Gretchen

August 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.

September 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 Angouleme Award, and Volume 3 is in progress. Includes some mildly suggestive humor and inexplicit nudity.--M.C.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2013
This newly, excellently translated series opens with a volume featuring a witch turned monster-theme-park intern, Gretchen. On immediate glance, the theme and patter seem more reminiscent of young adult fare, but the satirical take on a host of popular books, memes, and themes best targets the well-read, parody-appreciative culture maven. The titular theme park is staffed only by legions of the undead: ghosts; a mummy, who prefers a hoodie and jeans to the iconic linen wrappings; a werewolf and vampire who compete to claim any fresh mortal; and other demons and hellions. Zombillenium has some very strict rules, a board of directors, and a brand-new employeenewly deceased sad-sack Aurelian, who Gretchen meets when he tries (unsuccessfully) to hold up a bar. The gorgeously colored tiny panels across folio-sized pages offer sly asides of their own. This award-winning, laugh-aloud, smart comic should be of high interest to those who enjoy parodies of Tintin, Posy Simmonds' reworking of nineteenth-century literature, and anything that pokes gentle fun at Harry Potter or the Twilight craze.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)