The Empties is a new graphic novel published through Kickstarter which ambitiously attempts to take the zombie subgenre in a new direction while maintaining the gory violence that is synonymous with those flesh-eating beasties. Derrick is a chef looking to surprise his wife with news of their newly paid-off mortgage when he discovers that the love of his life has been sleeping with his business partner and intends to leave him. Meanwhile, the zombie apocalypse has begun in earnest and the unfaithful Helen is soon to join the ranks of the undead. Trapped on their property with only Helen and her paramour Charlie,  Derrick begins a chaotic and gruesome spiral into madness which coincides not only with the outbreak but with Helen’s betrayal and the collapse of their relationship.

What The Empties does well is largely based on the subversion of zombie tropes. The opening scene establishes that these zombies have more awareness than usual– turning is not immediate, and as we travel further into Helen’s battle with the virus we see that it is a slow process indeed, during which she maintains her mental faculties almost entirely. It seems altogether much more agonizing than in most zombie fiction and allows the bulk of the story to be told while Helen is still human. Furthermore, seeing Derrick go completely insane trying to care for his wife and mend their marriage is a different enough take to keep the story fresh– it isn’t something we’re totally unfamiliar with in zombie fiction, but we usually only see the aftermath wherein someone is caring for their long-deceased and often fully decayed loved one.

The other standout element of the book is its art, which is entirely black and white and done in a style that almost seems to be devolving as the series progresses, hand in hand with Derrick and Helen’s descent. Early on the illustrations are heavily detailed, especially in faces and the backgrounds of scenes, but as things start to spiral out of control some of the images become just a bit vaguer and out of focus. Faces become stark and the setting goes from cozy small town to dreary emptiness. There are times where the art is hallucinatory and almost whimsical, which makes the visceral gore and body horror stand out. The whole thing feels bleak and ruddy, and the art serves that well.

The only real problems with the book are thematic. At its core, The Empties wants to dissect a failing marriage and does a good job initially presenting the idea. The reader is caught off guard by Helen’s betrayal, as the previous scene is one which makes it abundantly clear that Derrick loves her and believes in the success of their relationship– it comes out of left field for us just as it does for Derrick, which is effective. However, there isn’t much commentary on relationships beyond the idea that they sometimes fail because two partners don’t see eye to eye on each other’s needs, which is a tired literary idea. There aren’t really any stated reasons for Helen’s indiscretion besides that she didn’t feel fulfilled, and it makes her actions entirely unsympathetic where there could have been more done to develop her character, which is kind of a cardboard cutout of a cheating spouse.

There’s a weird subtext throughout that Derrick is feverishly trying to take steps to save their relationship as Helen is slowly dying, but it reads more like a descent into madness than anything more poignant. This all feels like a missed opportunity to delve further into what made the relationship fail, especially because partway through the book there’s an implication that Derrick may have cheated previously, but it’s never confirmed and may just as easily be a reference to an ex-wife or a former girlfriend. I would have liked to see more of a point to the relationship drama as it’s such a key component of the book, but as is the story is still grisly, entertaining, and well worth it for fans of zombie fiction who want something a little bit different.

7 out of 10 Gummy Bears