Review: ‘Everything Dead & Dying’ #5 Ends With A Poignant Bang

Concepts are easy; endings are hard.

For every great idea that starts off being launched out of a cannon, there are a dozen once-promising stories that go on too long or are cut short before they can develop their characters enough. That leads to rushed endings and/or an unsatisfied — maybe even hostile — audience.

Fortunately for fans of the limited series Everything Dead & Dying, the creative team knew exactly what it was doing from the start. Writer Tate Brombal and artist Jacob Phillips stick the landing, and in the process, bring one of the best zombie stories ever to a poignant conclusion.

It’s probably not even accurate to call this a zombie story; it’s really a human story. For years, Jack has held his family and his entire town together by trying to stave off the zombie apocalypse. It’s a remarkable feat, given that everyone in the small community of Caverton has already turned. Jack has fed the undead so they are content to live the same day over and over. The zombie mailman delivers letters and the zombie preacher worships in church.

That idea gets turned on its head when a group of outsiders discovers Caverton, with its working electricity and stores of food. They see the dead, including Jack’s husband and daughter, as threats and immediately react. That leaves Jack fighting for his family and town, even though they are gone.

Brombal’s script makes us wonder what lengths we would go to keep our families together and to give our lives a sense of normalcy, even in the most abnormal times. Would we kill to save our families, even though they are already dead? It’s difficult to read the story without feeling for Jack and wondering.

Jack’s journey in this last chapter is agonizing. He’s already lost his husband to the outsiders, and his daughter is missing. Ultimately, Jack must choose between the dead he loves or the living he fears. His decision is a mystery throughout this great last issue, and his decision is equally heartbreaking as it is satisfying.

Phillips’ artwork is brutal, particularly in the bloody, zombie-filled present. While some flashbacks have clean lines, the post-apocalyptic present features rough, grimy images. Scenes from the past are expertly juxtaposed with similar ones from right now, to a horrifying effect.

It’s a shame the series is over, but the journey has been worth it — and the audience is much better off for Brombal’s and Phillips’ work.

Everything Dead & Dying #5 is now available in comic book stores and on digital platforms from Image Comics.