Hungry Hungry Heroes

Boy, there sure are a lot of zombie related movies and video games out there, huh? If only there were some kind of comic book about zombies. Hmm. Sorry, if you thought today's post was about The Walking Dead, think again. I am a superhero guy, after all. So let's take a look at Marvel Zombies!

The first issue of Marvel Zombies was published in December of 2005. The story dealt with the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe experiencing a fast spreading infection which turned it's victims into zombies, undead monsters hellbent on devouring flesh. In concept it sounds simple, but throughout the story the infection of Marvel's heroes goes beyond flashy blood and gore. For example, after Peter Parker/Spider-Man is infected he tries to lock his girlfriend Mary Jane and Aunt May in a bathroom to keep himself from eating them. He is unable to fight his urges and ends up devouring both of them. Racked with guilt, Peter refuses to remove his mask out of shame for what he's become. Peter was the only zombie who felt remorse from eating people, something that would ultimately prove important towards the end of the story. After ten spin-off/sequels to the original series, the Marvel Zombies will be returning in an upcoming mini-series titled, "Age of Ultron vs Marvel Zombies" featuring our undead Avengers clashing with apocalyptic androids.

It's no surprise this series got as popular as it did, with zombies being the trendy form of horror, drama and most media. Almost every piece of modern fiction has had some reference to the idea of zombies. In fact, back in 1973 Marvel published a series called "Tales of the Zombie" being one of the earliest publications to use the word "zombie" as a name for the undead. Personally, I don't like zombies. The idea of worldly infection and survival stories don't deter me, it's just the overuse of the zombie genre. But, like all fads the zombie trend will eventually die off. Like the corpse of the victim, however, it's presence will forever linger. Happy Halloween...