“NINJAS VS. ZOMBIES tells the tale of seven friends in their late 20′s and early 30′s struggling with life issues, only to find themselves in terrifying danger when a long-dead loved one is magically resurrected and begins devouring the souls of the living. Complicating matters, three of the friends have mysteriously been granted the power of the ninja, and now must lead the fight against an evil force that they cannot hope to vanquish. If they fail, the undead will overrun their little town, and maybe the world.”
Over the past few months in our Bullet Reviews, I have been covering the Ninjas Vs. Zombies series from Azure Press. The series, which is an adaptation of the movie by the same name, it preparing to unleash it’s fourth issue to finer comic shops across the
fruited-plain next week.
Ninjas Vs. Zombies started as a small, independent low-budget movie that has become something of a cult classic and spawned a sequel, Ninjas Vs. Vampires, with a second one, Ninjas Vs. Monsters, on the way, as well as this comic book series.
The first movie introduced us to a group of friends who are magically given the powers of ninjas in order to fight off hordes of zombies lead by Eric, evil brother of the man who makes them ninjas. The website for the first movie has this to say:
“NINJAS VS ZOMBIES mixes bloody horror, martial arts, and pop culture comedy in a katana blade blender, then spits movie magic on your face till you beg your DVD player to play it again. Made independently by ROGUE Washington DC filmmakers – they just looked for the movie that wasn’t there… BUT SHOULD BE… and made it themselves. This audience favorite has become known for its intricate fights, darkly weird humor and well-drawn, likable characters.”
The movies are fun and show that you don’t need a major budget or a big Hollywood studio behind you to make an honestly fun movie. The first two are proud additions to my DVD collection.
But this isn’t a column about the movies, no, this is about the comics! When I first heard this was getting a I was excited, I was eager to see how it would fit with the movies and how it could expand on such an entertaining concept. I reviewed issues One, Two and Three in out Bullet Reviews column and, after rereading my Bullets, I find that I might have jumped the gun in some of my criticisms of this series. The first three issues of this series follows the events of the first movie. It’s told from the perspectives of different characters, you see the same event happening a few times in different issues but you also get a different character’s perspective of those events. It’s a gutsy way of telling a story and, honestly, I think it pays off especially after having read the fourth issue.
So, without further fanfare, I very happily and proudly present a few pages from NINJAS VS. ZOMBIES #4:
That’s all you get, kiddies! The series is a lot of fun, both in movies and in comics. Of course, as far as I knew this was simply a 4-issue miniseries adapting and expanding on the first movie but it seems it’s going to be around for, I hope, a lot longer. I was able to have a chat with Thomas Chillemi, co-writer of this series, and asked him what’s next?
Me: So, I’m curious…we got basically an adaptation of the first movie to introduce the characters, which I loved how it was done, but next up are werewolves…how do these stories tie in with the movies? or is that what we’re going to start seeing with #5?
Thomas: Yes. Starting with issue #5 it will bridge the gap between the films. I get into history of River and the crew. I deal with the aftermath of Zombies. Half the town got killed. I wrote a very cool story called the “Circle of Seven” that deals with Randall and Eric’s folks, Dr Wood and his wife, Reefer’s mom (from Vampires) and much more. This story will start to unravel into the coming issues. I will also get to introduce the vampire clans and give them much more depth. Going to be a fun ride. I will cover the events of the Vampires in the comics but that story is only a small part of what I get to show
For a fan, like myself, this is really sweet stuff to hear. What began as a small movie is now turning into something of an expanded universe!
…and speaking of issue 5, here is a small peak at what’s coming in the now ongoing Ninjas Vs. Zombies series!
It looks fantastic and it’s going to be a lot of fun seeing where these character go from here. I can’t express enough how much fun this book is. It’s a small, independent title, the type that people are wanting to see more of these days and I would love to see it last a long time.
Ninjas Vs. Zombies #4 is listed by Diamond as being released this week (November 16). Check with your Local Comic Shop for availability.
Ninjas Vs. Zombies and Ninjas Vs. Vampires are both available on DVD for purchase or download at Amazon.com
Special thanks to Thomas Chillemi for the sneak peaks and Azure Press for publishing this series!
Tags: adaptation, azure press, Comic, comic booked, Comics, dvd. Azure Press, Exclusive, Film, Independent, indie, movie, Movie Adaptation, ninjas, Ninjas Vs. Vampires, Ninjas Vs. Zombies, Preview, Skott of Fables, sneak peak, Thomas Chillemi, vampires, zombies
About the Author
Written by Skott Jimenez
I've been collecting comic books for over 20 years, over that time I've learned a lot about the history of the industry and that fascinates me so I'm always looking for new sources of information. If it's about comic books then I'm interested.
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