Review: John Dolmayan’s ‘Dead Samurai’ #1 Delivers On Both The ‘Dead’ And The ‘Samurai’

Welcome to the table,

There is little more that I like to do when I’m so burnt out my skin feels like it is trying to crawl off my bones than sit down on the couch at 3am, turn all the lights off, and put on a samurai movie. My favorite flavor of samurai movie is Zatoichi, as the blind swordsman is equal parts epic disabled representation and total unhinged badass, in a perfectly packaged story. Because of this long-running love for the art of the sword in brilliant black and white ( at least most of the time ), I have become a pretty harsh critic when it comes to samurai-related media. So when I tell you that John Dolmayan‘s new comic series Dead Samurai is off to an amazing start, you can take my word for it.

This zombie thriller, set in 16th-century feudal Japan, is a really fun blend of undead horror, historical intrigue, and a fair amount of katana-slashing action. The first issue features a rad cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, with internal artwork by Ryan Benjamin. Benjamin’s work on this book is full of energy and never feels flat as his attention to eye flow through the panels is honed and really makes those tense moments feel large and the flashes of action feel fast and frenetic.

Dolmayan clearly has an understanding of how to pace looming horror. The fact he has been able to fuse it with such an iconic historical setting is a testament to his understanding of storytelling in comics form.

It makes sense when you realize that Dolmayan has been a comic fan for most of his life. Much like myself, he would spend his weekly allowance on his favorite books. He then showcased his skills as a businessman selling old issues through newspaper ads and at conventions, a skill I never mastered (and the reason I have 30+ long boxes sitting in the closet of my office). While I was trying to pretend I did not look upon my comics like Smaug looked upon his gold, Dolmayan was out there making more money from flipping comics than he was from his day job. I love this level of fandom and good sense crossing over.

Even after Dolmayan joined System Of A Down, one of my wife’s favorite bands, and easily the band she owns the most t-shirts of by quite a large margin, he never stopped collecting comics. What’s cool about touring with a band is that it gave him the opportunity to check out comic book stores all around the world, while seeking out rare and vintage titles that he could then sell at conventions during breaks from touring.

It’s honestly brilliant on all levels, and something that, once I learned about it, conjured a deep feeling of respect. How cool is it to be able to play a killer show, check out some local shops in some far-flung place, score a handful of hard-to-find books, and then turn around and bring them to some other part of the world so a collector who may not have access to those books now has a chance to fill holes in their collection?

Let me get back to the comic review though. Dead Samurai does a fantastic job of setting the scene in the moment while leaving the series plenty of room to expand upon the horror that has come to Kawamaki Castle. While the first issue does not showcase how far-reaching the undead plague is, it leaves plenty of room to expand the unwinding story threads and I for one can’t wait to see what fresh horrors are in store in the upcoming issues.

Until next time, this book is seriously rad and I find myself actually excited to read a zombie story for the first time in a long while.