08/19/2013
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.)
A clever, horror-themed riot. A really fun graphic novel, and you realize that when you open to the first page and see a bored-looking goth girl riding a skateboard on top of a broom. Sold. The characters all have distinct personalities, and at least some of them are bound to grow on you by the end. Arthur de Pins has excellent comedic timing and creates great comedic expressions. A real find!” —MTV Geek
“Whatever dark dealings you think go on behind the doors and in the underground tunnels of Disneyworld, they’ve got nothing on the secrets of Zombillenium and its mysterious proprietor.” —William Kulesa, NJ.com
"This award-winning, laugh-aloud, smart comic should be of high interest to those who enjoy parodies and anything that pokes gentle fun at Harry Potter or the Twilight craze." —Francisca Goldsmith, Booklist
"This first in a new series is full of witty dialogue and tongue-in-cheek cultural references. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and fun [...]. The blossoming relationship between Aurelian and Gretchen creates an interesting dynamic and the end of the first volume leaves the reader eagerly anticipating what comes next for the pair." —Kaitlin Connors, VOYA
"Zombillenium does for cartoon monsters what Sfar and Trondheim's Dungeon albums do for funny animals." —Bill Sherman, Seattle Post Intelligencer
Aurelian Zahner attempts to rob a bar after discovering his wife is having an affair with her Tai Chi teacher. Upon meeting a mysterious girl at the bar and having his stick-up gun turn into a banana, Aurelian exits the bar only to be struck by a car and subsequently turned into a vampire-werewolf demon. As luck would have it, the girl at the bar, Gretchen, is an intern at Zombillenium, the amusement park where Aurelian is given a job to scare human visitors. Despite being a witch-demon hunter, Gretchen helps Aurelian navigate his new life as a monster and the inner workings of a monster zombie park. Short and funny, this first in a new series is full of witty dialogue and tongue-in-cheek cultural references—Michael Jackson is a zombie doomed to perform "Thriller" all day long. As volume one is subtitled Gretchen, it would stand to reason that future installments may expand upon other characters, including Francis Von Bloodt, the vampire manager of the park, and Gretchen's father, the devil himself. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and fun as they introduce a park full of creatures of the night interacting with everyday humans. The blossoming relationship between Aurelian and Gretchen creates an interesting dynamic and the end of the first volume leaves the reader eagerly anticipating what comes next for the pair. Zombillenium's website is interactive and offers readers further adventures in the graphic novel's theme park. This title will appeal to a wide audience, though there are some mature situations. Reviewer: Kaitlin Connors
09/15/2013
Zombillenium is a vampire-operated theme park designed to inflict entertaining chills on the horror-seeking mortals who sample its rides. But the park's goodies depend upon a 100 percent paranormal staff of werewolves, vampires, freaks, zombies, monsters, and an Egyptian mummy. And, unsurprisingly, neither the mummy nor his fellow park workers are tightly wrapped. The fun begins when the mummy tries to escape. While chasing him, the park CEO accidentally kills a human and then decides to make amends by converting the deceased into a paranormal and hiring him for Zombillenium with the assistance of park intern Gretchen. Naturally, nothing goes as planned. Everyone has a hidden agenda—especially Gretchen, who's a witch with a powerful relative—and the plot careens hilariously from one unexpected misfire to another. VERDICT A stellar exemplar of the horror-humor subgenre, this series from French writer and artist de Pins (Artbook) will transfix teens and adults alike with its cultural insider jokes, twists on horror standbys, and superb art that resembles painting. Volume 2 received the Angoulême Award, and Volume 3 is in progress. Includes some mildly suggestive humor and inexplicit nudity.—M.C.
