Marvel Zombies Return
Marvel Zombies Return | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
Schedule | Weekly |
Format | Limited series |
Genre | |
Publication date | September 2009 |
No. of issues | 5 |
Main character(s) | Zombie versions of Marvel Comics characters |
Creative team | |
Written by | ISBN 0-7851-4277-0 |
Marvel Zombies Return is a weekly five-issue
Publication history
Marvel Zombies Return is a weekly series of five one-shot comic books. Editor Bill Rosemann described how the concept came about:
A couple months ago a few of us in the office were talking about Marvel Zombies and about where we could take the story next. Our head of Sales David Gabriel brought up the fact that we hadn’t seen the most famous zombies – such as Spider-Man and Wolverine – since the end of Marvel Zombies 2. That led me to a conversation with fright master Fred Van Lente, who quickly dreamed up the creepy question of: Just where did those flesh-eaters disappear to after they were teleported into oblivion.[1]
Unlike the other series, the series consists of a number of one-shots and linked by two bookend issues written by Fred Van Lente. As Van Lente was committed to other writing assignments, Marvel invited three authors who have written books on zombies to contribute the other issues: David Wellington (Monster Island), Jonathan Maberry (Patient Zero and Zombie CSU) and Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).[2][3]
The issues are:[1]
- Marvel Zombies Return: Spider-Man by writer Fred Van Lente and artist Nick Dragotta
- Marvel Zombies Return: Iron Man by writer David Wellington and artist Andrea Mutti
- Marvel Zombies Return: Wolverine by writer Jonathan Maberry and artist Jason Shawn Alexander
- Marvel Zombies Return: Hulk by writer Seth Grahame-Smith and artist Richard Elson
- Marvel Zombies Return: Avengers by writer Fred Van Lente and artist Wellington Alves
Plot
Following
The first issue revolves around the attempts of Zombie Spider-Man to cure himself of his condition when he lands on an Earth similar to his own, later designated "Earth-Z". Upon becoming aware that his counterpart from this universe is still in college and that
The second issue follows Earth-Z's
The third issue follows Earth-2149's Zombie Wolverine, who makes his way to Japan four years after his arrival to Earth-Z concurrently at the same time Earth-Z's Wolverine and
The fourth issue follows the return of Earth-Z's
The fifth issue ties these threads together, resolving the fates of all of the original Marvel Zombies. Years after Hulk's attack on NYC, Earth-Z has suffered the same fate Earth-2149 endured and there is no longer life on it, with the
Given the number of Marvel Zombie sequels since then, however, that conclusion would seem to be one of Uatu's few misjudgments. There is also the fact that the original mini-series had two contradictory explanations as to how the Zombie Sentry first arrived on Earth-2149. Falling through an interdimensional portal, from the "
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a single volume:
- Marvel Zombies Return (120 pages, Marvel Comics, January 2010, hardcover, ISBN 0-7851-4238-X)
Reception
James Hunt reviewed the first issue for Comic Book Resources and expressed concerns that "the zombie fad is winding down, and the joke here seems to be how long a one-joke concept can be kept walking even though it's dead on its feet." However, he does praise Van Lente's comedic writing and Dragotta's art for evoking the Silver Age feeling but wonders if over-the-top violence does not "sit rather uneasily alongside the tone that the dialog and art are delivered in".[4]
References
- ^ a b Brownfield, Troy (June 22, 2009). "The Zombies - This Time, With Literate Roots". Newsarama. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ Richards, Dave (June 23, 2009). "Marvel Zombies: The All-Star Return!". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ^ Jesse Schedeen, Richard George (June 22, 2009). "The Original Marvel Zombies Return". IGN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ^ Hunt, James (September 7, 2009). "Review: Marvel Zombies Return #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
External links
- Official website
- Marvel Zombies Return at the Grand Comics Database
- Marvel Zombies Return at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)