Marvel Zombies: Volume 1

Marvel Zombies: Volume 1
Genre: Graphic Novel
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Sean Phillips
Release Date: September 6th 2006










     Sometimes, a person working in a certain field will come up with something so original, so far above what others have attempted, that their names become forever linked with that genre.  Zombies in popular culture are a great example of this.  You can't have a conversation about zombie films without discussing George Romero.  Likewise, Max Brooks has set such a standard with his books (The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z), that anyone else is simply playing catch-up.

     Like these two greats, the comics industry has its own heavy hitter when it comes to the living dead; Robert Kirkman.  Fans will know his work from the amazing horror series The Walking Dead, but far more people will recognize him from another series he has helmed.  Marvel Zombies.

     Set in an alternate reality (a convenient plot device the industry as a whole makes liberal use of) we start the first of these five collected issues in Manhattan, the epicenter of superhuman activity.  We are dropped directly into the middle of the action.  The city is one giant disaster area, and Magneto, the only survivor in sight, is attempting to fight off a horde of zombified meta-humas.

     All the fan favorites are in the fray.  Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and so on.  Earth's mightiest heroes have become devourers, tearing apart everything and everyone they see in their unending hunger.

     What is different about these zombies from most representations is that, unlike their mindless, animalistic counterparts, these still have a part of who they were.  Whether they embrace their new state or mourn it, the "heroes" know full well what they are doing.  It is only as their hunger takes over that they really begin to lose control of themselves.

     What I find startling and very interesting in Kirkman's interpretation is just how quickly the bulk of these characters take to their new lot.  Most of them seem to become not only willing monsters, but are often thrilled to find their next meal.  In fact, the horrendous acts they commit while in control of their faculties are often worse than those done because of the hunger.  Also interesting is how much this mental transformation is left unexplained.  We don't know what of their new behavior is the cause of the virus, or was perhaps hiding below the surface in each of them, waiting to come out.

     Reading the book, one might begin to wonder why there are no zombified "normals".  Does the virus only target meta-humans?  Does exposure kill those without extraordinary gifts?  The answer is as simple as it is grotesque.  Any normal human facing exposure is also facing a horde of hungry supers.  Once they are done fighting for the scraps, there is simply nothing left.

     Through these first five issues, the books does a great job of exploring not only the toll this outbreak has taken on the few pockets of survivors, but also the changes to the lives of the former heroes.  I think it is a nice choice to make the "zombies" cognizant of what is happening.  It is an interesting change in perspective to have the story told from the point of view of the zombies, something that has been impossible in the bulk of zombie-lit.  Whether the character's response is revelry or regret, the dynamics between them make the book a fascinating read.  Once a powerful, intergalactic force makes an appearance, thing really start getting interesting.

     The art has all the gore and violence you would expect and hope for in a piece like this.  From the scenes of dismemberment and devouring, to the zombies themselves, who experience a wide spectrum of bodily destruction and decay, these monstrous versions of our childhood heroes are simultaneously repellent and fascinating.  That is what impressed me most about the illustrations.  The variety of characters tackled in the story, and how well the "zombification" translates for each of them.

     The coloring is, likewise, very appropriate.  With a lot of shadows and dark coloring, the reader is given the sense that not only is the sun gone, but that it is never coming back.  The horror being presented makes even the idea of a surcease impossible, setting and maintaining a great tone for the book.

     There is one place that I felt the book was lacking.  Being a comic, not much is left up to the imagination.  Any horrifying thing they want to depict is done vividly and graphically.  Though I usually don't mind this in a comic, part of what makes good horror books (like World War Z) so terrifying is precisely the fact that so much is left to the reader's imagination.  Therefore, it is the nature of the medium that the art here keeps the book from being truly frightening.  It is still a great read, with a number of equally gross and engaging books released since.  If you like zombies, then by all means, check out the whole catalog of the Marvel Zombies series.

Concept: 5 out of 5
Story: 4 out of 5
Art: 4 out of 5
Fright Factor: 3 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5