Resident Evil Magazine #1 Review

COVID-19 is currently a worldwide pandemic which has caused a global lockdown in every state and nation. The disease supposedly attacks the lungs and clogs them with mucus making it difficult for the victim to breathe. While this does sound bad I think the characters of the Resident Evil universe have it much worse. The T-Virus kills the victim and then makes them into a 'flesh eating zombie!'

Joking aside the Resident Evil series has been a popular video game from the release of the first game for Playstation back in 1998. Since then it's spawned movies, books, animated films, action figures and even more video games. One of the main reasons for it's success is not just the action/horror element but the story line of a 'biological weapon gone wrong.'

It's that hint of 'this could actually happen' which makes the story that much more appealing. Just for people new to the series; the video games tell the story of a shadowy Pharmaceuitcal company known as 'Umbrella' who in trying to develop biological weapons create a virus which kills living organisms and re-animates them as the 'walking dead.'

The 'walking dead' then go on to attempt to eat people and in turn infect them with the very same virus. It's crazy and entertaining at the same time which is why I've chosen to review the first issue of the magazine/comic to review in this article.The magazine was brought out back in March 1998 about when the game was brought out and personally I can't believe I missed it at the time. Bearing in mind though I was about 13 years old and obssessed with Metal Gear Solid might be the reason. There was a lot of spoilers in there if you hadn't completed the game; just to warn you in case you wanted to play the first game or the remake of the first game. The comic was illustrated by some of the studs of the industry which included Lee Bermejo, Carlos D'Anda & Ryan Odagawa. The studio at the time who released this was Wildstorm which was founded by renowned artist Jim Lee.

He's actually the dude behind this awesome front cover for the magazine as well. The idea of a magazine for this comic is also a goldmine too as it reaches out to the 'casual' comic fan and the gamers alike. This first issue is excellent with four horror filled stories for your amusement. The first is about Albert Wesker, the head of the S.T.A.R.S unit (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) and who he was taking into the fray at the Umbrella mansion (setting of the first game.)

It's a nice opener if a little brief about the history of the characters of the game. It might be the weakest story of this first issue but it's still worth a read.

The second story is a lot better and tells the sad story of a scientist who becomes victim to the T-Virus. His story is told through letters he writes to Resident Evil 2 character Ada Wong who may be some type of 'love interest.'

The poor bastard thinks he's working on a cure for cancer only to find he has become a victim of his own experiments. It's dark in tone and has a brutal ending as you can imagine.

The third story is a recap of the first game and details the main events from the mansion. This would be an entertaining read for people who aren't that fussed on the video game. It's decent stuff and gives a good synopsis of the story. I think fans of the game won't mind this either as it puts their experience into illustrated panels for all to enjoy.

The fourth story is a prologue for the second video game which was released for the original Playstation (remade for Playstation 4 for anyone who is interested.)

It's interesting stuff which looks at the conversion process from human into zombie which is pretty cool. It's also the first time we see Ada Wong and Leon Kennedy in illustrated form and see how their characters convey in comic book form. All in all it's an awesome read although very difficult to get hold of for cheap. I think you can find issue one for $5 on Ebay but I saw people selling the whole set of 5 magazine for $100.

Keep checking back as I am going to review the second issue of the magazine which I have high hopes for. I give this 4 out of 5; if you're just starting your Resident Evil saga then this would be a good read for you.

4 out of 5.