'A'." I should think that's pretty obvious from the kind of attention I've spent on the message boards of a public site which employs a voting competition for the recognitions and continued success of work in what is arguably America's purest form of pop-art. All of the structures of the Zuda project that are of any direct interest to me as an artist or as a fan run in direct contrast to precepts of elitism or "high art." This would be a horrible venue for any work or argument of an elitist nature.
It's true that I did "discredit judgements of any artwork's crudeness made by the public through a casual glance with untrained eyes," but that's the function of criticism; to change that glance into a longer gaze that might potential inform the eyes of the public.
As for "quashing all 'pre-concieved notions of beauty'", well, that's certainly not my game plan. My training is in Victorian academic painting. Smashing such a commonly popular aesthetic would put me out of a job. But as a critic I might occassionally sneer at the traps of such pre-conceived notions. It kind of just goes with the territory.
So I apologize if anyone out there who, having less personal contact with my views than Phillip has, feels that I'm trying to be elitist or push things in some direction for some higher or more personal cause. I'm just trying to use this Zuda project for what I think it's value is; the public forum for what can be unique about the world of webcomics.
-Rob
I have to say this is very original. The limited color choices and hand-made text really work with the style. I don't think there needs to be much improvement on the drawing techniques because it all fits very well. Not every comic needs to have vector lines and straight edges. Your layouts and composition are working for this zombie/indie sort of genre too. Awesome job!
FWIW I did not know that the length of comments posted would affect the ranking and contrary to what the audience might believe, it makes me happy to hear that. I think that is fair and right, and there's no doubt that DitN has the most interesting talkback.
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Mr. Philip Schaeffer seems to have intercepted my own reaction and has filled in another part of my own views on the subject at hand. 'Dubious elitism' indeed.
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Although I understand the creative respect that precedes critical acclaim, I do not believe that Zuda is/was/ever will be a place intended to be dominated by the cultural elite. Sometimes what is truly experimental/creative will be passed over by the public in favor of the polished/familiar.
That's okay.
It takes years of art training to reach a point where you can say something more substantial than 'I like/do not like this.'
Illinest and Robberry, I don't think you guys really have an issue with each other. Robberry seems to just be saying that there are qualities here in DitN that should be appreciated and Illinest just wants to throw in his two shiny coppers. At the end of the day, the fact this comic is numero dos demonstrates how well it is appreciated. And Mr. Philip Schaefer, how very Italian Futurist of you! ;) Long live punching critics in the face to promote your artwork, I say! And Mr. Comic Creator Man Rey, I think the artwork for this is great, but as a comic, I thought the rough was sick (as in the $#** and not as in I need to go take one)
Wow, it's as if there were no limit to the number of characters you can post in these things!
I've heard it said, regarding artwork of all media, that "Every reaction is a good reaction," and by and large I tend to agree with that. The diverse and extreme opinions about this series are all "right," in so far as they're honest reactions to what's been put forward, and I hope that they're of use to both Rey as an artist and Zuda as a publishing entity.
However, Rob, I think there is some danger in trying to discredit any "judgements of an artworks crudeness made by the public through a casual glance with untrained eyes." That's getting into a pretty dubious elitism. I often find untrained eyes more useful and important judges of work because the vast majority of eyes that will see a comic are not formally trained. It's great that you bring the formalist viewpoint to the discussion, but if you want to create and discuss artwork exclusively for and among the serious students of Art with a capital A, for those who actively seek to quash all "pre-conceived notions of beauty," well, as evidenced by the comments on these boards, Zuda's probably not the best venue.
Allright. There's some points made by Illinest that I should definitely respond to, though I don't intend to open up any kind of a flame-war here on these boards.
My use of phrases like "unfounded arguments" and "vast mis-understandings" were not directed neccessarily at him or anyone else on this thread. While I often bristle at judgements of an artworks crudeness made by the public through a casual glance with untrained eyes that are filled with too many pre-concieved notions of beauty the plain truth is that I have a horrible memory for the source of such insights. It's why I don't work for the NEA.
Almost all of my comments about such things were, as I stated clearly enough, prompted through discussions between myself and other peer artists outside of this message board. I only choose to post them here because, as I also stated, I feel one of the best attributes of the Zuda project is the ability it lends fans and artists alike to interact in the criticism, and hopefully the growth, of comics as an artform.
I am not a cheerleader for any artist, project, style or genre on these boards so much as I am a cheerleader for that.
My decision to return to this thread more often than any other spot on the Zuda site is not to try convincing people that my opinions of Rey's art are truer or stronger than anyone else's. I don't do that with my own work and I have a long-standing contempt for groupies that would make it really difficult for me to become one. I come to this thread because I feel Rey's entry is the most avant garde of the work we've been presented with so far. (believe me, I hate the term "avant garde" just as much as anyone, but it works here.)
The discussions his work engenders here are more important to me as an artist than the glad-handing praise given other deserving competitors in their own thread. I don't believe it's possible to change the existing status of DEAD IN THE NOW through any of these discussions, but I know for a fact that Ron and Kwanza and Richard are also quite interested in how artwork like Rey's and the criticism it brings help shape the Zuda project. Most of my comments on this thread have been directed towards that as well; chapter-oriented update schedules, the re-introduction of the promo link page, marketing the buzz, etc.
(it probably should be noted here that these visits and comments DO effect DEAD IN THE NOW's rank in the competition. Visits to this thread and time spent on it is factored into a contestants overall placement, so longer posts like Illinest and I have delivered have actually increased the comic's standing. I'm fine with this, though I'm not sure how he feels about it.)
My first posting on this site was to encourage other viewers to take a moment and slow down for the reading of this work. It's jarringly different than any of the other comics offered and certainly deserves a moment to allow that difference to settle in. My last posting was simply a defense of some of the qualities I found through that longer look that some people are, I feel, clearly missing. As an artist I've found that I have very little control over what people like or don't like, but it's my job to make them stop and take a look.
-Rob
'unfounded argument', 'vast-misunderstanding'....
Robbery is making blanket statements against everyone who criticized DitN.
He has taken a stance of refuting criticism against DitN. That is disrespectful.
I enjoyed most of his comment. I made certain to note that I respect his opinions and that's the absolute truth.
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But it feels like I'm being poked with a stick.
"hey you're wrong, here's why."
"hey you don't understand what I'm saying, here's why."
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It's possible that I'm misinterpreting his tone and if that's the case then I apologize, but I believe that he is driven to make us see things his way.
That's just not going to happen. I have my own opinion and I intend to stick with it.
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In closing, I hope you'll observe that I am taking pains to avoid an antagonistic tone against anyone. I'm pre-war isolationist America. Let me offer constructive criticism in peace, don't make blanket refutations that 'might' refer to me, and I'll be done with this talkback.
I do NOT have an agenda against DitN.
But don't editorialize me. I don't think that's too much to ask.
How is eloquently expressing an opinion that differs from yours disrespectful?
I happen to agree with the sentiment that DitN probably would be doing even better, and be a stronger story, if it had fallen somewhere between this submission and Rey's roughs.
I'd hope that most people would agree that we shouldn't be discouraging people from expressing why they like a comic, and in detail if they desire. I'd rather see enthusiastic "cheerleading" than snarks and "OMG ths comic r0ks!!!11!!".
Robbery you've fallen into a trap of your own making. You assume that the audience is not sophisticated enough to see the ideas that you feel are clever.
Perhaps there are other explanations?
In my case, I'm just not as impressed by the technique. I see what you're talking about. I'm just not as impressed.
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DitN is cute. There are a lot of cute compositional decisions. Too many, It's too cute.
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I respect your opinions. I've been around long enough to know that some people are more interested in the creative process than the sum of it's parts. I'm okay with that.
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I wish that you would show more respect to alternate viewpoints.
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I'll try once more to express my dissatisfaction in the hopes that we're developing a common language and that we might eventually understand each other if not agree with each other.
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Imagine that you're trying to express the awesomeness of an object.
What better way than to surround it with dullness?
Opposites make a strong statement.
Almost every panel in DitN is filled with awesomeness. Counter-intuitively, Rey has managed to dull the awesomeness of his panels by leaning on flashy technique too much. There is no contrast.
I believe that a few dull 'by the book' panels would not only make better story-telling sense but would also highlight the awesomeness of the creative ideas that we're ALL so fond of. By creating a standard of normality, he could create a greater air of ABnormality. The zombie is hardly any weirder than the boy or the town, and that drags down the viewers understanding of the story.
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We crossed wires a little bit the last time I tried to make this point. You interpreted my post as a plea to the artist to cater to my whims and that's not the case.
By the way. I love EVERY entry. I love comics, and I think there's interesting ideas to be found in all eight of our competitors. I have a favorite of course, but I have too much respect for the other entrants to try to pimp it like you're doing for DitN.
I don't like that actually. The cheerleading. You've told us quite a few times already that you think this is the best. I've certainly made it clear by now that I disagree.
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That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy reading it.
I enjoyed seeing the original story roughs as well. I think it's obvious that Rey really decided to push some of the elements from those roughs for his 8 page submission, and that may be alienating alot of people. He probably could have taken his 8 pages starting from the boy slamming his door open with bloody hands and had a more engaging story.
cujr112002 wrote: "but the winner of Zuda should be a work where enough effort was put forth that the project doesn't appear rushed."
Absolutely, but given the appearance of several of the other contestants and Bayou I'm a little surprised that Dead in the Now is the one that seems to be the most notably rushed to you.
this was a fun read.
Robbery wrote: ***There is terrific and emotive power in the cartooned simplicity of Rey's work. It's delivered here in a fast and bold manner that has a tremendously rich link to the history of comics and it's the manner of that simplicity that most critical opponents seem to be tripping over. Look at some of these pages again and suspend your pre-concieved notions of "good drawing" for just a minute please. Watch the way the camera moves. Watch the interpretation of space and important yet subtle compositional aspects like height in the picture plane and reduction of perspective, things that people often don't bother to learn about when busy trying to make "realistic" buccaneer boots our "convincing" reflections on IronMan's armor.***
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Rob, while I appreciate your fondness for Dead in the Now, it seems a hard sell to defend a work that was obviously rushed. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the aesthetic choices that were made with this piece; in fact, although I feel like the hand-written words were somewhat erratic, I do appreciate the energy they bring to the piece. However, I do feel that the lack of background to firmly ground the figures took away from the story because any storyteller worth their pen will tell you that setting is an integral component in story structure.
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Still this is not my biggest problem with this particular comic. The thing that keeps me from really liking this piece is because I don't feel I really know the boy. He's out walking in the middle of nowhere when he finds a zombie. What was he doing out there? Why is he carrying a wooden sword? Is the sword significant? How does someone so young become so cynical? Where are his parents/friends/peers?
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You see, Rob, what's lacking from this comic isn't really art, but story. The original draft of the comic listed below sells the story to me much more than this submission. In the original draft the art is sketchy, lacking color, and very rough, but I was actually submersed in a more fully realized world. In any work of literature, story (plot and character) should be priority, not premise, flashy art, or elegant prose.
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In the end I wished Rey would have spent a little more time on this one because it has a lot of potential, but if he has something higher on his hierarchy of creative jobs and had to rush this one, for whatever reason, I understand. It is what it is ... but the winner of Zuda should be a work where enough effort was put forth that the project doesn't appear rushed.
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––Jernell
Rey- wow, now that I've seen the rough, I gotta say, I'm a fan of the rough. Bacon certainly makes me happy ;) Oh, and the Holy $# panel and the Paris Hilton panel are the best. Very funny.
Dang robberry237- them's a lotta words!