Everything Dead & Dying #4 is many things. It’s the penultimate issue of what’s been arguably one of the best zombie tales ever to hit comics (which means that Image has pulled this particular feat off twice), it’s a unique blend of romance and horror and a Western, and it’s flipped the script by having a protagonist who lives among the undead. The lingering question is, “Why?” One could understand why Jack Chandler wants to keep his husband and daughter alive, but why does he care for the rest of the townspeople?
The answer to that question lies in the pages of Everything Dead & Dying #4, thanks to the unique style that Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips have set up with this series. As Jack floats in and out of consciousness, his mind flashes back to certain memories: his first kiss, a talk with the local priest about families of spirit vs. families of blood, and helping out a woman who desperately needed it. It’s here that we see what these people meant to Jack; they were his community, his home. That hasn’t changed even though they’re rotting, flesh-eating zombies.
The cut between memories and reality hits harder thanks to Phillips’ artwork and Pip Martin’s colors. Flashbacks take on warmer tones of yellow and pink, while the present is represented by cold blues and grays. It’s the perfect way to represent the idyllic memories Jack has of his town with the cold reality of the present, and it highlights the emotions in Phillips’ work. You can see the fear in Jack’s face, followed by cold resolution to protect his home. And in the comic book version of a jump scare, every so often those memories are invaded by an actual zombie.
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Jack’s work protecting the dead is a sharp contrast to the invaders who’ve broken in to kill them. Brombal’s script highlights this difference in sharp detail, especially with how fractured the invaders are. While their leader Samuel wants to bring a peaceful solution, his right hand woman Colette has a more lethal solution for the dead, driven by her unwavering faith in God. Given how history shows what terrible things can be done in the name of faith, that’s a red flag – but not as red as the utter delight raider Magnolia takes in conducting a science experiment upon one of the dead.
In a way, Everything Dead & Dying #4 is showcasing that the living can act just as inhuman as the dead – or rather, they fall to base impulses just as easily. Take raiders Georgia and Ross: after discovering Jack’s farm, they immediately start having sex and wave away the fact that Ross got bitten by a dog that was clearly infected. This literally comes back to bite them, as does Colette’s “holy mission”. Even the final page is a reminder to zombie fans that nothing short of a bullet to the brain can stop the living dead.
Everything Dead & Dying #4 is a penultimate issue packed with horror, heartbreak, and proof that the living and the undead share some things in common. I’m not ready for this series to end, but I know the final issue will be something special.
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