Do you know what Marvel comic I really enjoyed? What if? It was fun to see how stories may have gone differently if something had gone in another direction. “What if Charles Xavier had become the Juggernaught?” “What if Spiderman joined the Fantastic Four?” What if Daredevil had killed the Kingpin?”
The list goes on and on, and the stories are fun to read even though they don’t take themselves too seriously. That is probably the best part about the comic book.
So what does this have to do with Marvel Zombies? It is two different miniseries that consider a question-“What if the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe became zombies?”
I love the concept, but I don’t care for the execution. The writing is sloppy and the storyline doesn’t feel real enough to satisfy me as a comic book reader. Perhaps it is the fact that the story moves with the speed of a What If? story, but drawn over many issues. Maybe it is the fact that even with so many panels, the story still feels incomplete.
There are two volumes to look at. In the first volume we see how the zombies handle a shrinking population, and trying to eat Magneto. The story ends with them eating Galactus and travelling all over the universe eating their fill.
The second volume picks up 20 years later when the zombies return to earth after eating every sentient creature in the universe. They are excited to find a handful of humans still on earth and make plans to breed them for future eating.
Here’s where things getting silly for me. These few zombies have eaten the entire universe, which in the Marvel universe is largely populated. Why didn’t they think about this plan when they still had other planets to eat? More importantly for me, why are they adding zombies to their ranks? Firelord shouldn’t exist at all since Galactus created him after Silver Surfer went rogue. Thanos might be able to stand up to galactic power, but then to have his head crushed by Hulk like it’s no big deal? How does that make sense?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Why was there a moment where I couldn’t tell the difference between Luke Cage and Black Panther?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->How is it possible for Cortez to pull some pieces from Teed Richard’s device and Forge can’t figure out the problem?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Do any of the Acolytes’ children even have mutant powers? If so what are they?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Not eating is the solution to the Zombie problem?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->What is the impact besides Spidey whining and the universe getting eaten?
Those are just a few of the confusing features of the story for me. Even with these questions, it is still an interesting read, and well worth your time. Check it out.
