Ah, August, the dead-zone of summer. It’s a slow time of year for everything, especially comics. This year is no exception. The big summer events promised by Marvel and DC have sort of petered out—Marvel’s “House of M” crossover is lackluster and disappointing, and DC’s “Infinite Crisis” storyline doesn’t actually kick into gear until September. Things are even quiet on the indie-comics front, with no major releases scheduled for several months. But August is not a total wasteland. Here’s a look at a pair of books that should get you through until the four-color treats promised at this summer's conventions arrive in stores.

“Dead West” is the newest offering from Rick Spears and Rob G., the duo behind “Teenagers From Mars.” Their love for the undead, which they displayed so proudly across the pages of “Teenagers,” is in full command here, as legions of zombies lay siege to Lazarus, a small town in the old West. The source of the zombies is a lone Native American, the last of a tribe wiped out years before, presumably by the very people who settled in Lazarus. A few magic spells and a drop of blood later, and the town is overrun by the walking dead. Into this chaos comes a nameless gun fighter and his overweight quarry (just think of Blondie and Tuco from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”), who fall in with the two separate camps of survivors in town.

Though there’s plenty of shooting and gut-munching, none of the characters have names, and that’s part of the problem with “Dead West.” Cowboys fighting zombies is all great fun and makes for some exciting action sequences, but Spears and G do themselves a disservice by riffing so heavily on the last 30 years’ worth of zombie films and westerns. While their pop-culture references were subtle and sly in “Teenagers,” the nods to genre classics like “Night of the Living Dead,” “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” and “The Wild Bunch” are so overt that they intrude on the story. Tense, well-crafted scenes, such as when the last of the tribe confronts his father about the usefulness of raising the dead for revenge, are quickly undercut by thudding references. It’s clear Spears and G have a love for the source material (and let’s be honest, the reader probably does, too), but it’s hard to stay focused on a dramatic, poignant moment when the next page makes you start thinking about how cool “The Wild Bunch” was. “Dead West” is a fun read, a breezy bit of summer entertainment, but it doesn’t compare to the early promise of “Teenagers.” “Dead West” is published through Gigantic Graphic Novels and is available at www.giganticgraphicnovels.com.

Meanwhile, if you need a dose of epic, old-school superhero action, August marks the beginning of DC’s 12-issue mini-series, “Justice.” Set outside of current continuity (so there’s no confusing crossover tie-ins to navigate here), “Justice” finds DC’s top tier heroes facing off against their arch-enemies. Written by Jim Krueger, with art by Alex Ross and Doug Braithwaite, “Justice” sets the bar pretty high with its first issue—in a matter of 12 pages, Earth is obliterated in a nuclear holocaust and the Justice League of America is powerless to stop it. Fortunately, it’s all a nightmare—a nightmare that just happens to be shared by humans across the planet, including supervillains like Lex Luthor. Sensing the dreams are portents of the future, Luthor sets into motion a plan against Superman and his pals, one that the bald baddie believes will ultimately save humanity from its super-champions.

This is all familiar territory for Krueger and Ross. Krueger cut his teeth on Marvel’s “Earth X” series, a sprawling saga about an apocalyptic alternative universe where Spider-Man became a cop, the X-Men died and the Fantastic Four gave up. Ross, meanwhile, got really famous with DC’s “Kingdom Come,” a sprawling saga about an apocalyptic alternative universe where Superman quit, Batman disappeared and Green Lantern exiled himself in space (Ross also provided cover art for “Earth X”). The duo knows how to stick iconic characters into epic situations, and they shine in “Justice.” The first issue is a promising start to the series, which lacks the dark, continuity-heavy narratives found in “Earth X” and “Kingdom.” It’s a straight-up nostalgia trip that’s worth reading, especially if you’ve been away from mainstream hero comics for a while.