COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews Revival #15

Written by: Tim Seeley
Art by: Mike Norton
Colors by: John Rauch
Published by: Image Comics

Central Wisconsin, where people work hard and family is priority one; and where dead loved ones just can’t seem to actually die. These individuals are referred to as “revivers” and they are appearing all over Rothschild. Revival follows police officer Dana Cypress who is the lead officer in investigating all of the “Revival Day” happenings; her sister Martha “Em” Cypress, who is a reviver herself; and various other members of the town that find themselves affected by revival day in one way or another. No one can leave and no one can enter. The town of Rothschild will never be the same.

Revival #15 follows Dana in her quest to find out who is responsible for her younger sister Em’s death, she may be a reviver but that doesn’t mean that she wasn’t murdered to begin with. Dana’s detective work helps give her an estimated “time of death” and from there she compiles a list of suspects; or more one suspect. Em’s married professor, Aaron Weimar! Weimar had always been my suspect #1 since he was introduced, but I think that is exactly what Mr. Seeley wants me to think. By the end of this arc I think this “case” will be solved.

Em isn’t the only reviver in this issue, the youngest reviver 8 year old Jordan Borchardt is dealing with the aftermath of her attempt to finally die. Her parents who appear to be afraid of their undead daughter do what they feel is best; they take her to a “reviver concentration camp”. It’s not revealed what is in store for her there but you can bet it probably isn’t very good.

The final storyline in this comic is one that I connected to the most. The mayor of Rothschild ordered the seizure of the town’s livestock to test for possible effects the animals may have from being exposed to groundwater. They don’t go into specifics of what kind of testing or if the animals will be returned to their owners alive; but I’m personally hoping for the best. As an animal lover I don’t like the idea of animal testing, even though it may give them answers of what is going on with the revivers, the animals have no symptoms! In an area where citizens can’t leave, pets can be important to keep you sane.

This issue was fantastic. It is extremely well written and this arc is the best one yet. Seeley knows exactly how to hook readers and then keep them interested. He can write from multiple points of view and has a wide range of personalities packed into one title. In this particular issue he manages to pack sadness, frustration, anger, fear and confusion, yet never once are readers left scratching their heads.

I’m surprised by the artwork in every issue. Mike Norton’s artwork could stand alone and make this a black and white title, but the color Rauch adds gives it an edge against all the other “horror” comics on the market today. You really get the feel that you are in central Wisconsin, which some people would view as a horror on its own.

This book gets better and better and I can’t wait to see what happens next. In a world full of zombie everything, it’s nice to see a different take of the undead.

4.5 out of 5 nerds