Marvel Zombies

This version of "Marvel Zombies" is issue 22 (volume 48) in Marvel’s “Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection”. It reprints the limited series by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Sean Phillips, originally published between December 2005 and April 2006. Marvel Zombies was once, both an affectionate and derogatory term, used to describe ultra-loyal Marvel fans who would only buy Marvel comics and would studiously avoid reading anything by Marvel’s 'Distinguished Competition' – or anyone else for that matter. In this series, however, Kirkman and Phillips use the term a bit more literally with Marvel’s superheroes (and most of the human population as well) being turned into ravenous, marauding zombies, when a space-borne virus show more arrives on an alternative Earth. (This builds on the storyline devised by Mark Millar and Greg Land in the Ultimate Fantastic Four issues 21 – 23). With their super-powers it doesn’t take the hero community long to feed they’re way through the normal population. With their hunger for flesh unabated the heroes are semi-crazed, but when the Silver Surfer followed by Galactus arrives they begin to see a way out of their dilemma. “Marvel Zombies” is a warped triumph of a satire from Kirkman who delivers a sick, grotesque and funny yarn. There’s little depth to the story – its more a rip-roaring, old-fashioned action / horror parody, with funny, witty dialogue, that moves from one bizarre and sick situation to the next without too much agonising over characterisation or plot depth. That said, Kirkman does keep the personalities of the heroes intact – Captain America remains the born leader, Giant Man remains the driven scientist and Spider-Man remains angst ridden (though in this story, not because of the death of Uncle Ben, but because he’s eaten Aunt May). Sean Phillips artwork works perfectly, with his scratchy, nervy style “beautifully” illustrating the grotesqueries on offer and adding horrific flourishes to an already “splattery” tale. The covers to the series were by the great (and greatly under-rated) Arthur Suydam who provides amazing zombified parodies of famous Marvel covers - these are perfect in every way! Like the rest of the “Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection” the book is a hardcover with excellent glossy, heavy stock pages. The extras in the book include a cover gallery of Suydam’s covers and the covers he parodied; an overview of Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips’ careers and how they went about developing and designing the “Marvel Zombies” concept. Despite this story not being to everyone’s “taste” and despite many fans taking exception to the Marvel heroes being portrayed in this way, this is a smashing parody – clever, funny and nauseating in equal measure. show less

I wasn't really sure if I would like these comics. I'm a big horror fan and a big Marvel fan, but I wasn't sold on the combination of the two until I finally gave in and read this trade. And - it was AWESOME.

The entire series was very darkly funny, especially after the heroes had "eaten" and their senses, or what remained of them, returned for a while.

Of course, not everyone shares my sick sense of humor. There's a lot of squicky things in these pages (big surprise - they're zombies with an insatiable lust for human flesh!): people getting torn in half, brains being exposed, beheadings, bones getting ripped out of skin (or ripping through skin), etc. And if you're not familiar with Marvel, then it's not going to be nearly as funny or show more enjoyable (in my opinion, at least; you just can't appreciate how hilarious it is to see good ol' Colonel America tearing someone apart with his teeth unless you know how squeaky clean Captain America is in 616 Marvelverse).

I can't wait to read the rest of these. I'm ordering the second trade today! show less

Ok, I’m putting this out on the table. I am addicted to zombies. I love apocalypse stories, I love the gruesomeness of the flesh-eating undead. When I am sick and stay home from work, my go-to movies have titles that usually end with “of the Dead”. So, when I was perusing the graphic novels section of my bookstore and saw Marvel Zombies, I nearly collapsed into a giddy heap on the floor. What could be better than all of my favorite Marvel superheroes as ZOMBIES?! (Turns out there actually IS something better, but more on that later!)

As I’ve said in previous reviews, my experience with Graphic Novels isn’t very broad. I’m not a connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, much more of a (very) casual reader. So this show more explains my complete ignorance of this series. Had I known about Marvel Zombies earlier, bet your ass I would have rabidly been chomping at the bit, tracking down individual comics instead of just randomly discovering the graphic novel years later. But, I digress. I found the graphic novel and could not put it down until I had devoured it, cover to cover.

The novel begins with Magneto (of X-Men notoriety) being chased down a dilapidated city street. Magneto is desperately trying to reach his crew on Asteroid M via communications and then meet up with them at a new rendezvous point—meanwhile evading a host of Marvel Superheroes that have been inexplicably turned into zombies. Captain America comes after him…along with Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil, Thor, Iron Man, etc, etc, etc. Magneto, elitist arrogant prat that he is, talks down to the bitter end. Until he’s torn apart by the Hulk and company, that is.

Turns out, the superheroes have been abusing their superhero do-gooder personalities to approach survivors, who welcome them with open arms as their saviors…right before getting eaten. The insatiable zombies have now exhausted the food supply on Earth, and are resorting to less pleasant forms of nutrition (they eat themselves…Well, the partially digested bits of flesh that they have ingested, they re-eat by ripping it out of their stomachs). The superhero zombies are driven mad with hunger, but immediately after they eat, they are capable of rational thought and attacks of conscience

I loved how the personalities of each superhero still are maintained, despite their zombified appearance and insatiable hunger for human flesh. Time and time again, we see Spider-Man turn into a sniveling mess over how he ate his aunt and his wife, which is flat out hilarious. (For anyone that might find Spider-Man’s incessant ponderings about morality and his tortured soul thing a bit tiresome, this is a wonderful poke at Peter Parker’s character! Even the superheroes have had enough of it!)

The artwork is also brilliant—nice capture of the zombie rotting flesh/dead thing, without being too gross, and still keeping each of the superheroes instantly recognizable. There is a section in the last pages of the graphic novel that shows all of the covers for the marvel zombies individual issues, and the older covers they were based on. These are flat out awesome. My fave is the Silver Surfer one (below).

The plot is fast paced, with a nice blend of dark humor and gore. I cannot wait to read more—and with Marvel Zombies 2 (in hard cover) coming out this year, I won’t have to wait long!

Notable Quotes/Parts: When the Silver Surfer finally arrives on the scene, scoping out the planet and heralding that it will become demolished as food for boss Galactus, the zombies take it upon themselves to eat the Surfer, and make plans to eat his boss. There’s a showdown for the spoils between the “good” marvel superhero zombies and the previous baddies (i.e. Toad, Sabertooth, Venom, etc)—which is kinda funny, considering that both factions are now the bad guys.

Additional Thoughts: In a lot of traditional zombie lore, the undead can be “killed” (again) by removing the head, or destroying the brain. Traditionally. However, there are other schools of thought in which the undead cannot die again because…well, they are already dead (see movie Return of the Living Dead). In Marvel Zombies, the same undead can’t die theory holds true—as Wasp (Giant Man’s wife) and Captain America are respectively decapitated and de-brained, yet still remain “alive”…so to speak.

Verdict: Wonderful story, great art work. I enjoyed this one so much I immediately scooped up Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness (remember when I said earlier what could be better than marvel superheroes as zombies? Well there you have it--Marvel Superheroes as zombies with an Army of Darkness crossover! Ash!) and eagerly await Marvel Zombies 2!

Rating: 8 Excellent

Full Review at:
http://thebooksmugglers.blogspot.com/2008/04/book-review-marvel-zombies.html show less

*Spoilers in the descriptive part of this review*

Who would have thunk that the beloved heroes they grew up with would land in such a bizarre story? I know most children watched on with fascination as Spiderman merrily weaved his web, as Wolverine sharpened his claws, while Captain American shielded the innocent from the depraved, and even while the Incredible Hulk beat his chest in ego. It would have been difficult to imagine then that a story would come along showing the world saviors have placed self-centered slaughter over the survival of mankind, yet here we are.

You have to give kudos to the imaginations that came up with this, folks, as who would have thought such a morbidly twisted story would ensue, and be rich with humor along show more the way? After looking at what I've wrote so far on this review, I have to say the only power I could ever be capable of possessing would be super-enhanced babbling, so let's get to it shall we?

The first "series" has been divided into five comics, which I have read and reviewed in one hardcover compilation. Kirkman focuses on humor and interposing needless gore often to keep the smile meter raised. As far as plot goes, no humans are in sight and have obviously been killed off and eaten. The superheroes remain, in pieces, with active minds and continuous discussion. There brains have not been affected by the disease, yet of course the hunger has changed their personalities completely. Their discussions involve planning and meditating on finding new food, and that's about it. Everything is clearly focused now only on what their new diet is. They still express remorse for their vicious acts once the hunger is abated, but with nowhere near their previous moral standing. Spiderman in particular seems to express the most regret once having a chow down, sobbing about his wife and aunt, while the others just say, "Yes, Spiderman, we've eaten someone close to us too, just get over it already." I try to think of why they made him stand out as the more sympathetic of the bunch, but fail.

Looking at each comic individually:

The first story, Magneto, was more startling as it shows the last stander, uninfected and stubborn to the last, desperate to fight and escape his fellow-superheroes. This was one of the more dramatically serious of the issues, with an underlying grimness. The better fight sequence, Captain America gets his own shield used against him, cutting off the top of his head and exposing brains in a pulpy comic manner. Spiderman gets one leg ripped in half and must try to get assistance on the backs of others through the rest of the story. Subjects brought up are how they are digesting food in the first place if they appear dead, if there bodies can rejuvenate, and the disappearance of their existing powers as they further decay. The Incredible Hulk is a major character, and Kirkman seems to take great delight in making him experience some of the worst torment. In the first edition, the Hulk finds trouble with digestion, ending up with horrid consequences.

The second issue begins with the superheroes wondering where The Silver Surfer magically appeared and then disappeared to - and what HE is, not to mention how they can come to eat him - delighting fans with this unexpected introduction. A disturbing revelation shows Pym hiding something from his fellow zombies, demonstrating the desperate measures and distrust they all share for each other. While they may all work together, it's clearly a world where it's every man for himself, as Pym's wife Wasp clearly finds during a violent confrontation. It's rather funny on the excuse the zombies conjured to deliver to Iron Man when they meet again about where Magneto went, and even funnier how he uncovers the obvious truth. This stories more on interaction between starring roles rather than just sheer violence, until of course the Silver Surfer makes an appearance AGAIN, just in time to begin a fight and leave the story off with a cliffhanger.

Part 3 delves right into the Silver Surfer fight, with demented dialogue and even stranger results, again focusing a lot on the Hulk. The Wolverine finds himself in major need of repair, while Spiderman finds a unique way to try and rid himself of annoying 'baggage.' Clearly the boys don't share well and end up fighting over any dibs collected. The ending is a cliffhanger with Galactus' arrival to consume the planet. Isn't he in for a shocker?

As with any Galactus focused fight in part four, it's of course a great one, with the fallen heroes needing to collect themselves for a better plan. The Hulk's plan to fend off hunger is nauseatingly strange, while Spiderman gets dissed for his still human guilt. Pym is forced to own up to a hidden deed, but is saved by fate covering missing evidence. The Black Panther, now free, works his way in with the good team to try to escape the planet, determined the save the world from the disturbing disease's clutches. Wasp's reaction with all this is rather amusing and reeks of typical Zombie desperation. The ending returns once again to the Galactus war, with new inventions showing that the true terror of these sorts of zombies may be their intelligence, not sheer strength and power.

The conclusion ends the "life" of a favorite for me of the zombies, displays the results of the "big" fight, shows an intriguing change with Wasp, and what the eventual plan the zombies came up with for continued grub.

Phillips artwork attempts to create a pulpy, almost comical gore. The detail is pleasant but not breathtaking, keeping everything cartoonish. The contrast of the artwork with the grim, strange tale from Kirkland is a delightful marriage of comic-book fun. Each story is short and goes by quickly, leaving me wanting more and blinking at the speed it's over. It's hard to see how they could have had enough substance to fill five issues anyway, but once reading it there's a clear message that a lot more can still be explored.

Overall a must read for comic book fans looking for something amiss from the norm, eager to change their perception - if only for a short-time - of the beloved superheroes from our youth. show less

I suffer a bit not knowing all the background of the Marvel universe, but I do love zombies!

Nearly all the Marvel universe has become zombified, and because of their superpowers, they've managed to decimate the human population and are beginning to starve. There are a few heroes left, but they've wisely decided to stay away until they deem enough time's passed for the zombies to have decomposed completely.

This is creepy, gross, and at times, flat out hilarious (on purpose). I'd recommend this to anyone who love a zombies story, as well as any superhero fans.

Would Spider-Man keep his moral baggage if he were the walking dead? Would Wolverine's healing factor make him immune to the zombie outbreak? Aren't zombie superheroes just villains? Okay, none of the questions ever popped into my head before Marvel Zombies. And now that I've read it, I don't know what to think.

As much as I love zombies and the Marvel universe, I just don't know how I feel about Marvel Zombies. I neither hate it nor did I love it. It just is. At least for me.

As a fan of Marvel Comics, and as a fan of the horror / zombie genre, I knew that I had to pick up a copy of Marvel Zombies. I was not disappointed. Like other reviewers have said, the story line itself is quite lacking. The entirety of this volume is basically get hungry, eat things, lament about what they've done, get hungry, eat more things, and so on. It would have been nice to have a little bit more of the backstory included in this volume instead of the blurb you get that tries to catch you up to date.

However, outside of that, I really enjoyed the artwork and I found the dialogue and scenarios to be quite amusing at times. I mean, who wouldn't laugh at a one-armed, one-legged Black Panther hobbling through a destroyed city with a show more crutch in one stump, and carrying the decapitated, but still talking, zombie head of Wasp in the other! Some of the scenarios had me shocked (i.e. the deaths of Silver Surfer and Galactus), and others saddened me (i.e. finding out that Spider-Man had eaten Aunt May and Mary Jane and was upset over what he had done).

Despite it's few drawbacks, I'd still recommend Marvel Zombies to any Marvel or zombie horror fan. I can't wait to pick up the rest of the volumes! show less