I picked up Star Spangled War Stories Featuring G.I. Zombie #7 on a lark. It was one of those things that I knew it was going to be terrible because of what I read last month, but it’s like a car crash on the freeway, you just can’t look away. Once again, this month’s cover was another standout and made the book look like a lot of bloody fun, but we already know better than that. Or so I thought…
G.I. Zombie and Carmen find themselves up against the biggest terrorist threat ever, and it’s in the heart of our country. Can two stand a chance against thousands, or is all lost as the United States of Apocalypse begins?
You see, Star Spangled War Stories Featuring G.I. Zombie #7 turned out to actually be a hell of a lot of fun. Look, it’s not great, but it is like a completely different book from last month. Everything here is just handled so much better in every way from issue #6.
Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have a much better grasp on the story this time around and the whole book works much better, even as a standalone issue. The plot is easy to follow and flows well from page to page throughout.
While I still don’t know what the devil is going on since I only came into this book last issue (bad timing, I know) I do have a much better understanding of the overall plot of this story arc. You see, last issue nothing was given to new readers to help them along with what was an already messy situation. In issue #7 we still don’t get any backstory, but the story itself fills in a lot of the pieces that new readers need to know.
G.I. Zombie takes a more central role here and we get to see him as a more relatable character that has a lot of charm, not just some cold and unlikable character from last issue. The two ladies from last issue bail from the secret compound in the nick of time with other bigwigs, but our zombiefied friend goes back in to try and disarm the nuke sitting under the facility.
We get a page of G.I. Zombie trying to save all the people who are unaware of the ticking time-bomb just under their feet. With the help of an employee the two find that there is no stopping the nuke going off and that nobody will be able to outrun the blast even if they warned everyone. We see the futility of the situation and the entire segment does a lot to humanize G.I. Zombie and at the very least gives a small bit of comfort to our unknown friend.
The story flashed to the getaway plane and we learn that the person in charge of the facility knows that there is a traitor in their mitts. I’m not quite sure why he continues to explain major plot points that would give said traitor more information, or why if he knows all this continue to another secret location to continue his nefarious deeds. Seems like a better move to stop in a secure location and implement some intense torture on the lot, but whatever.
Long review short, we see G.I. get away from the blast via a car and thanks to his zombie like abilities to survive the heavy doses of radiation. Our two ladies friends make it to their destination and one proceeds to go whoop-ass on everyone and break out, reporting the location to her superiors. Any ready would have seen this coming from a mile away. Nothing special, but it all works and is easy to follow.
Scott Hampton serves as artist and colorist on issue #7 and that is a great things because the book looks much better than last month. The same art style is still in play, but it has a much more realistic form and is much less esoteric than last month.
Star Spangled War Stories Featuring G.I. Zombie #7 still has a way to go before it claws it way up from obscurity, but this issue is a great turn for the series and redeems the misgivings I had with issue #6
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