Reading order
Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The New Deadwardians | 2013 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 2 | The New Deadwardians #5 | 2012 | Dan Abnett | N/A |
The New Deadwardians was an eight-issue miniseries published by Vertigo in 2012, written by Dan Abnett with art by I.N.J. Culbard. The series is set in an alternative England circa 1910 where the zombie apocalypse has already happened and society has reorganised itself around the undead. The upper and middle classes have undergone “The Cure,” becoming vampires to make themselves immune to zombie infection, while the working class remains human and vulnerable. The central character is Chief Inspector George Suttle, a vampire detective investigating the murder of a man who, as a vampire, should not have been killable.
Abnett uses the vampire-versus-zombie premise as a vehicle for Edwardian class satire, with the social stratification of early twentieth century Britain mapped directly onto the living status of its characters. The series is a murder mystery at its core, with Suttle’s investigation revealing uncomfortable truths about the New Deadwardian order. Culbard’s art uses muted colours to create a period atmosphere that suits the low-key horror of the premise.
The collected edition published in 2013 gathers all eight issues in a single volume. The New Deadwardians #5 listed in the reading table refers to an individual issue that predates the collection. Readers should pick up the 2013 collected edition as the primary way to read the full series.