The living dead walk among us! Zombies have taken over the planet! Humans only exist as novelty attractions - or worse! But today is the day of revolution and soon the tide will turn on undead supremacy! Academy Award-nominated writer Kim Krizan (Before Sunrise) presents a zombie epic like no other! Ripped from the pages of the critically acclaimed Zombie Tales anthology, collected in a single volume for the first time!

We caught up with writer, Kim Krizan, to talk about Zombie Tales 2061.

Dan Royer: First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Kim Krizan: I'm a writer. I'm best known for co-writing the films "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," and I was nominated for an Oscar for my work on the latter. I also acted "Slacker," "Waking Life," and "Dazed and Confused" (I played the high school teacher who does the rant about the Bicentennial).

Dan Royer: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

Kim Krizan: Boom! Studios asked me to write a comic and I said great. Then they said they wanted a zombie comic and my lower lip started quivering! I couldn't believe they'd ask someone known for romance and historical stuff to write a zombie comic book and I thought they were nuts. But it turned out that doing something out of my usual area of interest was fun and very freeing. Now I'm totally down with horror!

Dan Royer: So what can you tell me about Zombie Tales 2061?

Kim Krizan: It's my nightmarish fantasy of the near future.

Dan Royer: What's it all about?

Kim Krizan: Zombies rule and humans are enslaved. Zombie morality and slave morality have become deeply entrenched, but there's a small faction of visionaries who sees other possibilities and who have the courage to put their asses on the line and try for something different.

Dan Royer: Who are the main characters?

Kim Krizan: The main character is a nameless female, an emissary. She disguises herself as a zombie to slip into their world undetected.

Dan Royer: How did you come up with the concept?

Kim Krizan: I thought about the issues -- political, environmental, social -- that really rock me and I projected the zombie metaphor onto those issues. The zombie metaphor is actually pretty genius and I can see why people love it -- it says a lot about where we're at as a society.

Dan Royer: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, X) what would it get, and why would you say that?

Kim Krizan: It gets an "PG-13" for some violence and gruesome imagery.

Dan Royer: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?

Kim Krizan: I hope it's thought-provoking and entertaining. I hope they think about some of our accepted conventions. It seems to me that just as soon as we disentangle ourselves from one form of servitude, we saddle ourselves with another.

Dan Royer: Is this a series that we can expect more from in the future?

Kim Krizan: You know, I never feel that there's a solid end to anything, but rather an on-going story to which we give artificial beginnings and endings. I could easily go on and on, ad infinitum, but maybe readers should extrapolate their own outcomes to the story.

Dan Royer: Can you talk a bit about your experiences so far with working in comics?

Kim Krizan: I've discovered that I like the people in comics a lot. They're smart and articulate and well-read and sensitive and everything I like. And when they commission a story they move really fast -- which I love. They don't pussy-foot around for a million years the way they do in the film world. So my experiences working in comics are very positive.

Dan Royer: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

Kim Krizan: I was really big on literature and history, but, interesting, I tended to like the psychologically violent stuff. I read about assassinations, executions, suicides, wars, fights, breakdowns! I like intense things. So yes, in my own way, I was into horror!

Dan Royer: What comics are you currently reading?

Kim Krizan: I just read STITCHES by David Small and it's excellent.

Dan Royer: So where can readers find out more about this book?

Kim Krizan: They can order it on Boom! Studios website or -- hey! -- why not support their local comic book store by going in and asking for it?

Dan Royer: So in summary give me a quick recap on Zombie Tales 2061 and why fans should give it a try.

Kim Krizan: Zombie Tales 2061 reverses the usual zombie set-up while also giving the saga a grand sci-fi spin. My favorite review said that it has "balls to spare."

Dan Royer: Thank you for your time, Kim. Best of luck with Zombie Tales 2061!

* Kim Krizan Photo credit Michael Modecki.

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