iZombie, Vol. 2: uVampire [Graphic Novel]

As much as I love the iZombie TV show, I still wish we could get the graphic novel as a show. They’re two vastly different beasts, with iZombie taking on more of a paranormal, urban fantasy aspect, including vampires, wereterriers, and ghosts alongside the title zombie.

The second volume builds nicely on the first, while giving more page time to Gwen’s friends. As well as advancing Gwen’s story, we find out more about both Scott and Ellie, including how they became a wereterrier and a ghost.

We also see more of the vampires introduced in Volume 1, as well as the hunters chasing them down. Volume 2 works well to build on 1, advancing the plot while introducing possible new strands and keeping the reader engaged.

One slight niggle with the book is the sometimes drastic change in art style from one part to another. I like art changes in a single volume, and at some points it was used effectively, to demonstrate a tonal shift, but – and this is really minor – when the actually quality dropped, I found it a bit jarring.

But other than that, like the first, this is a really fun graphic novel, and the way the story deepens ensures you will come out completely hooked into the story. It’s great to see more about the various characters’ backgrounds, and there are moments in this volume that really have a strong emotional impact.

As Gwen ‘settles’ more and more into zombie life, she also loses more her own self, and the way its portrayed really does make you feel for the character. Again, it’s vastly different from the TV show – with Ravi being the best addition in the show – but both Gwen and Olivia, despite being zombies, have a very human warmth which makes them relatable and great as main characters.

If you read Volume 1, I think 2 is a great continuation of the series. I think sometimes 1 can be a hook when it comes to graphic novels, but it’s 2 that really solidifies if you’re going to carry on or not. This really makes me eager to check out Volume 3, so it definitely did its job.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars