Published by Viper Comics
Created by Josh Howard
Written, Drawn, Inked, and Colored by Josh Howard
Lettered by Greg Gatlin
Last month I brought you a review of one of the worst comics Ive
ever read. This month, however, the story is completely different.
Dead@17 is one of the freshest and most original comic books that
I have read in a long time. This review is for book one of a four-
part miniseries. Anyone that knows me might find the fact that I
adore this book a surprise, because the art is done in an animation
style. I make no secret of the fact that generally I loathe the
animation style used in cartoons and comic books like Batman
Beyond. This book makes me eat my words. The art is well done,
consistent and professional looking.
Dead@17 is the story of two girls Nara Kilday and Hazy Foss.
Both girls are seventeen, and they are best friends. At the
beginning of the book Hazy and Nara are returning from Hazy
breaking up with her boyfriend. Nara apparently went along with
Hazy for emotional support. Hazy drops Nara off at her house and
returns home to her own house. Nara goes about her normal
nightly business until she hears something in another part of the
house. Nara goes to investigate and gets attacked by a shadowy
figure dressed all in black. The figure stabs Nara through the
stomach and kills her.
The problem becomes Hazy only thought she knew her best friend.
The more she talks to people, Naras would-be boyfriend, and the
police, the more and more weird things she discovers about her
best friend. Nara apparently was prone to fits where she would
dream of demons and other untold evils. These episodes
apparently had been happening to Nara since she turned sixteen,
according to her diary. These episodes are characterized in her
diary by funny rune like letters and broken pleas to make the
episodes stop. Hazy looks at the police like they have lost their
minds when thy question her about her friends fascination with the
occult.
This leaves poor Hazy with a whole new set of questions: Who is
Noel Raddemer? What was happening to Nara? The diary sets
off memories of a story that Naras would-be boyfriend told Hazy.
So after she returns to her house from the police station she calls
him up and tells him that they need to meet. Once she hangs up
the phone, thats when things get interesting. Theres a weird
noise from outside and she too goes to investigate, but before she
can open the door, there are zombies punching through it, and
more zombies coming through her window. They pin her on the
ground and she closes her eyes in terror.
The mystery and clues are tightly interwoven in this book, and
the cliffhanger at the end leaves you begging for more. I
highly recommend that you get your hands on this book. It
promises to be a great thrill ride. Go to
and get your copy today.