Title: Marvel Zombies
Author: Robert Kirkman, Sean Phillips
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Stand alone or series: First Graphic novel in what is now a collection of 3 Marvel Zombie specials
Summary: (From amazon.com)
Torn from the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four! On an Earth shockingly similar to the Marvel Universe’s, an alien virus has mutated all of the world’s greatest super heroes into flesh-eating monsters! It took them only hours to destroy life as we know it – but what happens when they run out of humans to eat?! Follow their search for more food, and witness the arrival of the Silver Surfer! Collects Marvel Zombies #1-5.
Why did I read the book: I had this book since Thea reviewed it a few months ago and the time has come to read it since it’s Halloween Week and all.
Review:
When Thea waswe were organizing Halloween Week, Bossypants Darling Thea gave me a list of essential movies and books I had to catch up with. From ghosts to demons, from werewolves to zombies, the freaking list was a complete nightmare of gigantic proportions to a coward like me who doesn’t do horror – specially NOT ghosts and zombies. And gore. And demonic possession. You get the drift.
So I said no way, Jose to some of the stuff in the dreadful list (Thea was delusional if she thought I was going to watch the Exorcist – HA!) but ended up caving saying yes sir to most of it. With one exception, every single item on the list represented a major challenge for me. This one exception, the one item I was actually looking forward to reading was Marvel Zombies. It has been sitting on my TBR pile since Thea’s awesome review a few months back and finally FINALLY I was able to pick it up.
I mean, it’s Marvel heroes….turned into zombies. What could be more ludicrous than that? Truth be said, I don’t have much experience with zombies, I avoid them like the plague and I think I only have watched ONE zombie flick so far and ONLY because it was a comedy with these guys:
Shaun of the Dead
So, it is with a huge amount of excitement that I open Marvel Zombies and find out that Marvel Zombies is actually the extension of a storyline that had the Fantastic Four and Magneto as the protagonists. Suffice to know is that Marvel Zombies is set in a parallel universe where the Marvel super-heroes (and villains) have been infected with some sort of a virus. Magneto was the culprit and after saving some of the non-infected superhumans, he stays behind to destroy the teleporter, locking himself in this version of Earth – alone with the very VERY hungry super-zombies who have already eaten the entire population of the Earth. This is how the story starts.
With the Marvel Zombies Hulk, Colonel America (this universe’s version of Captain America), Wolverine, Giant Man and The Wasp, Spider-Man, Daredevil fighting Magneto, trying to bring him down, not because he is a villain but because he is food. There and then, I know this is something completely loopy and gross. They manage to defeat him and proceed to devour Magneto but not before the old man puts up a real good fight – Colonel America ends up with half his head chopped off and Spider-Man loses a leg.
After they have fed, they sit down and manage to have a decent conversation – their lives at the moment is an endless cycle of being hungry and mindless followed by periods after the feeding freezing where their old personalities and brain capacity surface, but they never last for long.
The funny thing is that during these periods when their hunger is appeased, do these super-heroes reflect on their reality and try to change it? No. With only one exception they think only about how they are going to get their next meal. Except that is, for Spider-Man who is a complete pansy always whining about how he ate MJ and Aunt May. But even Wolverine has his moments of moaning about how his regenerative powers would have come in handy “right now” when he loses one of his hands.
They fight amongst each other for feeding privileges. Heck, even the one show-down against their corresponding nemesis is because of food, glorious food – in the form a MAJOR threat called Gallactus, the cosmic being that has come to eat the planet and ironically ends up being eaten himself with dire consequences for life, the universe and everything as the surviving Marvel Zombies become even more powerful.
Marvel Zombies is great fun – of the “gross, you have got to be shitting me” type. It is funny, surprising and creative by playing with the heroes’ strengths and weaknesses and with great artwork to boot. I loved it and recommend it to any zombie and superheroes enthusiasts.
Notable Quotes/ Parts: Just to show how crazy, warped this book is. Zombie Giant- Man keeps the uninfected Black Panther prisoner in his lab, keeping him alive as food source – unbeknownst to the other Zombies. He has been feeding from him little by little, first fingers, then hand, then his leg until Black Panther manages to escape with the help of Giant-Man’s wife’s AKA The Wasp, talking bodiless’ head. Yeah. Really. Cool.
Additional Thoughts: I found a recipe book at the Marvel’s website:
Galactus Pie
Ingredients
1 teaspoon shortening
1 pound ground Galactus thighs and biceps
1 pound diced Silver Surfer breast
1 pound green onions, chopped
1 pod garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
Melt shortening in heavy pot. Add Galactus and Surfer meat. Cook until pink is gone (Surfer meat may take longer, melt off shiny cosmic shell). Add vegetables and season for taste (season well, as meat will lose seasoning during frying). When meat is done and vegetables glazed, remove from heat and preserve excess liquid. Stir in 1 tablespoon flour.
Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. Beat egg and add to milk. Mix gradually into dry ingredients until proper consistency. Break into small pieces and roll.
Cook in fat until golden brown. Drain and serve hot.
(Warning! Cosmic powers may develop after consumption)
Verdict: Cool and funny, with a way-out-there premise that is both gutsy and creative.
Rating: 7. Very good.
Reading Next: It by Stephen King.
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2 Responses to Halloween Week – Review of Marvel Zombies
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Bossypants here, reporting for action! :p
Great review dude. I knew you’d like Marvel Zombies! I love how much of a bitch Spidey is in this whole arc. Definitely very creative and risky, but it pays off big time!
And ohmigosh, that Galactus Pie recipe!!! Bwahahahaha! Love it.