May
1 Marvel Zombies #1 - 5

Creators: Robert Kirkman, writer, Sean Phillips, artist, June Chung, colors, Arthur Suydam, cover art

Marvel Comics, color, 32 pages, $2.99 each

So?: Take all of your favorite old-school superheroes, give them a taste for human flesh and an entire new universe to romp around in, and you have "Marvel Zombies," a new limited edition comicbook series from the fine makers of "The Living Dead" and "Hellblazer." 

Titled after the pet name given to obsessed fanboys, "Marvel Zombies" mixes wit and terror beautifully through the topnotch writing by Robert Kirkman and disturbing art by Sean Philips.  Add to the mix Arthur Suydam's genius cover art, and the series becomes an automatic a must-read. The zombiefied versions of famous covers hints at the horror and humor to come.

The idea originally began in an "Ultimate Fantastic Four" story arc where Reed Richards & Co. ended up in another dimension inhabited by victims of a zombie virus -- and at dinnertime, no less. With the help of Magneto, (yes, Magneto) and his handy-dandy teleporter, survivors are sent back to a zombieless dimension while Mag sacrifices himself to the undead masses.  Thus begins "Marvel Zombies"...

The comic borrows a page from the zombie guidebook of John A. Russo and his "Living Dead" series. The undead versions of Marvel's greatest characters are still their old selves - no sluggish movements or limited vocabulary as seen with Romero zombies -- just hungrier and less picky about the fate of mankind. 

But alas, not only do our fallen superheroes have to deal with seemingly unending hunger, but they also have other undead issues to conquer. Small problems arise such as how to keep adamantium from falling off decaying bones; how a Hulk-sized appetite might affect an alter ego after transformation; or how to deal with post-buffet remorse over devouring one's red-headed wife and beloved aunt.  But in the end, the horror of the situation overwhelms the darkly rich humor of the comic, as seen in the ill-begotten fate of the Black Panther in the first few issues.

In the end, "Marvel Zombies" expands on a "what if" situation of the "FF" comic and brings it to a new level of revulsion and absurdity. A true treat for Marvel lovers and zombie fans alike. Bravo. Grade: A