Get ready Dead fans, because Day of the Dead is here and so is Bub. We sat down with the team of Day of the Dead the Rising of Bub, Mark Kidwell, Jeff Zornow, and Joe Allard, to talk about the book.

TheBigBadWolf: How did you guys get involved in this series?

Mark Kidwell: Mark: Chazz (DD's stalwart publisher supreme) had been talking with the folks at Taurus Entertainment about securing the rights to "Day" and he contacted me about writing the scripts. He knew I was a junkie for the third Romero "Dead" flick and would jump at the chance to get to play with "Bub" and the other characters. I pitched a bunch of story direction ideas to him over the phone, he dug 'em and gave me the green light. I wrote the first issue, he sent it to the Taurus folks, they loved it...the rest is history.

Jeffrey Zornow: One dark and misty night in October 05. I was drinking jack daniels brand of gutrot laced with wolf's blood in a graveyard here in the lovely town of Brooklyn, NY . My only drinking companion was some dead dog I dragged from the side of the road, anyway I was looking for some dead cute girl to try to get to know better, when all of a sudden the Dead Dog started TALKING to me! I was startled at first, but when I turned to look, there was Chazz Demoss standing there! I noticed the Dead Dog's body was completely exploded from the inside out, and Chazz was all covered in blood and viscera. Anyway, Chazz offered to let me in on the new horror/comic mag CRYPTIC, which I gratiously accepted, because getting comics, and art published is what keeps me going, (as well as the blood of young virgin teenage girls). So about a week or two later I was getting ready to attend the annual Halloween CHILLER THEATRE convention in the bloodswamps of Jersey , when Chazz called me up, he told me about some kind of "Problem" they where having with a new mini based on DAY OF THE DEAD. Apparently the book was already started, but the original artist was not producing what was promised. So I took my trusty machete and found out where he lived, I snuck into his house at night...while he slept...AND I CUT OFF HIS HANDS! Then I realized he was gonna be mad at me and might try to find me and retaliate....so....I also cut off his legs, and then scraped out his eyes with barbed wire, and peirced his eardrums with a pair of scissors......so now I dont have to worry about him coming after me. Well, that only solved half of the problem.. the Day of the Dead comic still had to be created, and here is the funny part, I was expected to pencil and ink 22 pages in 30 days, while I worked my day job (raising money for the Rev. J.R Preston, and his demonic church of Tjolgtjar.). I can honestly say I have never worked so hard and so fast in all of my life! Well, I got the entire first issue of DAY OF THE DEAD :The Rising of Bub finished in only 28 days, with an average of 2-4 hours of sleep a night)! I will admit because of my time limit handicap I feel some of the art was not 100% but I'm making up for it with issues 2 and 3.

Joe Allard: Chazz came across my website (www.designdevil.com) and really dug some of my color design. He said I be perfect to color Jeff's Swamp Creature story for Cryptic Mag issue #1. That came out pretty killer, so he asked if I wanted to color the DOTD miniseries. I've actually been out of the comic industry for a few years, busy designing toys, so I jumped at the opportunity to get back at it.

TheBigBadWolf: When does this series take place, is it after the third movie?

Mark Kidwell: Mark: Actually, the three issue mini starts up at exactly the same moment as the film. We're back in a "seemingly" dead town in Florida with a megaphone belting out "HELLOOOO!". This time, though, there's someone alive in that ghoul-filled maze of garbage strewn streets to hear...

Jeffrey Zornow: In the first issue, she teams up with a 'kid' who isn't quite so world experienced, but is a great counter balance to her severity. He's a great character who will do some unexpected things. The two of them do meet a couple of other survivors who are of varying levels of sanity. One in particular will challenge the definition of what constitutes as 'humanity'.

TheBigBadWolf: Is this set in the same continuity as NOTLD: Barbara's Zombie Chronicles?

Mark Kidwell: No. It's set strictly in the "Romero-verse".

On "BZC", I was working with an established story template set up by Joel "Mojo" Moen of Dead Dog. He already had an outline of where he wanted the story to go, and though I would have chosen to dodge the whole "alien" involvement thing, I was able to steer the story more in a direction that suited me. As an example, Mojo's original idea centered more on the folks inside the huge compound beginning to re-establish civilization. I looked into that idea, hated it and proceeded to kill them all by the end of issue #1. (Heh, Heh, Heh...) I'm also the lunatic responsible for Charles Manson showin' up at the end o' the mini.

Working on "Day", I took great pains to stay as faithful as possible to the original story "feel". It's dark, moody and violent. I think rabid "Day" fanz like me will be pleased and at the same time, excited and entertained by some of the "New" stuff.

TheBigBadWolf: Will we see any appearances of characters, besides Bub, from Day of the Dead, or for that matter, any other characters from the Dead movies?

Mark Kidwell: Yeah, some of the characters from "Day" will return for undead cameos. Most notably, Captain Rhodes (or at least half of him) makes an appearance and old "Doc Frankenstein" may just be lurkin' about in the shadows. As far as other characters from the trilogy, in my mind it would be impossible for characters that died and "Rose Again" in Pennsylvania to migrate to the Florida coast. Who knows though, maybe Peter and Fran gassed that bird up a couple times and made it to the keys. Not in this arc, though...

Jeffrey Zornow: If anyone has seen any of the preveiws of pages on my website www.yourmidnightreader.com or www.myspace.com/zornow then y'all know Dr Tongue makes his presence known! I'm not one for spoilers.

TheBigBadWolf: Does this book show Bub thinking or talking?

Jeffrey Zornow: Mark speak on this...it's your story....I will recite some cool lyrics from the band SPLATTERHOUSE (they are an amazing horror/gore/grind death metal band from the backwoods of Oregon, you kids reading this GO CHECK OUT SPLATTERHOUSE(www.razorback records.com and all the bands at the horror hive, and then you can mosh among bloody maggots)

"The stench of your infected wound draws flies to the room"

"As your head lay down to sleep your body becomes a maggot womb"

"Body cavity collapse/liquefied guts/all immunities failed"

"this body can take no more"

Mark Kidwell: Bub does have a line or two. Mostly the line he used in the film, centering on someone's favorite "Aunt". For the most part, though, Bub "Emotes". His expressions and stiff actions speak volumes, so I concentrated on that. Jeff's artwork pulls these scenes off beautifully, so I think readers will be able to pick up on his obvious advanced zombie intellect.

TheBigBadWolf: What can we expect from this book, is Bub taking on Zombies?

Mark Kidwell: This series focuses more on the human element to the aftermath of the rise of the dead. There's a whole cast of characters with vastly different personalities trying desperately to hold onto life and sanity amidst the undead virus and it's "symptoms". The story revolves around them and their attempt to reach "safety", with a few glimpses of what "Bub" and his fellow shamblers are doin' in the mine a hundred miles south...at least until issue #3. Then all hell breaks loose.

I don't wanna give much away 'til the books hit the stands, but Bub is sorta "training" the other zombies, trying to share the benefits of his mysterious heightened intellect with others of his kind. His level of success is a mixed bag, given the time constraints he has, but let's put it this way...some of those "deaders" can now shoot...

Jeffrey Zornow: What you can expect from this book as far as the art is concerned is...well, pretty much what you're NOT getting from the current zombie comics in the shops, (YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT) and that is HEAPING PUTRID PILES OF ZOMBIES! INSANE ZOMBIE HORROR ACTION AS WELL AS A GIGANTIC GORGASM OF GORE! Mark Kidwell is an insane writer of TRUE horror! And has done an amazing job, even with the hurdles and restrictions that come with playing with someone else's licenced property/toy. This is a great set of scripts I get to work with.

Joe Allard: The best part of doing this book is easily the fact that it allows me to draw my two favorite things- beautiful girls and zombies. This really is a dream job for me being a big zombie fan-- I live like 10 miles from the cemetery where Night of the Living Dead was filmed and as a kid I used to shop at the mall where Dawn of the Dead was filmed. I am trying to hide some obscure movie zombies in issue 3 for all the horror buffs.

TheBigBadWolf: Has Bub learned any other tricks since we last saw him shooting a gun and saluting?

Mark Kidwell: He knows what a "head-shot" means for he and his kind...and he learns how to operate an elevator handset...

Jeffrey Zornow: Bub am smart! He learned how to lure all the fast zombies from the Romero dead movie remakes into a mortuary crematorium...and burned them all up! HAHAHAH CUZ FAST ZOMBIES SUCK!

TheBigBadWolf: Could we expect to see more of Bub in the future after the three issue mini?

Mark Kidwell: As long as the fanz are behind the series, the book sells well and the Taurus Ent. folks are down with it, I'd love to move "Bub's" odyssey along. I think there's at least another 3 issues worth of story to tell. Maybe even "The Fall of Bub", the big finale, the big (second time's a charm) dirt nap for our hero. That would be cool.

Jeffrey Zornow: I see dead people everywhere. I see Bub too, you can see Bub whenever you want, if you dont own the Day of the Dead dvd's from Anchor bay..SHAME ON YOU!. And if you want new Bub stories...YOU ALL HAVE TO GO OUT AND SUPPORT THIS COMIC! The only way a sequel mini will happen is if every single person who thinks zombie/horror comics are cool GOES TO THIER FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD COMIC SHOP AND BUY THIS COMIC. That comic shop probably deserves your money, and so does this comic! IT WILL EAT YOU ALIVE AND YOU WILL BE THANKFUL FOR IT. And all you guys who come to hang at comic monsters .com...if you don't buy this comic then your simply.....lame..... and you should go join some other comic forum like I LIKE TO PEEK AT SUPERGIRL'S PANTIES .COM BECAUSE COMIC MONSTERS SCARE MY WEAK LITTLE HEART!

Blood!

TheBigBadWolf: Has George Romero commented on this series at all?

Mark Kidwell: Wheeew....! I think Jeff got a little groan outta him at a con recently. He mentioned that he was supplying art for the book and GR kinda lowered his head and looked peeved. Personally, I've never been contacted by he or his people about "BZC" or "Rising of Bub". I think he kinda just ignores the outside handling of his brain children by others. Can't blame him, I'd probably be a bit cheesed about it too. My hopes, though, with the "Day" mini-series are that he'll be pleased with what we've done and how faithful we've all tried to stay to his original vision. I'm a longtime Romero fan (especially "Day", "KnightRiders" and "Creepshow") and would like nothing more than to get the blessing of the guy who started the whole canniballistic dead genre.

Jeffrey Zornow: I met George Romero RECENTLY at my first comic con appearnce at the Big Apple Con. I told him about the Bub comic but at the moment of meeting, (which was the day before I had my table set up) I did'nt have anything with me to show him, I could only mention it to him. And well...he got a bit cranky at the news. He started groaning , and putting his head down , So I told him I was trying to make it look great for him and the fans. Well then Romero said "I'll probably hate it....nothing against YOU of course!"

Now I want everyone who reads this to understand that Romero had every right to say that to me, and that he (as far as I know) has not seen any of the book itself yet. When it comes out we shall see if it hits his radar enough to comment some more.

I met George Romero's Manager the next day , and He was geniunely interested in the Bub comic, he asked for my contact info, and later came by my table to look at my art for the series. He was VERY cool to me and told me not to mind Romero's comments, and I told him ITS ALL GOOD! George Romero is the man, and I have the upmost respect for what he has done. Later I went back to the Romero camp to buy a CREEPSHOW soundtrack and Romero signed it for me! I'm sure if he could see all the hard work and passion being pumped into this comic from everyone involved, with very little in return, I believe he would at least give a nod of respect our way.

So thats the story with me and Romero. But when you break all this stuff down, this comic is not being made for Romero, it's for the FANS. Its for the fans of his movies, the fans of Bub, the fans of Dr Tounge, and fans of ALL ZOMBIES EVERYWHERE. We are not trying to cash in, we are trying to give you a comic you will enjoy, remember, and talk about!

TheBigBadWolf: Mark and Jeff, what has been the best thing about working on this series so far?

Mark Kidwell: At first, it was getting to play with all the toys from "Day of the Dead". Writing the scripts was a blast. Then, after I got a look at the stuff Jeff was doing with art, everything changed. Best thing about it now, is seeing another artist take my words, scenes and setups and bringing them to life. Jeff is an extremely talented guy and has stayed super faithful to the script. His timing and layouts for the book are awesome and his love of the subject matter really shows.

The next best thing will be getting reaction from the readers.

Jeffrey Zornow: The Best thing about working on this series is DEFINITELY THE CREW I AM WORKING WITH! Mark Kidwell has written something that is such a horrid joy to draw! I cannot praise Marks writing on this book enough. BECAUSE THIS COMIC DOES NOT FUCK AROUND! I certainly hope Mark writes my next Dead Dog project, but since he is ALSO a fellow artist, (and therefore probably busy as hell) we shall wait and see. And Joe Allard is a great colorist, he and I have discussed a color theme for the books, and I'm sure it will be GORE-gous.

The last thing I want to say about this comic, is this...

This story is not a happy story.

This comic will GORE YOU to DEATH and EAT YOU ALIVE! BLOOD!!

Joe Allard: For me, just getting back into comics has been great. On top of that, I get to work on a comic based on a Romero Zombie flick. Killer.

TheBigBadWolf: Keep up us to date guys with updates, looking forward to the book!

Mark Kidwell: Thanx Rob! I appreciate all the coverage CM gives all of us and the projects at Dead Dog!

Talk about this interview here.