Marvel Zombies

Marvel Zombies
Cover to Marvel Zombies hardcover graphic novel. Art by Arthur Suydam.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Genre	Superhero Zombies in comics
Publication date	December 2005 – April 2006
Number of issues	5
Main character(s)	Zombie versions of Marvel Comics characters
Creative team
Writer(s)	Robert Kirkman
Artist(s)	Sean Phillips
Letterer(s)	Randy Gentile
Colorist(s)	June Chung
Editor(s)	John Barber Ralph Macchio
Collected editions
Marvel Zombies	ISBN 0-7851-2277-X

Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories, the story begins with a virus reaching Earth, turning most of Earth's superheroes and some civilians into zombies.

Sequels

Main article: Marvel Zombies (series)

An intercompany crossover between Marvel and Dynamite Entertainment, published from May to September 2007 provided information as to the source of the zombie infection in the five-part limited series titled Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness (Marvel) and Army of Darkness (Dynamite). In July of the same year, a one-shot graphic novel, Marvel Zombies: Dead Days provided more story details, and the zombies also appear in a three-part storyline in Black Panther vol. 3, #28 – 30, although they make their appearance in the last page of #27 first, and encounter the Earth-616 Fantastic Four.

A sequel to the original series, the five issue Marvel Zombies 2, was published from October 2007 to February 2008, and Marvel Zombies 3 a four issue series, commenced October 2008. Marvel Zombies 4 was a four issue limited series published over the summer of 2009, and featured characters from Marvel's horror comics (Man-Thing, Morbius the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, and Mephisto among others). Marvel Zombies Return is a 5 issue mini-series begun in September 2009, and is a direct follow up sequel to Marvel Zombies 2. At the end of MZ2, the six remaining zombie heroes are teleported to an alternate universe. MZR tells the stories of where they ended up, as each hero ends up in a different location in a separate universe.

In 2006, the October issue of Wizard magazine featured a one-page Marvel Zombies comic by artist Sean Phillips called "Eat the Neighbors." It parodied Hostess Fruit Pie advertisements featured in Marvel titles in the 1970s which showcased Marvel superheroes defeating villains by offering them snacks. In this instance, Spider-Man, Captain America and Iron Man serve two children as "Hostees Meat Pies" after the children mistake them for legitimate superheroes.

Another humorous one-shot comic book was also published in 2007 featuring the alternate universe animal hero Spider-Ham and titled Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis. Spider-Ham accidentally crosses over into Earth-2149 and becomes, as J. Michael Straczynski puts it, "Undead Ham".^[1]

Collected editions

There are several trade paperbacks collecting the various stories:

• Marvel Zombies (collects Marvel Zombies #1-5, hardcover, 136 pages, August 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2277-X)
• Marvel Zombies (collects Marvel Zombies #1-5, softcover, 136 pages, October 2007, ISBN 978-0-7851-2014-8)

• Marvel Zombies: Dead Days (collects Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-23 "Crossover" and #30-32 "Frightful", "Marvel Zombies: Dead Days" and Black Panther (vol. 3) #28-30,^[2] 272 pages, April 2008, ISBN 0-7851-3232-5, softcover, February 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3563-4)

• Marvel Zombies 2
• Marvel Zombies 3
• Marvel Zombies 4
• Marvel Zombies Return
• Marvel Zombies 5

Other related collections include:

• Marvel Zombies: The Covers (by Arthur Suydam, hardcover, 104 pages, November 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2908-1)

Merchandise

There is a range of supporting merchandise based on the characters. Diamond Select have produced Marvel Zombie Minimates,^[3] action figures ^[4] and a number of mini busts.^[5]
Wizkids Heroclix has had appearances of Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk and Wolverine as Chase figures in the Supernova expansion. In the Mutations and Monsters set, there was an Iron Man, Giant-Man, Spider-Man and a Galactus Powered Wolverine. There was also a Janet Pym bystander token in the Mutations and Monsters set. In The VS System TCG, the Marvel Zombies have 3 cards in the tournament Promo set, Age of Apocalypse. If you won the tournament where they came from, you would get a copy of Spider-Man as a Zombie. If you come in second place, you would get a card of Captain America. All participants got a copy of the Marvel Zombies card. The zombies in the game had a unique theme in destroying themselves to activate an effect. At the end of the turn, they would return to play.

References

1. ^ Newsarama.com: JMS ON SPIDER-HAM
2. ^ Black Panther (vol. 3) #26-30 collected in Black Panther: Four the Hard Way, October 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2655-3
3. ^ Marvel Zombies Minimates Boxed Set
4. ^ Diamond Select turns Marvel Zombies into action figures, Newsarama, February 9, 2007
5. ^ DST Brings Captain America Back from the Grave

External links

• Marvel Zombies at the Grand Comics Database
• Marvel Zombies at the Comic Book DB
• "Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities" at the Comic Book DB
• Marvel Spotlight: Marvel Zombies at the Comic Book DB
• Official website
• Marvel Zombies on Myspace
• Talking Marvel Zombies With Robert Kirkman, Newsarama, October 3, 2005
• Marvel Zombies full cover gallery