Influenca - Summerween Graphic Novel Review

This book review was written for my annual Summerween Book Club that takes place every June. It's written for those that have read the book so spoilers abound. You've been warned!

Society is currently experiencing its seventh zombie invasion. You're trapped in your underground apartment because there's a horde of the undead lingering aboveground. They might be there for a week or so. You're not worried because you've prepared for this. You've got food and shelter and weapons if needed. Even better, you've got your live-in partner to ride out the horde with. And she's feeling rather randy.

What unfolds next isn't just prolonged foreplay, but the comedic tease of a relationship that's comfortable with each other. In another review I read, Arpad Okay put it this way:

"Influenca indulges in the unlikely comforts of the long-term relationship. Domestic chooch snooching. And I think it’s cool as hell to see sex without stress."

You may be thinking, wait-isn't this a zombie graphic novel? Yes, it still is, but it's about the moments you spend when not struggling to survive and the fact that sometimes those moments can be fun, sexy, goofy, and more normal than you might imagine.

One of those moments happens above ground when Dodie (online zombie hunter celebrity) and Beatriz (her girlfriend who tags along to get everything on camera) are out trying to track down a reported zombie horde. They stop and ask a woman out walking her dog for directions. "TO the horde?" she clarifies, and then points them in the right direction as casually as if they needed to know where the nearest grocery store is.

No one's running for their lives. No one's panicked. In fact, public transit is still in use. It's just another day. It's a nice take. Although I realize it is the year 2026 of this writing, the ghosts of Covid-19 and Lockdown still lurk in the memories from just a few years ago-a time when we were freaked out about a threat that existed outside our homes. This comic makes me think that if it had never gone away, maybe we could've gotten to where society is as Peters imagines it here. I think the word is civilized.

The other thing that Peters is doing here is telling this story by throwing all conventions out the window and making up their own rules as they go. We start with a timeline, letting us know which iteration of the zombie invasion we're in and how many have come before. Then, there's the meet-cute back story with a dash of zombie dread added. A series of illustrated social media screen shots follow giving the reader subtle insights like the passing of time, and Dodie's growing followers. Then, back to comics as you might know them before we transition into an in-story magazine article that we read alongside Beatriz basically in real time. If it does anything, it keeps things interesting-never staying in one place for too long-which is probably the key to killing zombies in the first place.

Peters' changing format and art style gives the comic the feel of a zine; lo-fi, homemade. Sometimes the illustrations are loose and silly. Other times the lines are serious and controlled. Peters adapts to what the story calls for and I think it works really well here.

It's a quick read! I easily finished in just one sitting. After finishing I did what I always do, hop online to find more of Peters' work or see what else was on offer. Sad to say I came up empty. The links on Jade LFT Peters social media (@pokoglio) lead you to webpages that have expired with the only working link being publisher Silver Sprockets' page where you can buy the comic. Influenca came out in 2024 and it seems like they've not made anything else since then. Wherever they are, I hope they're surviving this current version of a hellscape that is life in the United States in 2026 and I hope they're finding the fun, sexy, goofy moments in between the horrors that persist. And I also hope they're writing them down because I can't wait to read what comes next.

7/10

post script:

This officially wraps up Summerween for the summer of 2026. If you've been reading along with us I hope you enjoyed the book selection this year. I encourage you to leave a comment letting me know if you read all the books, or which ones you were able to get around to reading and if you liked them (or not). Thanks as always for tuning in and reading these reviews, even if you didn't read the books. I'm just happy you're here. I'll be back next year for more Summerween Book Club reviews. Until then consider joining me on Patreon both for free or at a paid tier! I post things all year long and it's probably one of the best ways to stay in touch; that or subscribing to my e-newsletter that goes out every week! See you next time.

~b