iZombie (comic book)

iZombie[1] is a comic book series created by writer Chris Roberson and artist Michael Allred, published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint beginning in 2010. The series deals with Gwen Dylan (née Gwendolyn Price), a revenant gravedigger in Eugene, Oregon and her friends Ellie, a 1960s ghost, and Scott, a were-terrier. iZombie was nominated for the 2011 Eisner Award for Best New Series.[2]

Not to be confused with I, Zombie.
For the live-action series, see iZombie (TV series).
iZombie
Cover page of #1
Publication information
PublisherVertigo
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
GenreHorror
Publication date2010–2012
No. of issues28
Main character(s)Gwen Dylan, Ellie Stuart, Scott
Creative team
Created byRoberson & Allred
Written byChris Roberson
Artist(s)Michael Allred
Jay Stephens
Jason Bone
James Rugg
Letterer(s)Todd Klein
Colourist(s)Laura Allred
Editor(s)Shelly Bond
Collected editions
Dead to the WorldISBN 1-4012-2965-4
uVampireISBN 1-4012-3296-5
Six Feet Under & RisingISBN 1-4012-3370-8
RepossessedISBN 1-4012-3697-9

Gwen Dylan can pass for a regular girl, but she needs to eat a brain once a month to keep from losing her memories and intelligence. As a gravedigger,[3] she has plenty of access to recently deceased people; when she consumes their brains she "inherits" part of the deceased's thoughts.

The "monsters" in iZombie are explained via the concepts of over- and undersoul. The oversoul (as in Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The Over-Soul") is "seated in the brain, contains the thoughts, memories, and personality",[4] while the undersoul (as in Michael McClure's poem "Dark Brown") is "seated in the heart, contains the appetites, emotions and fears".[4] Ghosts are thus bodiless oversouls; poltergeists, bodiless undersouls; vampires bodies without undersouls (thirsting for emotions); and zombies, bodies without oversouls. Revenants, like Gwen, are unique in that they possess both oversouls and undersouls. Souls can also "infect" the living, which accounts for the possessed, werewolves and the like.[5] The characters of iZombie first appeared in a short story in the first House of Mystery Halloween Annual (2009). An iZombie story was also included in the second House of Mystery Halloween Annual (2010).

The comic is notable for its use of real Eugene-area locations as settings, including the University of Oregon campus, the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, the McDonald Theater, Eugene City Hall, and Ya-Po-Ah Terrace, as well as Portland's Oregon Convention Center and Oregon Zoo. The primary hangout spot, "Dixie's Firehouse", is also known as "Fins" and is located in Springfield, Oregon.

On April 1, 2012, at the Emerald City Comicon, Allred announced that iZombie would end as of #28 in August.[6]

Synopsis

Various entities, some human, some not, battle various escalating threats in and around Eugene, Oregon. Vampires, parental fights, zombies, romance triangles, cabin fever, delayed apocalyptic battles and technical support are just some of the situations under-prepared, heavily manipulated, not-quite-human twenty-somethings have to deal with.

Characters
  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Dylan (née Price): The main protagonist, a revenant or main "zombie".
  • Eleanor "Ellie" Stuart (née Roosevelt): A ghost who died in the 1960s and had never left Oregon.
  • Scott "Spot": A were-terrier, friend to Gwen and Ellie.
  • Gavin Price: Gwen's brother and Scott's prospective boyfriend (later husband as of iZombie #28).
  • Vincent Tan: A friend and co-worker of Scott.
  • Ashok Patel: A friend and co-worker of Scott and Vincent.
  • John Amon: A zombie who was responsible for Gwen Dylan becoming a zombie.

Adaptation
Main article: iZombie (TV series)

In November 2013, The CW ordered a pilot episode named after the comic from writer/producers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, who developed the property as a supernatural procedural drama for the network.[7] On February 25, 2014, Deadline reported that Malcolm Goodwin, Aly Michalka and David Anders were cast as Clive, Peyton and Blaine.[8] On March 7, 2014, actor Robert Buckley was cast as Major, the lead character's former fiancé, an environmental engineer and former college football star who is extremely likable.[9] On March 12, 2014, actress Rose McIver was cast as the lead character Olivia "Liv" Moore.[10] iZombie had been picked up for the 2014-2015 fall season by The CW on May 8, 2014, but was pushed back to air as a mid-season replacement.[11] It debuted on The CW on March 17, 2015 and concluded on August 1, 2019 with 71 episodes airing in total.

While the series retains the lead character's ability to absorb memories and abilities through eating brains, her backstory is substantially changed. Liv (changed from Gwen) is a medical intern in Seattle, Washington who is turned into a zombie after being scratched by one. The series picks up five months after the incident; Liv now works as a King County morgue assistant, along with Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti played by Rahul Kohli, which provides her with a steady supply of brains from murder victims which she must eat in order to retain her intelligence. A side effect of eating brains is that she experiences the deceased's memories in the form of visions, and temporarily absorbs their habits and abilities which she uses to assist in solving crimes.

Michael Allred, co-creator and lead artist for the comic book series, designed and drew the opening credits for the series.[12]

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks:

#TitleISBNRelease dateCollected material
1 Dead to the World ISBN 1-4012-2965-4 March 22, 2011 iZombie #1–5, a story from House of Mystery Halloween Annual #1 and about 11 additional sketches and covers
2 uVampire ISBN 1-4012-3296-5 September 7, 2011 iZombie #6–12 and a story from House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2
3 Six Feet Under and Rising ISBN 1-4012-3370-8 February 14, 2012 iZombie #13–18
4 Repossession ISBN 1-4012-3697-9 December 11, 2012 iZombie #19–28

As well as an omnibus collecting the entire run:

#TitleISBNRelease dateCollected material
1 The iZombieOmnibus ISBN 9781401262037 December 8, 2015 the full run

References
  1. Roberson, Chris (w), Hernàndez, Gilbert (p), Hernàndez, Gilbert (i), Allred, Laura (col), Klein, Todd (let), Lockard, Gregory, Bond, Shelly (ed). "Ghost Stories" iZombie 12: 18 (June 2011), Vertigo "The correct spelling of the title of our esteemed series is: (...) a lower case "i", sans comma, and the "ZOMBIE" in caps. In other words: iZombie."
  2. "Nominees Announced for 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". San Diego Comic-Con. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  3. Moylan, Brian (March 17, 2015). "iZombie: comic book's TV adaptation introduces the crime-solving dead". The Guardian. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  4. Roberson, Chris (w), Allred, Michael (p), Allred, Michael (i), Allred, Laura (col), Klein, Todd (let), Rufino, Angelo, Bond, Shelly (ed). "The Magical Memory Tour" iZombie 4: 11 (October 2010), Vertigo
  5. Roberson, Chris (w), Allred, Michael (p), Allred, Michael (i), Allred, Laura (col), Klein, Todd (let), Rufino, Angelo, Bond, Shelly (ed). "The Magical Memory Tour" iZombie 4: 12-13 (October 2010), Vertigo
  6. Johnston, Richard (April 1, 2012). "ECCC: The Vertigo New Blood Panels – And The End Of iZombie". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (November 7, 2013). "The CW Sets Drama Based On DC Comics' 'iZombie' With Rob Thomas, Diane Ruggiero". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2014). "Malcolm Goodwin To Star, Alex Krosney & David Anders To Co-Star In CW's 'iZombie'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  9. Goldberg, Lesley (March 7, 2014). "'One Tree Hill's' Robert Buckley to Co-Star in CW's 'iZombie'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  10. Goldberg, Lesley (March 12, 2014). "Rose McIver to Star in Rob Thomas' 'iZombie'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  11. Ausiello, Michael (May 8, 2014). "The CW New Series For Fall 2014 – 'The Flash' and 'iZombie' - TVLine". TVLine. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  12. Armitage, Hugh (March 13, 2015). "iZombie opening credits reveal Michael Allred art". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
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