Zero Killer is no Zero

I must confess that I'm one of those comic book readers that doesn't stray too often from DC or Marvel. Why? Well, I'm already spending more money than I should on characters that I already know, love, and grew up with, so I don't see the point in exploring new universes with a whole new set of characters. Occasionally, I do stray, though.

Recently, I picked up a couple of issues of Herogasm by Dynamite Comics, mostly because the idea seemed hilarious. It's about a getaway for superheroes where they engage in...well, carnal knowledge. Apparently it's a spin-off of a series called The Boys. Unfortunately, instead of being entertaining, Herogasm provided little more than the opportunity for its writer to write porn and its artist to draw a bunch of naked superheroes. And, like porn, there was no decent story.

On the other hand, I picked up some back issues of a series called Zero Killer by Dark Horse Comics. Why? Because I discovered that it was drawn by the brilliant Matt Camp, whose work I loved in DC Comics' latest incarnation of Infinity, Inc. His art ranks high in my book, along with two of my favorites, George Perez and Kevin Maguire. The faces of the characters he draws are very expressive. He's definitely concerned with detail. So, since Matt's currently not working on anything else DC- or Marvel-related, I decided to give Zero Killer a try, if only to gaze upon more of his beautiful artwork. I picked up issues 1-3 and read them back-to-back. Not only was I naturally impressed (again) by Matt Camp's art, but I was also absorbed into Arvid Nelson's post-nuclear story of a man named Zero. The story moves along quickly and the characters are each distinct. New York City is in ruins and flooded as a result from a 1973 worldwide nuclear war. Each of the major skyscrapers (Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, and, yes, the Twin Towers) houses a different gang. Arvid gives us pieces of the Zero's puzzle a little bit at a time, which makes the story all that more intriguing. Ironically, issues 4 and 5 are finally coming out this fall after a two-year delay, so I'll get to enjoy those soon enough as well. Check out their website at http://www.zerokiller.com/.

My only wish is that DC Comics hire Matt Camp full-time so I can enjoy seeing him draw some of my favorite characters of all time.