The recent passing of George Romero, has left huge hole in the movie industry. The invention of the “zombie”, reaches as far back as French occupied Haiti, but Romero, is the one person who made the Zombie famous. In the Night of The Living Dead, his classic movie, he made zombies scary. He would go no to make more than few movies about zombies, and every one of them added to the canon.

His filmography would not only make him a legend but would also create sub-genre all its own. His movies were the inspiration for Shaun Of The Dead. He not only inspired creators here in the western world, but worldwide, as can be seen in movies like Juan Of the Dead. So, when I heard Chariot Comics did a novelization of India’s first movie about zombies, Rise of The Zombie, I was interested.

In the opening pages, a family enjoys a quiet evening at night, until the rumblings of a bear is heard outside, where the husband goes to investigate, only to find a zombie outbreak has occurred. Fast forward, the reader soon finds out that a corporation, Neolife Industries is at the center of the outbreak, as the experimentation on humans have led to the outbreak. As we also meet some wanderers looking for answers, they search for Bahadur, the man who lost his family to the bear and a zombie. By book’s end, a caretaker gets killed and a hero emerges.

Overall, a different take on the genre, that is both interesting and intriguing. The story by Devaki Singh is appealing. The art by Tarun Kumar Sahu is intense. Altogether, a very different story, in a familiar genre, that will make you wonder how the rest of the world views zombies.

Story: Devaki Singh Art: Tarun Kumar Sahu
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy