The Aftermath is a stand-alone graphic novel intended to fill in some gaps in the movie, 28 Days Later, and build enthusiasm for its inevitable sequel, 28 Weeks Later. But, although written by Steve Niles, whose resume is filled with a varied selection of graphic horror fiction, this book is more mess than must-read.

The story is told in four parts, beginning before the first movie as two scientists toil to isolate and eliminate rage in human DNA. But their motives never ring true, and the choice to link a trial dose to the deadly ebola virus -- well, that just doesn't make sense. Of course, biting and blood-spatters ensue.

Next, we spend a lovely day in a London park, where a lovely family enjoys a lovely picnic until a blood-crazed monkey spoils the mood. This is actually the best of the four chapters, but it ends weakly with the assumption that the infected "zombies" couldn't see a pair of escaping children just a few feet in front of them.

The third bit involves a well-armed survivalist who patrols London and has come to believe of the city as his own. When he discovers a second gun-toting survivor, he doesn't celebrate an ally; he decides to kill him. Smart. (His theory on how the infected can recognize an uninfected person is just plain stupid. Are we supposed to take it seriously, or was Niles trying to point out to us how dumb this guy was?) And the fourth part involves a detention camp where survivors are quarantined, and a handful of idiots decide to escape and take their chances among the zombies. Brilliant.

It's hard to sympathize with truly stupid characters, which many of these are, and since the book doesn't fill in any important holes in the film nor add anything of substance to the story, I can't see any reason to recommend it.