Niles, Steve: 28 Days Later: The Aftermath
28 Days Later: The Aftermath
Writer: Steve Niles
Genre: Graphic Novel
I know, I know...I said I'd review Steven Savile's Temple: Incarnations next. But then I saw 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to 28 Days Later (fantastic sequel, by the way), and remembered I hadn't yet read Niles' graphic novel that's supposed to "connect" the two movies, so I sat down with it instead.
This graphic novel is NOT necessary to understand anything that's going on in the second movie. For that matter, seeing the second movie first kind of illuminates the events of the graphic novel. No characters cross from the first movie to the graphic novel, and no characters cross from the graphic novel to the second movie.
So what IS the graphic novel about? FIrst, it explains how the rage virus was created and why. We learn what went wrong, and all of this leads into the beginning of the film, and shows the immediate thereafter. That's part one. Part two shows more of the immediate breakout of the rage virus, but focuses on one family struggling to survive the outbreak and how they attempt to protect each other. The third part, a bit odd, shows a man who watches over the city and kills the infected. The twist to this story is there's someone else in the city doing the same thing, and the two men don't play well together. The fourth and final part brings these characters together in the quarantine, where they learn about each other and try to figure out what's happening to their country.
It's not a bad story. Entertaining, and I like getting to see more stories in this decimated Britain, because when you watch the first movie, it's easy to think that those characters are the only uninfected survivors, and that's not the case. The graphic novel helps the reader understand some of the particulars of the rage virus and how it operates, and that's useful.
Some of my complaints with this was the fact that almost if not every part was drawn by a different artist. That in and of itself wasn't a bad thing, but when I reached the part where all the characters met up, I didn't recognize them from their original renditions, because a different artist was drawing them. So that was a bit annoying. There were also some holes in the overall story, or if they weren't holes, they were a bit weak in terms of plot. Motivations could've been clearer, especially toward the end, and I think a little more time could've been taken to see what was going on or have characters explain themselves.
But my perceived flaws aren't fatal ones. If you enjoy the franchise so far (meaning the first and/or second movies), then you'll most likely enjoy this graphic novel. Like I said, it illuminates some of the backstory, just as the movies (especially the second one) illuminates the graphic novel. Worth the cash, if you're a fan.
Next up: Temple: Incarnations by Steven Savile