By TygerLily Ernst

Zombies Calling
Written and Illustrated By Faith Erin Hicks
Slave Labor Comics
Cover price: $9.95; On sale now

Do you believe that zombies will take over the world someday? Do you spend a lazy evening watching Shaun of the Dead or 28 Days Later for the fortieth time? Did you know that a spork can be a handy weapon when the zombies come? Do you insist on buying every zombie movie and comic book the day it’s released? Do you eat, drink and breathe all things zombie? Or wish that George Romero was your grandfather? If you do then Zombies Calling is right up your alley.

Already noticed for her online comic Ice, which was nominated for a Joe Shuster Award in 2006, it was Zombies Calling that actually earned Faith Erin Hicks the prestigious award in 2008. This 104-page graphic novel, the first print work to be released by the newcomer, is set in an urban college town in Canada. That’s where we find our protagonist, Joss, enjoying a lazy evening watching zombie movies with friends. She has an obsession with all things British; from the slang she uses right down to the Union Jack tank top that she always wears. However, she also has the normal trials of a college student — exams, financial aid, and what not. Her dorm-mate, Sonnet, is the intelligent, Gothy, level-headed member of the group. Then there is Robyn, the cute (but somewhat clueless) boy who rounds out the crew. Each is recognizable to the reader; we’ve all known these guys. They’re at every university and coffeehouse in any college town.