May I present to you, my little friend Travis. He is the kid that taught me how to play a game called Zombie, and it was after him that I based the main character of my Zombie Tales story.

For the record, his parents are much more ... adjusted than Travis's fictional parents in the comics. (I'm really just saying this so I can stay with them whenever I'm in London).

Yes, it's true -- I wish my hair were as cool as his.

I mean, more good reviews? You bet. And I'm celebrating with a new pic showing my current occult magician identity. Poof!

from Stephanie Mangold at Silver Bullet Comics:

"Jim Pascoe and Don Simpson bring to life the story of A Game Called Zombie, a very chilling story about a little boy who becomes trapped in a game of make believe ... What will really keep you awake at night is wondering whether little Travis was insane before or after he played the game. While the bright, cheerful art of Don Simpson actually enhances the creep factor -- I felt like I was trapped in a funhouse gone horribly, horribly wrong. But this is a good thing; after all, it is a zombie book."

Poof!

Noble publisher Boom! Studios has set up a way to purchase their books -- including the Zombie Tales with my story in it -- directly from them. Help support the cause and pick it up, yo.

Being compared to John Carpenter ... well, that ranks up there pretty high on the list of things that make my day.

from the Comic Fanatic:

"If you're in the mood for something even creepier, take in 'Game Called Zombie' by writer Jim Pascoe and artists Don Simpson and Chris Moreno. What starts out as a good ole fashioned family fun day at the carnival ends up as a psychological thriller straight from the mind of John Carpenter! The only thing missing here is that haunting Halloween theme music!"

Last week, my latest comics story hit the shelves. The story is titled "A Game Called Zombie" in the anthology book Zombie Tales: The Dead #1, published by Boom! Studios. Art is by Chris Moreno based on thumbnail layouts by Don Simpson.

The story turned out well, being a atmospheric meditation on identity and responsibility. I'm pleased to say that it's been generating a number of good reviews.

If you need to be convinced to make the trip to the comic book store to pick it up (you know who you are, Radiohead vs. DJ Shadow fans...), check out the following.

from the Stop Button:
"Next comes to the winner of The Dead, a story called A Game Called Zombie by Jim Pascoe, with art by Don Simpson and Chris Moreno. Game reminded me a lot of the old Marvel horror backups I used to come across as a kid reading back issues. It plays with readers' expectations--especially since all zombie stories bring some expectation with them (of Romero or whatever)--and manages to put characters in real peril. Stokes' did too, but she had cute, talking animals. Pascoe is stuck with real people, whose peril is never as shocking as animals' (we expect it). Game is a real standout and I hope Pascoe is in Boom!'s stable...."

from the Fourth Rail:
"'A Game Called Zombie' -- written by Jim Pascoe (is this inker James Pascoe, I wonder?) [no relation -jpp] -- offers the most intriguing script. It's told through the stream of consciousness of a traumatized young boy. I can't tell if the zombies are actually there or if it's a delusion he's come up with to explain his father's absence. I do know that I like comics stories that keep me guessing and make me think."

from Postmodern Barney:
"A nice change of pace is 'A Game Called Zombie' by Jim Pascoe, Don Simpson and Chris Moreno, which takes the zombie theme in a more metaphoric direction. It's not something you usually see in zombie stories, which often tend to focus on gore and grim jokes, and it makes for an engaging variation on the subject."

from the Savage Critic(s):
"Incomprehensible..."