Dead Future King, written and illustrated by indie creator David R. Flores, continues to define itself as one of the most well-written “mashup” comic series out there with the release of its fourth issue. While, like many indie books, the wait between issues can be months at a time, Dead Future King continuously delivers an engaging story paired with gorgeous artwork that makes the wait well worth it. Almost too-easily described as King Arthur meets The Walking Dead, Flores’ Dead Future King is a title that easily could be dismissed as another unimaginative play on the over-exposed zombie genre, but those who “choose wisely” and pick up a copy will discover a series that shares the grace, nobility, and power of its title character.

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

Dead Future King #4 picks up where the last issue left off, with King Arthur facing the reincarnation of Sir Bronus, a knight who attempted to slay Arthur in the past and failed. Bronus feels slighted by fate, but is eager to get a second chance to face his adversary. Without giving too much of the plot away, Arthur faces Bronus in this issue, and, eventually, he, Merlin, and Mr. Rice meet up with a more civilized group of humans who are also plagued by the marauders. Even so, this group has its own set of rules and “loose cannons” among its members, and it remains to be seen whether these suspicious survivors can truly accept Arthur and his friends into their midst.

With the fourth issue, Dead Future King adds another check in the “win” column in regards to quality storytelling, originality, and general awesomeness. Not only does Flores’ script touch on the fairly unexplored connection between reincarnation mythology and zombie mythology – the similarities are fairly obvious – but it’s engrossing to watch Flores’ characters react to Arthur and his companions and see how some humans (believably) out right reject the idea of being reincarnated while the undead walk among them and others cling to him in an almost religious-like way. While Dead Future King never approaches the levels of grim violence present in The Walking Dead, the series does share a focus on the human drama in a post-apocalyptic world, and this intent by Flores to frankly and honestly explore the human condition in a zombie apocalypse with the added element of a resurrected mythological figure has continually paid off in regards to the quality of each issue’s writing and the ability of the series to stand out in the horde of zombie comics on the scene currently.

While I haven’t said much about Flores‘ artwork in this issue, that is only because it as excellent as ever. Flores‘ coloring skills continue to impress me, and they can be seen in all their glory on the beautiful cover image for this issue depicting Arthur, sending the old Rick Grimes “You @#$%ed with the wrong people” stare toward his armed captors.

As I’ve mentioned time and again in my previous reviews, if you are even remotely a fan of either the tales of King Arthur or the zombie genre, do not make the mistake of missing out on Dead Future King! You can find out more about the comic book series at the official website, the Dead Future King page over at Alterna Comics, or the Dead Future King Facebook page. Dead Future King is also currently available on ComiXology, as well, so you really have no excuse to not devour this series.

Also, be sure to check out my reviews for the first three issues by clicking on the links below:

‘Dead Future King #3:’ Comic Book Review (Chivalry Is Undead These Days)

‘Dead Future King #2’ Review (The Walking Dead Future King)

‘Dead Future King #1’ Review: Arthur, and Others, Return from the Grave!

That’s all for now, comic book sniffers! Remember to keep your zombie apocalypse shelters fully stocked!

‘Till the end of the world,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer
@ComicBookSlayer