The Zombie Issue: Isaac Marion, Justina Ireland, Zombie Comedy Movies, More!
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Monster Complex Magazine #2
Zombie Author Interviews, Features, Lists, Quizzes, and More
Welcome to the second issue of Monster Complex Magazine! (Yes, it’s a website page. Just go with me here.) This time, Monster Complex features zombies in literature, TV, and cinema.
We’re thrilled to offer exclusive interviews with authors Isaac Marion (Warm Bodies series), Dana Fredsti (Ashley Parker series), Andy Kumpon (Seeds of the Dead), and Sylvester Barzey (Planet Dead series), plus roundups of online interviews with Justina Ireland, Mainak Dhar, Seanan McGuire AKA Mira Grant, and Jonathan Maberry.
Check out our lists of zombie movies and books, including Top 13 Zombie Comedy Movies and 70+ Zombie Book Series. If you want even more—check out BONUS links to other websites about zombie books, zombie movies, zombies on television, and zombies in comics.
Enjoy!
Will Christopher
Editor, Monster Complex Magazine
P.S.—What do you want Monster Complex to feature in future issues? Be sure to take our poll below!
FEATURES
The Warm Bodies author shares the personal inspiration for his unique take on zombies, explains his biggest genre pet peeve, and reveals why zombies stories are “hard to love” as a category. Read the exclusive inteview here!
The Dread Nation author shares the origins of her Civil War-era zombie books, reveals the inspirations for her no-nonsense heroine Jane McKeene, and explains the importance of representation in media. Click here to read more!
The author talks about what inspired her love of zombie stories, explains the innovation she brought to the party, and reveals why she prefers slow zombies. Click here to read our exclusive interview!
The Mexican-American author talks about combining survival horror, gallows humor, action, and suspense; reveals what inspired his unique take on the zombie genre; and shares his zombie movie influences. Click here to read our exclusive interview!
The author explains his unique spin on zombie fiction, shares why his books set an example for his son, and reveals why he’s written clown zombies. Click here to read our exclusive interview!
The Zombiestan and Alice in Deadland author shares what inspired him to write about zombies, the metaphor behind Zombiestan, and what he won’t do for his readers. Click here to read more!
Author Seanan McGuire outlines the differences between “Seanan McGuire” and “Mira Grant,” reveals what she wanted to bring to the zombie genre, and explains why diverse readers can see themselves in her books. Oh—and she teaches us how to survive the zombie apocalypse. Click here to read more!
The thriller author on the enduring appeal of zombies, what drew him to write stories with them, and why a zombie outbreak seems so damned plausible. Click here to read more!
LISTS
FLASHBACK
POLL & QUIZZES
Quiz: Can You Match the Zombie Book to the Author?
Poll: What’s Your Favorite Monster Fiction?
LINKS
FEATURES
Photo by Juliann Itter
Isaac Marion’s 2010 debut novel WARM BODIES became a New York Times bestseller, inspired a major film, and was translated into 25 languages. He spent the next eight years writing the rest of the story over the course of four books, now concluded with THE LIVING. In this exclusive interview, Isaac shares the personal inspiration for his unique take on zombies, explains his biggest genre pet peeve, and reveals why zombies stories are “hard to love” as a category. Read the interview here!
Photo by Eric Ireland
“There’s a whole new level of trauma when your dead friend is trying to eat your face.”
Justina Ireland is a bestselling author and professor with a strong commitment to elevating marginalized voices. She’s the author of Dread Nation (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins), a New York Times bestseller as well as the sequel Deathless Divide. Justina also writes for the Star Wars franchise, including the books Lando’s Luck, Spark of the Resistance, and A Test of Courage. She is the former co-editor in chief of FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, for which she won a World Fantasy Award. In this Q&A, the Dread Nation author shares the origins of her Civil War-era zombie books, reveals the inspirations for her no-nonsense heroine Jane McKeene, and explains the importance of representation in media. Read the article here!
“There are ways to include details that show you’ve done your research without being tedious.”
An ex B-movie actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting, author Dana Fredsti is addicted to bad movies and any book or film, good or bad, which include zombies. Her zombiefic includes the Ashley Parker series (Plague Town, Plague Nation, Plague World), described by some as “Buffy meets the Walking Dead,” as well as what might be the first example of zombie noir, A Man’s Gotta Eat What a Man’s Gotta Eat, first published in Mondo Zombie edited by John Skipp, and more recently published as an eBook by Titan books. In this exclusive interview, the author talks about what inspired her love of zombie stories, explains the innovation she brought to the party, and reveals why she prefers slow zombies. Read the interview here!
“If zombies eat everything around them, why are some as skinny as a beanpole?”
Author and filmmaker Andy Kumpon is a big fan of old Godzilla movies, Star Wars, and the films of John Carpenter. His latest novel is Seeds of the Dead: When his evil superiors create a new strain of genetically modified food (GMO) that transforms ordinary people into ravenous, bloodthirsty zombies, a disillusioned scientist turns whistle-blower and becomes their next target. The Mexican-American author talks about combining survival horror, gallows humor, action, and suspense; reveals what inspired his unique take on the zombie genre; and shares his zombie movie influences. Read the exclusive interview here!
“I want to sit back and be like, ‘Damn, I wish I thought of something like this.’”
Sylvester Barzey is a father, a husband, a soldier, and an “Anything Goes HORROR” writer who launched his post-apocalyptic zombie Planet Dead series in 2017. He focuses on using diverse characters to push down the wall that is the horror/fantasy genre. His goal is to prove that people of color and women can kick as much ass as any of Hollywood’s blockbuster stars and tell a great story while doing it. In this exclusive nterview, the author explains his unique spin on zombie fiction, shares why his books set an example for his son, and reveals why he’s written clown zombies. Read the Sylvester Barzey Interview!
“Inherent goodness can unite us all when faced with evil.”
A cubicle-dweller by day and writer by night, with more than a dozen books to his credit, Mainak Dhar is a bestselling author in his native India with titles published by major houses like Penguin and Random House, and one of his novels being made into a major motion picture. The Zombiestan and Alice in Deadland author shares what inspired him to write about zombies, the metaphor behind Zombiestan, and what he won’t do for his readers. Read the Q&A here!
“I wanted to see what would happen if I started explaining zombies.”
The Newsflesh series are political/science fiction/horror novels written by Seanan McGuire under the pen name Mira Grant. Set during the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, the series is primarily written from the perspective of blog journalists. The series was originally a trilogy, but later expanded to include a fourth novel and a final collection of short pieces and bonus materials. When talking about the original trilogy, the author described the books like this: “Feed is a political thriller with zombies, Deadline is a medical thriller with zombies, and Blackout is a conspiracy thriller with zombies.” In this Q&A, the author outlines the differences between “Seanan McGuire” and “Mira Grant,” reveals what she wanted to bring to the zombie genre, and explains why diverse readers can see themselves in her books. Oh—and she teaches us how to survive the zombie apocalypse. Read the Q&A!
“All the way home I was continuing that story in my head, figuring out how I might survive an event like the dead rising.”
Named one of Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers, bestselling author Jonathan Maberry is also an anthology editor, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His fiction has been lauded by the likes of Booklist, the American Library Association, the Bram Stoker Awards, and more. Jonathan was an expert on the History Channel documentary, ZOMBIES: A Living History, and he participated in the commentary tracks for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED. He was a regular expert on True Monsters, a documentary series on H2. In this Q&A, the thriller author on the enduring appeal of zombies, what drew him to write stories with them, and why a zombie outbreak seems so damned plausible. Read the Q&A!
LISTS
Looking for a zombie story? You can’t swing an undead a cat without hitting another one—stories about zombies are popping up everywhere! If you want some help narrowing down the field, here are some zombie novels worth checking out.
The selections in this article includes books from a diverse group of authors—ranging from acclaimed novelist Justina Ireland and horror legend Stephen King to up-and-comer Zoraida Córdova, from Hugo-winner Octavia Butler and Pulitzer Prize-nominated Colson Whitehead to Internet sensation Rhiannon Frater, from the global perspective of Manel Loureiro and up-to-date political angle of Mira Grant to the Regency mashup of Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith and alien invasion scenario of Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due. Whatever you’re in the mood for, there are zombie tales here for all kinds of (heh) tastes. Click thru for book info, links to author interviews, and to watch videos that take you further in-depth.
If you want zombies, there are lots of storytellers ready to supply! Whether you’re talking books, movies, games, or any other medium that can carry tales of the walking, shambling, brain-eating dead, zombies are hot. The list below features more than 70 zombie book series. Featured authors include Seanan McGuire AKA Mira Grant, Manel Loureiro, Carrie Ryan, Jonathan Maberry, Justina Ireland, J.L. Bourne, Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due, David Wellington, Rhiannon Fater, Isaac Marion, Diana Rowland, Sylvester Barzey, Sophie Littlefield, David Moody, and more.
Whatever you want from a zombie story—something light or something weighty; something political or something romantic; something futuristic or something set in the past—you’re bound to find a series here to match your, um, taste…
Looking for a good zom-com? Just when it looked like the zombie flick might have no more innovations left, these filmmakers found a way to mix laughs and scares to bring new life to the genre. For this list, we’re ranking 13 of the best funny zombie movies any fan should check out. With a real-life pandemic sweeping the world, this makes for great time to sit back, relax, and laugh with some of the best tales of the undead out there. See the list here!
FLASHBACK
Directed by Edgar Wright, 2004 horror comedy film Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Londoners caught in an apocalyptic zombie uprising who just want to take refuge in a local pub with their loved ones. The screenplay was co-written by Wright and Pegg, who worked together on Britcom Spaced in the 1990s—and bonded over their shared love of zombies in general and Night of the Living Dead legend George A. Romero in particular. Read more about the movie here!
POLLS AND QUIZZES
LINKS
Are You Really a Zombie Fan If You Haven't Read the 25 Best Zombie Books? (Book Riot)
500 Best Zombie Books (Books Icon)
Top 20 Zombie Novels of the Last Decade (B&N)
17 ZOMBIE Apocalypse Books Your Brain Will Love! (Suggested Reads)
Zombie Apocalypse by Black Authors or w/ Black Main Characters (Goodreads)
The 50 Best Zombie Movies of All Time (Paste Magazine)
The Best Zombie Movies of All Time (Ranker)
Five international Zombie films you must watch (SIFY)
Scariest Zombie Films From Around the World, Ranked (Culture Trip)
15 Essential Horror Films Starring People of Color (Vulture)
Best Zombie TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer (Rotten Tomatoes)
Best Zombie TV Shows Streaming Right Now (Collider)
10 Zombie TV Shows Ranked, From ‘The Walking Dead’ to ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ (The Wrap)
Best Zombie Related TV Series (Ranker)
Watch These 10 Zombie TV Shows Before Betaal (Indian Express)
10 Zombie Comics You Should Read (How to Love Comics)
My Top 25 "Zombie" Comics (Comic Vine)
Zombie Comics That Aren’t The Walking Dead (52 Weeks of Horror)
The Top 10 Zombie Comics - Ever (MTV)
Horror and comedy both make us jump—which is why these elements work together so well together. Looking at books from authors like Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Tanya Huff, Kelley Armstrong, John Scalzi, Diana Rowland, and Kevin J. Anderson, plus many authors you should meet.