"Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon" Graphic Novel Review

Written by James Ferguson

 

Published by Dark Horse Comics

 

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Originally published as Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon #1 - #6

Written by Paul Tobin
Illustrated by Ron Chan
2013, 82 Pages
Graphic novel released on November 6th, 2013

Review:

Zombies are in the midst of a renaissance period.  You can't throw a rock these days without hitting a member of the undead, whether it's on television, at the movies, in books, comics, or video games.  They're everywhere.  One franchise that has shown no signs of slowing down is Plants vs. Zombies.  The game from PopCap can be played on just about everything.  Now the story continues in a mini-series from Dark Horse Comics called Lawnmageddon.  The book puts the human element into the game's storyline that was missing (aside from occasional visits from Crazy Dave).

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Lawnmageddon follows two kids named Nate and Patrice as their town of Neighborville is overrun by zombies.  The pair turn to Patrice's uncle Crazy Dave for help, and it turns out he's been breeding super powered plants just in case cats rose up to attack.  The children amass their botanical army and take on the undead that have invaded their home.  

That's about it when it comes to the storyline for this comic.  If you were looking for an origin as to where the zombies came from or why they're attacking Neighborville, you won't find it here.  Lawnmageddon was originally published digitally, broken up into six installments.  At 82 total pages, you can see how brief each chapter is.  It's a quick read designed to be easily digestible, not unlike the game it's based on.  This is also an all-ages title, so you're not going to get blood and gore.  Instead you have the zombies searching for brains, but you never actually see them eat any.  In fact, they often pass up some ripe humans as they run through the town.  I guess it means that some of the residents are brainless?

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Ron Chan handled the artwork for Lawnmageddon and matched it up to the look of the game perfectly.  His pencils have a light, cartoony vibe to them that is easy to get into.  The comic isn't designed to terrify you.  Instead you're meant to have fun with it and Chan's artwork definitely achieves that goal.  He also manages to cram in just about every zombie seen throughout the game.  Even the rarely seen Yeti zombie makes an appearance.  There are several great sight gags that you should be on the lookout for when reading Lawnmageddon.  These are nice little easter eggs that are scattered throughout the story including a spoof of Gangnum Style.  

Lawnmageddon is a fun comic you can share with your kids.  Casual fans of the game might not dig it as much, but any hardcore fans are going to enjoy it.  At the very least, it's another aspect of Plants vs. Zombies that you can use on the toilet.

Grades:

Story: Cover
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Art: fourstars
Overall: threeandahalfstars

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James Ferguson
Lord of the Funny Books
James has a 2nd grade reading level and, as a result, only reads books with pictures. Horror is his 5th favorite genre right after romantic comedy and just before silent films. No one knows why he's here, but he won't leave.
Other articles by this writer

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