Marvel Zombies #1-5 Review

4-21-06
Marvel Zombies #1-5
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Sean Phillips
Covers: Arthur Suydam

Looking to embark on a surreal adventure? Tired of the clichéd “hero vs. villain” comic book brawls? Have a craving for something decayed? Well, if you answered yes to the above look no further than “Marvel Zombies!” This five part mini series spins out of the Ultimate Fantastic Four “Crossover” story arc. In the “Crossover” story, Ultimate Reed discovered a parallel world full of Marvel Zombies. He barely escaped with the help of Magneto, who destroyed the machine and was left facing a world full of monsters. Where does the story go from here? Well, Robert Kirkman knew. Kirkman is famous for his “Walking Dead” series, and has an amazing talent for writing super heroes. He was the right man for this job.

Our story begins with Magneto face to face with a plethora of undead super heroes, all hungry for the master of magnetism. Magneto puts up a good fight, he even throws Colonel America’s shield back at him, cutting off the top of his head. But, he is one against many, and the Marvel Zombies proceed to eat him. Then, the undead heroes talk about who is next on their list to consume. Zombie Spidey decides to keep his mask on since he can’t get over the fact that he actually ate his wife! (Insert eat my wife joke here!) Unbeknownst to the heroes, a threat from deep space is headed their way!

Meanwhile, zombie Giant Man reveals that he is secretly keeping the Black Panther prisoner in his lab. He keeps him sedated and asleep with drugs, and cuts off pieces of his leg and arm to eat a little at a time. Zombie Jan finds out he has been holding out, and the two fight. Zombie Pym actually bites Jan’s head off, and telling readers that Zombies taste terrible. Later on, T’Challa comes to and realizes he is in bad shape. He is horrified that Jan, his old friend, is an undead head, still hungry for flesh. He decides to carry her head and try and find help.

The Silver Surfer arrives on Earth, much to the delight of our undead heroes. Surfer is shocked to see the wicked zombies and the devastation they have brought to their world. He claims he has never seen such savagery in all his travels, and the undead attack! Surfer puts up a good fight, but in the end the zombies eat him. They also discover they now contain a part of the power cosmic! It’s a good thing to, since Galactus arrives on the scene. He asks where the Surfer is, and is shocked when the zombies proclaim they ate him, and they still hunger! This is one of my favorite parts of the story.

Galactus: Where is my herald? Where is the Silver Surfer?
Zombies: That shiny guy on the board? We ate him!
Galactus: What???
Zombie: And guess what? We’re still hungry!

Man, I love that scene! Anyways, the zombies attack the cosmic being and use the power cosmic they now possess from the Silver Surfer. The zombies put up a good fight, but must retreat and try to think of a way to slow Galactus down. Meanwhile, T’Challa and Jan’s head (insert joke here) are walking around, when the Acolytes arrive from Asteroid M. They seek Magneto, but the Panther tells them there is no one left. Cortez realizes the Panther needs help, and invites him to Asteroid M after a brief fight breaks out. They also wish to study Jan’s head, hoping to find the cause of the zombie disease and how to cure it. On the Asteroid, Forge tells the Panther he can help him by creating prosthetics to replace his missing arm and leg.

Zombie Giant Man and Spidey create an energy cannon to attack Galactus with. The weapon works, knocking the cosmic God back. Just as the zombie heroes begin to feast, the zombie villains arrive on the scene. The zombie heroes tell them to back off since they didn’t help in defeating Galactus. A huge fight ensues between hero and villain. Wolverine stabs Zombie Juggernaut in the sockets of his helmet, defeating him. Zombie Red Skull eats Cap’s brains, and Zombie Spidey and Venom face off. The Zombie heroes win, and proceed by actually eating Galactus!

Five years later, the Acolytes and T’Challa return to Earth. Scanners indicate that there is no trace left of any life on Earth, and plant life has returned. The heroes realize the Zombies must be gone or dead, but they remain suspicious. Later, on an alien world the beings realize that Galactus has arrived. The people prepare for the worst, and suddenly the Zombie heroes descend on the planet, all wearing Galactus armor. They prepare to feast on both the aliens, and their planet.

Thoughts/Comments:
To quote the Kool-Aid man, “Oh Yeah!” What a fun, insane series! Kirkman really created a crazy, quirky tale about our favorite heroes and villains, only this time they crave flesh! I loved how fun and disturbing this story was. Like I said, my favorite part was when the zombie heroes told Galactus they ate the surfer and wanted to eat him as well! Sean Phillips created the perfect blend of moody and gory artwork, really helping the story proceed. Plus, how about those covers? I love the parody zombie takes on classic marvel stories. Great stuff! I’m even buying second and third printings just for those amazing covers. My favorite so far are issue #5 and issue #4, second printing. I hope we get a follow up mini series in the future. Great stuff, B+!!