Revival (comics)

Revival
Cover of the first edition of Revival #1 (July 2012). Art by Jenny Frison.
Publication information
Publisher	Image Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Genre	Horror
Publication date	July 2012 – February 2017
No. of issues	47
Creative team
Created by	Tim Seeley and Mike Norton
Written by	Tim Seeley
Artist(s)	Mike Norton
Letterer(s)	Crank!
Colorist(s)	Mark Englert
Collected editions
You're Among Friends	ISBN
Live Like You Mean It	ISBN
A Faraway Place	ISBN
Escape to Wisconsin	ISBN
Gathering of Waters	ISBN
Thy Loyal Sons & Daughters	ISBN
Forward	ISBN
Stay Just a Little Longer	ISBN

Revival is a horror-science fiction comics series described as "a rural noir". It was written by Tim Seeley, with art by Mike Norton, coloring by Mark Englert, and covers by Jenny Frison. The series was originally published by Image Comics as 47 monthly issues released between July 2012 and February 2017. It has since been collected into both paperback and hardcover editions.

Set in central Wisconsin, Revival follows the aftermath of one day when the dead came back to life and the ensuing intrigue. The story is centered on police officer Dana Cypress and her revived sister Em, but touches on religious, moral and social themes. The mystery of Em's murder and the cause of "Revival Day" are closely linked. Although the conclusion was determined from the beginning, the exact length of the series was determined by sales.

Upon its initial release, the series received mostly positive reviews and sold through multiple printings. Revival was nominated for three Harvey Awards in 2013, and Frison was nominated in the Best Cover Artist category in 2013 and 2015 in part because of her work on the series. Critics praised the series for differentiating itself from other zombie comics, but later faulted the story's pace and sprawling cast. By the end of the series, sales of individual monthly issues had fallen nearly 78% from the first issue peak.

In late 2012, Seeley and Norton were approached by more than one major network to develop Revival into a television series. The deal fell through when ABC Studios announced they were moving forward with a different property that dealt with similar themes. A film adaptation was announced in early 2017. It will be co-written by Seeley and produced by Shatterglass Films. Diamond Select Toys has released a minimate toy of Em Cypress.

Everyone who died within a few miles of Wausau, Wisconsin on January first returns to life on January second. The Center for Disease Control quarantines the area to study the phenomenon and search for a cause. A partnership between the local sheriff office and the CDC creates a task force to process any crime that involves one of the twenty-three known "revivers". It is led by Detective Dana Cypress and CDC doctor Ibrahim Ramin. Dana learns her college-aged sister, Em, is also a reviver. Em was murdered, but cannot remember the events leading to her death. Dana agrees to keep Em’s status a secret while they investigate her death. Meanwhile, various townspeople begin to see glowing ghost-like figures in the surrounding woods (referred to as "creeps" in Seeley’s scripts).