A few words from writer John Rozum on the return of Xombi on this week’s DC Nation page:

"If you’re thinking rotting corpses shambling around looking for living bodies to dine on then you’d be wrong, though it’s possible those sorts of zombies will show up at some point.

XOMBI centers around David Kim, a medical researcher who was attacked in his laboratory by strange creatures and left for dead. His supernaturally induced mortal injuries were repaired by nanomachines injected into his body. The combination of science and the supernatural has had two consequences: 1. He cannot die. Ever. He can self-heal any wound, any disease, never has to brush his teeth, diet, worry about aging, or use a toilet. The nanomachines in his body process everything and keep him in peak physical condition. This condition brought on by artificial means is what makes him a xombi. 2. He has now become a weirdness magnet. All manner of really strange stuff occurs with him somehow winding up in the center of it.

Both of these conditions provide the fuel that drives XOMBI. While David’s powers seem really advantageous on the surface (being in peak physical condition without ever visiting a gym, never worrying about losing your hair or needing a root canal, having your head crushed under the wheels of a bus and simply regenerating), there are some serious downsides. If David is in the process of regenerating, don’t touch him. The nanomachines in his body will most likely devour you as raw material with which to implement the repairs. As the series progresses, the nanomachines will prove far more dangerous.

David’s condition as a weirdness magnet is the other driving force in this series, weirdness being the key word here. How weird? Well, there’s the Startling Parade, an occult organization commanded by oppressive rod puppets papier-mâchéd out of discarded religious and political tracts; James Church, a model student turned supernatural mass murderer by a college reading assignment gone terribly wrong; the Rustling Husks, homunculi assassins crafted from ghost swarms of angry, frustrated insects driven mad with desperation to get through window glass to the world outside. Those are just some from the first issue.

The weirdness of XOMBI is the most fun aspect to write, and hopefully for you to read. For David Kim it’s something he would do anything to be rid of so that he could just go back to being regular pre-nanite-infested David Kim. His struggle to maintain a place in the mundane, ordinary world that we live in while trying to master the bizarre world he now finds himself a part of is one that will lead to some heartwrenching tragedy as the series progresses.

This brings me to the final and most important aspect of what XOMBI is about, and that’s the characters. None of the weirdness, creepiness, or tragedy would mean anything if there weren’t fully realized characters that you could invest in at the heart of it. I couldn’t have a better partner in bringing XOMBI to life than artist Frazer Irving. While it’s obvious that he’s going to excel at the weird, creepy stuff, what I really appreciate is his dedication to understanding the characters and their relationships with one another and developing unique performances for each of them. This is where the real magic is, in bringing characters to life, not just resurrecting them."

- John Rozum

XOMBI #1 hits stores in March.