Being different can be isolating, especially for a zombie with a newly revived heart. Bleeding Hearts’ protagonist, Poke, learns this the hard way as he attempts to navigate zombie culture against his blossoming humanity. Writer Deniz Camp and artist Stipan Morian leans into the post-apocalyptic status quo by telling a familiar story about not fitting in.
- Title: Bleeding Hearts #3
- Creative Team: Deniz Camp (Writer), Stipan Morian (Artist), Matt Hollingsworth (Color Artist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer), Chris Conroy (Editor)
- Characters: Poke, Mama, Rabbit
- Villain: Zombies
- Format: Ongoing Series
- Our Rating: 9/10 Stars
How Does Poke Handle His Newfound Emotions?
We last saw Poke encountering a living mother and her daughter named Rabbit. Normally, he’d call for his zombie brethren, but his new emotions compel him to act differently. He attempts to hide the humans. What’s interesting is how Camp frames Poke processing his newly developed emotions. The zombie is convinced that he’s sick. Normal feelings like depression, happiness, and anxiety are now foreign to him. In his mind, they’re symptoms of a larger problem, not part of everyday existence.
The mother doesn’t trust Poke, and it’s tough to blame her. Humans have been relegated to animals in the zombies’ minds. Poke comments that he doesn’t think the living can communicate. Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou cleverly portrays this by having the humans’ dialogue appear as a series of grunts and shrieks whenever it’s Poke’s point of view. Instead of full sentences, each phrase is a primal SKREE, showing how they sound to a normal zombie. They’ve lost the ability to communicate, with their words holding no more weight than a cow’s moo or a pig’s oink would to us.
What Does The Zombie Society Say About Our Own?
Camp continues to build the zombie society by having it reflect our own. They have a government, however crude, and their culture seems almost normal when there are no living characters around. Artist Stipan Morian renders each zombie truly unique, with some having tree-like growth sprouting from their heads while others have long, gangly limbs with razor-sharp teeth. Yet, they’re trying to accomplish the same things we are. They want community, safety, and not to go hungry. It shows that people are more similar than we think, even if some of us have rotting flesh and a taste for the living.
Interestingly enough, these undead aren’t immune to modern-day issues. When Poke says the zombie motto is brains aren’t for thinking, they’re for eating, it’s a damning indictment of our loss of critical thinking. It’s easy to react and not worry about the consequences. But taking the time to understand and keeping an open mind helps us grow. This puts the zombies in the same arrested development as much of modern society.
Don’t Judge A Zombie By Its Cover
Morian does his best to validate Rabbit and her mother’s terror though. Poke’s face is scary, complete with a permanent scowl, while colorist Matt Hollingsworth blankets his skin in unnatural greys to match the bleak surroundings. He looks like someone you wouldn’t want to encounter in a dark alley. Of course, the humans should fear him. But his actions show otherwise as he leads his fellow zombies away from them. People aren’t always what they seem, and that stays true for Camp’s zombies.
Verdict: Should you buy Bleeding Hearts #3?
Bleeding Hearts #3 does what all good horror should do. Examine the humanity at the center of it all. Poke may be a zombie, but his freshly beating heart is turning him into someone new. He feels compassion and wants to help people instead of just eating them. Earning Rabbit and her mother’s trust won’t be easy. But being human rarely is, even for a zombie.
‘Bleeding Hearts’ #3 Review: Poke Rediscovers His Humanity
Bleeding Hearts #3 does what all good horror should do. Examine the humanity at the center of it all. Poke may be a zombie, but his freshly beating heart is turning him into someone new. He feels compassion and wants to help people instead of just eating them. Earning Rabbit and her mother’s trust won’t be easy. But being human rarely is, even for a zombie.
