At this point, the zombie story has more than the actual earthly corpses to actually revive. But we keep skimming through the cemetery regardless of new offerings, some of which are derivative excuses for undead cannibalism, but always gems rise from the ground. They are often books, films, comics, etc. that respect the pure humanity of the world, which our lives and dignity can very easily be taken from us by covering our teeth.
One such title already shuffled in our minds is that everything is dead and dying from writer Tate Blombar (Batgirl) and artist Jacob Phillips (New Bern). Here we follow Jack Chandler, who chose to live with the undead on his country farm after a zombie uprising. However, when an outsider kills Jack’s zombified husband and threatens to adopt his daughter, he must either stand up to what he loves or see it die a second time. All death and death, said to be “The Walking Dead meets Essex County,” is one of the most powerful zombie stories of recent years, and what the undead is used to explore our own fears and shortcomings with ruthless and brutal efficiency and infinite minds.
Dead & Dying #1 is all set to be released on September 3rd (FOC is Monday, August 11th). So the pair discussed other topics and little things, including their friendship and collaboration, how to make the zombie story feel novel, their interest in Westerners, and some of their favorite scenes/panels.
Main cover by Jacob Phillips. Courtesy of the image comic.
AIPT: How familiar were you before you died? Does that connection (or lack of it help with such a project?
Tate Blombar: Yeah, we met in Toronto a few years ago and we’ve been friends ever since! I think connection is especially important in manga owned by creators. Much of it is about trust, and telling stories together is like a huge breakdown of trust. This particular story means so much to me. I didn’t know who I was going to share it with. But it’s interesting. I have always been a huge fan of Jake’s work, but when another friend proposed him for this book, I realized how perfect he was. It made so much sense and he was there the whole time!! I think Chris Condon locked him up in a painting desk in a dark basement. Luckily, I finally released him!
Jacob Phillips: We met a few years ago when we finished in Toronto for the TCAF. We have been friends ever since! We live on the other side of the Atlantic, so we didn’t stroll around all the time, but as soon as we hear the pitch of the story I think, “I’ll get it and go.”
aipt: Tate, you mentioned in some reports that all the stories that have been dead and dying since summer 2020 are permeating for you. Is this a community story in terms of dealing with some of these issues/anxiety?
TB: It definitely deals with some of those anxieties. Many of these worries and fears existed before 2020, but for many of us, I think it was the first time we’ve actually faced them head on. The loss of life, the horror stories coming out of major cities, the quarantine quarantine … all of which left us with a lasting mark. Many of the books deal with that sadness and the weight of the dying world. With the zombies!
Courtesy of the image comic.
AIPT: Zombies have been popular for years. Do you need to reconcile with the genre’s oversaturation? How do you create a truly innovative zombie story in 2025?
TB: I didn’t expect to write a zombie story until this came. I’m not disliked zombie stories, I don’t think there are too many people. And I love zombie stories!! I love zombie movies and grew up reading World War I Z and the Walking Dead during high school, but I’m not the one who jumps into fashion just because it’s hot. This is a story I need to tell, and when I first came up with it, the publisher told me that zombies were old news and that the epidemic was over. That didn’t bother me. I knew this story would be told one day.
It seems like it’s just a coincidence that zombies have returned to cultural times. Essentially, I’m just saying I’m not paying much attention to whether I’m overly saturated or not. I knew this story was special and meaningful to me, and that’s what matters. Also, I have never read or watched a zombie story like this. That’s so me. It didn’t exist, so we had to make it ourselves.
JP: Tate could probably talk more about this, but what hit me about this story is that I’d never read zombies like I used to. It’s a fresh take on both the character and the zombie lore, and I think people will be excited. I think it’s all about telling the original story using these horror ratios.
AIPT: Similarly, Westerners have been in their prime recently. Why is the genre still so interesting/convincing, at least for this project?
TB: The West is about the rise and fall of civilization. It is the last “creation myth” in which America headed west westward and formed a nation on the bones of other nations. The West, at least for those early settlers, was an unknown territory, which became a frontier of unknown possibilities. It is a struggle between supporting civilization against the unruly wilderness. Meanwhile, Cowboys are just as capable of American heroes. The Cowboys maintain the core values of American heroes, morality, and willingness to sacrifice their lives for their families.
The film Shane is the perfect example of this. Westerners also make incredible moral plays, as their meaning is distilled into purely symbolic symbols. White hat = good. Black hat = bad. It is when Westerners truly reach new heights when they play and challenge with these core ideas. In many ways, Zombie West is the most natural fit in the world. It’s the end of the world and we’re going to kill us, but we’re still clinging to the old ways…it’s just Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid.
Courtesy of the image comic.
JP: Well, if people are familiar with my previous works, they’ll know that I’m a fan of the Western genre. But again, I think it’s just a framework and can be used many times to tell a variety of interesting stories. Furthermore, the visual ratios never get old.
AIPT: Everything Dead & Dying is released via images. This, in Tate’s own words, “has been revitalizing the zombie story throughout the generation.” What is your favorite or most exciting zombie book and why? Or is it a zombie story filtered into this book?
TB: Like most cartoon fans of my age, I grew up reading The Walking Dead, so I have to say that. I first read World War I Z around the same time, but it also blew my mind. The book definitely rests on the shoulders of so many incredible stories before it. In other words, not to mention (George) Romero, the zombie phor is a powerful thing when behaving skillfully.
JP: Interestingly (at least for me), I was actually looking for a lot of Robert Kirkman’s picture books, Outcast. I love the book anyway, but there’s something about how Paul Azaseta draws it. However, in general I try not to pull too much from books in the same space. I’ve been looking for a lot of Tommy Lee Edwards in Madzccheli’s work on Grendel, Kentucky, and Daredevil. He said he also said it was on the Phantom Road, an image book of Jeff Remair and Gabriel E. Walta.
AIPT: Jacob, all deaths and deaths are more like a more grounded bibliographic outlier. (Even if you don’t lean forward when it comes to portraying violence.) How did you take it to do a more straightforward fantasy/horror thing?
JP: For me, there are definitely slightly different muscles stretching, but my approach is pretty much the same. My main focus is personality and acting. As long as I can clearly show how they are responding to it, it really doesn’t matter to me, that’s the fun part for me. The horror elements are just an extra bonus!
Courtesy of the image comic.
aipt: Building that last question, I would also like to touch on how both of you approach the way you draw gore/blood. Do you mostly have to go overboard to convey your message, or is there a kind of balance that you have to achieve with these kinds of stories?
TB: It all depends on the story you are trying to tell and the effect you want. In this case, we wanted Gore’s big moment to be abrupt, shocking. This is because the undead corpses have already wandered. That is, if you want to affect Gore, you need to stand away from those rotten faces. Jake does an amazing job of balancing everything, especially in bringing humanity to zombie characters.
JP: I think it’s definitely well balanced. This is clearly an important element for a story like this, but I’m not saying it’s free. You want to create a cool image, but you don’t want it to take you away from the story. Again, that’s about the emotional weight surrounding Gore.
AIPT: Our “hero” is Jack Chandler. He must stay with his undead family and ultimately protect them. Do you feel sympathy, praise, or a strange combination for Mr. Chandler?
TB: That’s more. Jack is a complicated and stubborn man, but he lives a difficult life, fighting teeth and claws for every inch of it. How can he give it so easily, especially when it’s still walking around the house staring at him in the face?
AIPT: Do you have any favorite pages/panels/moments in the series? Something tells the heart of this story?
TB: Whenever our dear zombie cow appears. That’s my favorite iconography from this book.
Courtesy of the image comic.
JP: I love Jack and his family panels when they try to protect them from what Jack comes. (Editor: See above.)
aipt: The book set will be run as a 5th issue miniseries. Is it easier to have that “limit” rather than plotting or managing an ongoing series? Is there a future for this book depending on the reception?
TB: Never say it. However, this was undoubtedly devised and written as a story with a clear beginning and end. I wouldn’t say that either of them is more fulfilling. What’s fulfilling is telling a meaningful story and pulling it apart whether it’s three issues or 100. It all depends on what the story needs. In this case, it was known from the start that it was a miniseries.
AIPT: Is there anything you need to know about this book, zombies, horror, manga, etc.?
TB: Bring your organization. These zombies will make you cry!
