"Donald of the Dead" Comic Review

There are few people in this world today that have reached real-life super villain status.  One could argue that Donald Trump is right up there.  Despite the numerous and ever-growing accounts of sexual assault, homophobia, xenophobia, and just plain stupidity, somehow, he could be worse.  He could have raised an army of the undead at the Republican National Convention this year.  That's the premise for Donald of the Dead, a one-shot featuring more zombies than you can shake a stick at.  Plus, since this was a Republican convention, they're all armed.

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The elevator pitch for Donald of the Dead is superb.  You can't help but be curious about it.  Unfortunately, it doesn't follow through with the story.  Instead, it relies heavily on gags and groan-worthy puns with no real substance behind them.  No reason is given why Trump turns the convention attendees into zombies or how he came into such a unique power.  Everything happens just to move the plot along, without any motivation, leading up to a rushed ending that lands like a tomato being dropped from three stories up.

The four main human characters are liberals working for the convention center.  They fill a variety of stereotypes such as geeky white guy and tough black guy.  Each is more annoying than the last, so it's tough to care about them or root for them as they run for their lives from the hordes of the undead.  

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The one standout with Donald of the Dead is Chris Fason's artwork, especially his designs for Trump.  He's like a human version of Jabba the Hutt with buttery jowls flapping in the wind.  Perhaps my favorite part is his little baby hands, poking out of his suit jacket like a child playing dress-up.  The book is in black and white, except for Trump, who is always a shade of orange, even when he reveals himself as the Lich King.  The zombies' eyes are all tinged orange as well, as if they have been imbued with spray on tanner directly into their brains.

Donald of the Dead is a great idea that's poorly executed.  It's a one-note joke that's played far too long.  The characters are rudimentary and lack any real development.  If you're not a fan of Donald Trump, you might let out a giggle here or there while reading this book, but they will be few and far between.