**Vault Reviews were posted previously on the main MonsterLibrarian website and are transferred here in an effort to preserve our history. Efforts have been made to ensure the books are still available, but formats, covers, and other details may have changed.**
BOOM! Studios, 2008
ISBN: 1934506087
Available: New
In what could be the first zombie graphic novel that truly has a teen audience Death Valley tells the tale of seven high school students who after being accidently locked in the bomb shelter located in their school come out to find that the population has been turned into flesh eating zombies. Although the character types are pretty standard- the jock, the stoner, the nerd, and so on- that’s part of the fun. Death Valley has a mix of horror, humor, and romance that will appeal to a variety of readers. It’s a great choice for introducing teens who don’t normally read horror to the genre. The art is solid and visually pleasing, with strong colors on high gloss paper. Being a zombie story, there is gore and violence, with some startling images, but fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer should feel right at home. There are three additional zombie short stories “The Bakemono and the Cranes”, “For Pete’s Sake” and “Zoombies”, and a script for a story called “Matthew 21:22”. The additional stories are more serious and dark, and may not connect to teen readers as Death Valley does. All three additional stories also appear in Zombie Tales Vol 1, by the same publisher. Readers advisory note: this is a good choice for readers who liked Zombie Blondes by Brian James, fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and readers of zombie fiction looking for something a little different. Contains: violence, gore, startling imagery. Recommended for public library collections.