Oh man, IDW has been “Infected!” Adapted from the trilogy of the same name, does it translate well? Let’s see.
Written by Chad Minshew Scott Sigler
Illustrated by Chad MinshewA riveting adaptation of Book One of the New York Times best-selling horror trilogy by Scott Sigler! Chad Minshew brings to life the story of a mysterious disease that turns ordinary people into paranoid, raving murderers. Former all-pro linebacker Perry Dawsey awakens to find mysterious welts growing on his body. Soon after, strange voices start whispering, telling him to do horrible things … he is infected. The disease wants something from Perry, something that could alter the fate of the human race.
Well to be honest, I don’t really know if it translated well, but I’ve never read the book. As a matter of fact, I hadn’t heard of it. I chose this book on a whim, expecting one of the myriad of zombie books that have been flooding the market as of late. Surprisingly, it’s not a zombie title at all.
Then again, it’s not much of anything either.
The story goes like this: there is SOMETHING happening. People are infected with SOMETHING and it causes them to go on a murder spree that ends with the killers committing suicide in the most grisly way possible. And that’s all we know.
The premise is actually really intriguing, and it makes for some interesting concepts that are peppered throughout the issue. What’s causing this? What are these sores “the infected” are coming down with? Why does it make them become homicidal/suicidal maniacs? Who knows?
But all of that is bogged down by the fact that it feels less like a translation and more like a transliteration. The plot is bogged down by heavy internal exposition by our lead, Perry Dewsey, who’s affectionately known as “Dew.” In fact, the book moved at a glacial pace. And even when it doesn’t, it’s rife with errors that don’t really make sense if you put just a little bit of logic to them. In the beginning of the book, an “infected” killed a family and when the authorities get there, he literally cuts off his legs right in front of them with a hatchet and then lights himself on fire. There’s no effort to incapacitate the assailant before this? He is clearly a danger to himself and others. But he doesn’t’ get shot by the police until he buries the hatchet into on the officer’s abdomen? Where does this make sense?
The highlight of the actual book is Minshew’s art. There’s a little bit of Phil Noto in the pages, sharing the stylized photo-realistic style for which Noto is so famous. Most of the action takes place in the first ten pages of the book, and while that looks great, the rest of the composition works really well. Detailed, realistic panels bring the story to life much better than it could have on its own, which is more a failing of the story than the art. The unfortunate thing is that the art doesn’t save a story that doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere.
This book started out so well, but ended up a complete mess. It’s definitely worth leafing through for the nice artwork, but the disjointed story with hugely disparate, stilted plotlines does little to charm the reader, or anyone else for that matter.
Final Verdict: 3.0 — Immunize Yourself
