It feels wrong to say that The Colonized has a lot in common with the movie Plan 9 from Outer Space, but it’s technically true. The cult classic by Ed Wood has become so known for its pervasive awfulness and hilarious continuity errors that such a comparison would seem like I was saying The Colonized is somehow a bad or laughable piece. This is far from the case. But, they share some common plot points: aliens coming to Earth, finding a bunch of despicable and violence-loving humans, and resurrecting the dead.
There are differences, though, both in plot, and in the amount of talent and quality involved. (The Colonized has considerably more of both.) The aliens here are generally peace-loving and resurrect the dead quite by accident. In trying to find a lucky representative of Earth to extend the welcome wagon to, they accidentally target the cemetery. A reanimated corpse gets loose on their ship and attacks, which brings us quickly and efficiently straight to the premise of the comic, which is plastered across several of the opening pages: “Zombies vs. Aliens.” And, no matter how long I ramble about what the comic is like, that’s all you really need to know whether or not you want to read it. Those three words will be the deciding factor for most people. If you read “Zombies vs. Aliens” and thought, “Awesome!” then this is the comic for you.
Not that there isn’t more depth to it than that. The underlying story is one of a town trying to live entirely “off the grid” (and constantly needing its own militia on guard in case the U.S. government has other ideas), and a power struggle in the wake of the death of the town’s founder. His son wants to move the town in a new direction, while other citizens have a different idea–and will fight him over it before his father’s body is even entirely cold. Most of Issue #1 deals with the town and its residents and their general turmoil, though there is still a fair bit of action. The concept of a town off the grid isn’t as fun or engaging as the general “Zombies vs. Aliens” premise, but it’s still an interesting one, and one worth exploring.
Still, the best part of the story is the campy fun. How could it not be? The next issue will be called, “Alcohol, Tobacco, and Severed Arms.” I can only imagine where that will take us, but I can’t wait to find out.
