Night of the Living Dead #1 is a black-and-white horror comic that adapts the story of the iconic 1968 George A. Romero film. The plot centers on a small group of survivors trapped in a rural farmhouse as the dead rise and attempt to feast on the living.
The FantaCo series, first published in 1991, closely follows the narrative of the original movie. The story details the night when an unexplained phenomenon causes recently deceased corpses to reanimate as flesh-eating "ghouls". The core plot points covered in the series include:
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The Farmhouse Siege: Ben, Barbra, and other survivors barricade themselves inside an isolated Pennsylvania farmhouse, struggling to defend themselves against the relentless zombie horde outside.
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Human Conflict: The true horror often comes from the psychological strain and the rising tensions among the survivors themselves, as they argue over the best course of action and leadership.
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Social Commentary: The narrative reflects the social and cultural issues of the late 1960s, exploring themes of social breakdown, media failure, and racial tensions, culminating in the film's stark and controversial ending.
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Publisher: FantaCo Enterprises.
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Adaptation: Adapted by Tom Skulan and Eric Stanway from the original story by George Romero and John Russo.
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Art: The artwork is presented in a black-and-white, painterly style by Carlos Kastro and Eric Meheu.
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Format: Issue #1 was part of a four-issue mini-series (plus a "Prelude" and "Aftermath" one-shots), which were later collected into a trade paperback.
FantaCo also published other related Night of the Living Dead comics, including the Night of the Living Dead: London series written by Clive Barker and Steve Niles, which explored different story arcs within the same universe.
Night of the Living Dead #2 comic book is part of a series that adapted the original 1968 George Romero film into a black-and-white graphic novel format. The specific content of issue #2 continues the film's storyline as the small group of survivors are trapped in a rural farmhouse while the dead rise outside.
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Adaptation: The series adapted the original screenplay and story by George Romero and John Russo.
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Storyline: Issue #2 continues the narrative of the first issue, focusing on the mounting tensions and conflicts between the survivors inside the farmhouse as the zombie threat grows outside. The dialogue was often taken directly from the film.
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Artwork: The internal artwork was done in a painterly, black-and-white style by Carlos Kastro and Eric Meheu, which was characteristic of FantaCo's horror publications.
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Publication: The first FantaCo Night of the Living Dead series was published in four issues between November 1991 and October 1992. There was also a second series published in 1994, which was a reprinting/repackaging of the original material.
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Context: The comic provides a visual, panel-by-panel retelling of the movie, offering an immersive experience for fans of the classic horror film.