Zombillenium: 1 Gretchen

A theme park staffed by the undead confronts the daily challenges of trying to stay competitive with the likes of Disneyland and Seaworld in this comedy, originally published in France. Whether they’re dealing with a disaffected mummy employee who wants to run away to Cairo, or larger economic problems, the park’s administrators have a lot on their hands. Enter Aurelian Zahner, a human who’s bitten by both a vampire and a werewolf. What kind of monster will he be? De Pins does a wonderful job of creating a brand of humor that matches perfectly the cartoony world of monsters he presents. He’s especially good in panel sequences where he uses minor changes in body language to show Aurelian’s reaction to the strange characters of Zombillenium Park, whether Aurelian is with the beautiful witch Gretchen inside an audio-isolation bubble or in an elevator with Aton the mummy, who’s just grateful he doesn’t have to work the cotton-candy stand anymore. With its humor, clever pacing, and unique approach to the monster narrative, de Pins’s tale throws zombie fans some fresh meat. (Aug.)