[REVIEW] COME AND SEE ‘MARVEL ZOMBIES: RESURRECTION #1’

Just when life could not get any more complicated with battling supervillains and saving lives, adding an infected Galactus with a virus sure changes the daily routine. In Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1, old colleagues and adversaries that want to eat your flesh for a late-night snack is on the table. That means they have to be quicker than the dead if they want to survive. There is nothing worse than a normal zombie, except for a zombie with superpowers.

A group of ragtag heroes, who have been surviving the horror, consists of Peter Parker, Forge, and more traveling together to find refuge. Their path gets a little tense before they reach their destination due to a few exchanges of words that attract unwanted attention. That attention comes with a loud and eerie bamf sound that is constantly stalking them. And, when they finally succeed in finding their shelter from the ghoulish fiends, they stumble upon a mutant that leads to a surprising twist. We see Peter recalling his heroic tendencies in the heat of battle, and for a moment, his old whims emerge.

Did I mention that this Spider-Man is older than we know and suffering from constant spidey senses?

As the dust settles, these heroes find themselves learning new discoveries of Galactus’a hive virus. Only in the next issue will we be able to see where this information takes this group. A surprise ally comes at the right time, and it’s not who I’d expect it to be.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson, known for introducing the Marvel Zombies Resurrection one-shot last year, brings a familiar but new spin on the dead flesh eaters. Instead of the initial gore fest on earth we get in 2006’s Marvel Zombies, Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1 places us in a few years after Galactus had fallen to earth. With some useful nightmares of Peter’s flashbacks, we get a glimpse of the past. These flashbacks aid the audience in understanding what happened some years ago when the invasion began. Also, this is an interesting path, because it depicts the psychological stress on a character’s psyche. It even gnaws at a constant anxiety of being eaten alive–especially by someone whom you once knew before the outbreak. Without a doubt, I am certain Johnson has more crazy twists in store for us as the series continues.

The pacing of the story was solid and complemented by great dialogue associated with the various encounters of the dead. Additionally, I liked how the zombies were referred to as the “respawned” and worshipers of the dead (who seem to be dead themselves) as “deadheads.” This idea adds a unique distinction when identifying an infected or friendly–for example, when Machine Man calls humans “fleshies” and Elsa Bloodstone calls the dead “rotters” in Marvel Zombies (2015). I believe the naming of the dead contributes flavor to the comic’s atmosphere. It sets it apart from the other infected universes.

With Rachelle Rosenberg and Leonard Kirk’s art styles blended together, the idea of hope almost seems lost and bleak. The line work of characters and coloristic vision that it took to create a world on the brink of annihilation from an unknown virus is superb. This beauty of how the comicbook came to be reels me in. Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1 is not something you want to miss. Trust me, it’s going to take us for a ride we won’t see coming. I recommend you pick it up or order it while you have a chance. You don’t want to hunger for it when it’s gone.

Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1

9.6

Writing

9.5/10

Zombies

10.0/10

Coloring

10.0/10

Action

9.0/10

Art

9.5/10

Credits

• Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
• Artist: Leonard Kirk
• Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
• Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham
• Cover Artist: Inhyuk Lee

Credits (cont)

• Editor: Jordan D. White
• Publisher: Marvel Entertainment