It’s shocking that Marvel Zombies hasn’t gotten the polybagged Red Band line treatment until today. The new miniseries arrives just in time for the Marvel Zombies animated show, coming to Disney+, and features Ethan Parker and Griff Sheridan, two of the comics’ newest and brightest creators to emerge on the scene. It’s a series that was announced when I last spoke to them, and it’s a ton of fun for fans of Robert Kirkman’s original series, as well as those looking for a taste of classic Marvel.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1 opens at Peter Parker’s house, where he lives with Aunt May and Uncle Ben. The thing is, he has his powers, which immediately reveal this is a different universe. Based on his age, it’s also clear that this is the early days of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. On TV is the return of the Fantastic Four from space, but quickly, we see they’re zombies! Chaos ensues, leading to an excellent double-page splash with blood flying by Jan Bazaldua and Erick Arciniega.
Soon, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor are notified of the chaos of zombie attacks. Underlining all the action, like Thor blasting zombies with lightning, Peter goes through it with some heavy guilt and death on his hands. It’s a thread that feels like the core of the series in the future, with the superheroes vs. zombies as the window dressing.
That window dressing goes into full force in the last third of the issue, with all-out fighting as Hulk, Iron Man, Daredevil, and Thor fight the horde and the Fantastic Four. For fans of these types of tales, it’s fun to see how the FF, as zombies, use their powers, though the Hulk takes the cake with a particularly devastating attack on Mr. Fantastic.
Nom, nom, nom.
Credit: Marvel
Thrown into the mix is a nice cosmic twist on the final page that adds to the stakes and the bigger picture. It’s the cliffhanger and the use of Peter Parker that make this miniseries feel bigger in scope than previous Marvel Zombies stories, and it’s offering something different.
The art is relatively great throughout, although there are times when Bazaldua’s more straightforward style can be lost on you. While the double-page spread of Thing killing people is great, a closer look at some of the faces leaves you wanting for more detail, as Arciniega does a lot to add detail to faces and clothing. Generally speaking, the line work focuses on the figures rather than the details in the face, as one example. It can make some of the art look flat.
As far as the gore, I’m once again wondering why Marvel puts out “Red Band” polybagged books outside of it being a gimmick. There’s plenty of blood at times, but the worst of the gore is maybe blood gushing out of a mouth. Other non-polybagged Marvel books have been more violent than this.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1 reinvigorates the franchise with a mix of bloody mayhem and heartfelt character beats, centering Peter Parker in a way that adds emotional weight to the carnage. While some art details falter, the early Marvel setting, wild zombie action, and big-picture cosmic tease make this one of the strongest entries in the line to date.
You must be logged in to post a comment.