IZOMBIE

iZOMBIE is a comic book series created by writer Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, published by DC Comics's Vertigo imprint beginning in 2010. The series deals with Gwen Dylan (née Gwendolyn Price), a revenant gravedigger in Eugene, Oregon and her friends Ellie, a 1960s ghost, and Scott, a were-terrier. iZOMBIE was nominated for the 2011 Eisner Award for Best New Series.

Gwen can pass for a regular girl, but she needs to eat a brain once a month to keep from losing her memories and intelligence. As a gravedigger she has plenty of access to recently deceased people; when she consumes their brains she "inherits" part of the deceased's thoughts.

The "monsters" in iZOMBIE are explained via the concepts of over- and undersoul. The oversoul (as in Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The Over-Soul") is "seated in the brain, contains the thoughts, memories, and personality", while the undersoul (as in Michael McClure's poem "Dark Brown") is "seated in the heart, contains the appetites, emotions and fears". Ghosts are thus bodiless oversouls; poltergeists, bodiless undersouls; vampires bodies without undersouls (thirsting for emotions); and zombies, bodies without oversouls. Revenants, like Gwen, are unique in that they possess both oversouls and undersouls. Souls can also "infect" the living, which accounts for the possessed and werewolves and the like. The characters of iZombie first appeared in a short story in the first House of Mystery Halloween Annual (2009). An iZOMBIE story was also included in the second House of Mystery Halloween Annual (2010).

The comic is notable for its use of real Eugene-area locations as settings, including the University of Oregon campus, the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, the McDonald Theater, Eugene City Hall, and Ya-Po-Ah Terrace, as well as Portland's Oregon Convention Center and Oregon Zoo.

On April 1, 2012, at the Emerald City ComiCon, Allred announced that iZOMBIE would end as of #28 in August.

Synopsis
Various entities, some human, some not, battle various escalating threats in and around Eugene, Oregon. Vampires, parental fights, zombies, romance triangles, cabin fever, delayed apocalyptic battles and technical support are just some of the situations under-prepared, heavily manipulated, not-quite-human twenty-somethings have to deal with.

Characters

 * Gwendolyn "Gwen" Dylan (née Price): The main protagonist, a revenant or "zombie".
 * Eleanor "Ellie" Stuart (née Roosevelt): A ghost who died in the 1960s and had never left Oregon.
 * Scott "Spot": A were-terrier, friend to Gwen and Ellie.
 * Gavin Dylan: Gwen's brother and Spot's prospective boyfriend (later husband as of iZOMBIE #28).
 * Vincent Tan: A friend and co-worker of Scott.
 * Ashok Patel: A friend and co-worker of Scott and Vincent.
 * John Amon: A zombie who was responsible for Gwen Dylan becoming a zombie.

Adaptation
In November 2013, The CW ordered a pilot episode named after the comic from writer/producers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero, who are developing the property as a supernatural procedural drama for the network. On February 25, 2014, Deadline reports that Malcolm Goodwin, Alexandra Krosney and David Anders are cast as Clive, Peyton and Blaine. On March 7, 2014, actor Robert Buckley was cast as Major, Liv's former fiancé who is trying to transition back to being her friend despite still being in love with her and a former college football player-turned-environmental engineer who is extremely likable. On March 12, 2014, actress Rose McIver was cast as the lead character Liv. IZombie has been picked up for the 2014-2015 season by The CW on May 8, 2014.