I think my favorite part about this premiering issue, is the fact that I actually WANT to read the next installment. I WANT to know where this is going. The mystery Holt cultivates through his script has gripped me. Zeigler creates the perfect backdrop for the story. I instantly felt at home in the macabre environment. The dark panels develop an eerie atmosphere that suits the story precisely. Whenever I think of 19th Century magicians, I imagine this gothic ambiance. I can't help but be reminded of one of my favorite French graphic novels "Miss Don't Touch Me" when I look at Zeigler's work. The backdrop mirrors that French style of illustration which exaggerates differences in human form. As a result, each of the characters drawn are distinctly unique in appearance.

As for The Mocking Dead, I'll be reading issue #2. It's funny, it's nerdy, and it grab me by..not by the balls silly, girls don't have those. 8/10

The zombies have really becomes even less involved in the story than before. I wouldn't mind seeing Negan get torn apart by a mob of them. We need to get the zombie threat back. I think I liked the story more when they were travelling. I am also a bit disappointed in a shocking lack of deaths and my god, really ?? a tiger?? Is Kirkman really running out of ideas? I have a lot of suspended disbelief, it's not that a tiger is unbelievable, this is a story with zombies. It's just a tiger actually strikes me as a pointless addition to the plot, and kind of out of place. I just don't see what it contributes despite being a sort of attack dog. If the tiger doesn't server a more interesting purpose in the future, I'm going to be quite disappointed.

I liked about half the story art. The only thing I really took issue with was how the “ghosts” were portrayed. In comics, things are scarier when they aren't all up in your face (unless of course your Junji Ito) but I'm not entirely sure if this is supposed to be scary, because it's not. Yet I'm not laughing either. It's too bad really because the cover is fabulous. I think Sudzuka has some real talent. I mean he worked on Hellblazer, one of my favorite series of all-time (Hellblazer: Lady Constantine). So far though, writer Williamson has left a lot to be desired. 5/10