Marvel Zombies 2
Encyclopedia
Marvel Zombies 2 is a five-issue limited series
published from October 2007
- February 2008
by comics publisher Marvel Comics
. The series was written by Robert Kirkman
with art by Sean Phillips
and Arthur Suydam
. It is part of the Marvel Zombies
series.
#21-23 (2005), in which almost all of the superheroes on Earth became flesh-eating zombies after being infected by an alien virus. The Marvel Zombie phenomenon then continued with the Marvel Zombies
metaseries that was published from December 2004 to April 2006. In the series, the zombie superheroes eat the human race to near-extinction then begin to travel the universe to search for even more sources of food.
In 2007, a single comic came out, called Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
. Dead Days is a prequel to the Marvel Zombies series, in which the zombie infection spreads throughout the world and the superheroes try and create a plan to save the human race. Lastly, there's Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
, a crossover five-issue series published in 2007. The series is set before and during the prequel Dead Days, where Ash Williams
is transported into the Marvel Zombies universe and must fight the zombies while trying to escape back to his own universe.
, the mutant Phoenix
, Shi'ar warrior Gladiator and former Herald of Galactus, Firelord
, with the zombie plague. They then decide to return to Earth and rebuild the interdimensional portal that Magneto destroyed forty years ago, in hope of finding more food. On their way to earth they encounter Ego, the living planet. Surprised that there was a living planet, but didn't hesitate in devouring him.
On Earth, an elderly Black Panther
rules the surviving humans in New Wakanda, but is in a power struggle with the new generation of Acolytes, a team of mutant super villains who praised Magneto, a mutant that believed mutants had superiority over normal humans. An Acolyte assassin attacks the Panther in his sleep and nearly disembowels him, but the Panther is saved from death by the Wasp -who remains a zombie but who is now cured of her hunger -when she deliberately infects him in order to 'save' him. After devouring the assassin, the two struggle with how to manage their hunger, while the cosmic zombies continue their approach to Earth. During the decades of interstellar travel back to Earth, Spider-Man and Luke Cage gradually have lost their hunger and begin to act rationally once again. Giant Man wishes to start a "breeding program" to create more human food. A battle ensues because of Spider-Man and Luke Cage's new insight, knowing what they have done is wrong now that their hunger has subsided enough to allow them to think rationally.
The humans erect an impenetrable barrier, with most of the cosmic powered zombies outside trying to find a way in. Inside the barrier, Spider-Man and Luke Cage help kill the Gladiator. Because of that, the humans gain trust in the two and restore the superheroes' lost limbs with cybernetics. Spider-Man then reveals that the other zombies seek the dimensional teleporter, which is said to be stored in the base. Knowing that the zombies will not depart without the device, the heroes prepare for the next battle.
The cosmic zombies gain the upper hand, getting access into the human's base, and start to prepare to feast on the remaining humans. Giant Man is surprised to realize that he has lost his hunger. Giant Man then convinces the zombies that their hunger is in fact gone, and while he is successful, they are interrupted by an enraged and starving Hulk. The Hulk destroys several of the zombies (Phoenix, Firelord, Hawkeye and Iron Man) as they attempt to stop him from eating the remaining humans. Reynolds, having fallen in love with Wasp and believing her to be dead, offers himself to be devoured by the Hulk to stop the Hulk's rampage. The Hulk consumes Reynolds and then reverts back to Banner, who requests to be killed by the survivors to prevent the Hulk from ever returning.
The zombies are then transported to an alternate universe by one of their enemies, Malcolm Cortez (Fabian Cortez
's son), who organized a new generation of Acolytes.
:
Diamond Select have produced Marvel Zombie Minimates
, action figures, statues, and a number of mini busts. Along with figurines, there is also "Marvel Zombie" clothing, including sweatshirts and t-shirts that have pictures of the zombie superheroes themselves or covers from the multiple comic books.. Stores such as the popular retailer Hot Topic
carry a lot of the zombie comic book merchandise.
There is also a collection of the Marvel Zombie comic book covers, featuring the art of Arthur Suydam
, Greg Land
and Kyle Hotz .
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published from October 2007
2007 in comics
-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
- February 2008
2008 in comics
-January:*January 9: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published.*January 23: Hellblazer #240, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, is released.-February:...
by comics publisher Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The series was written by Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
with art by Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
and Arthur Suydam
Arthur Suydam
Arthur Suydam is an American comic book artist and musician. He has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, Tarzan, Predator, Aliens, Death Dealer, and Marvel Zombies.-Illustration:Suydam has...
. It is part of the Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies (series)
Marvel Zombies is a comic book metaseries published by Marvel Comics. The series features zombie versions of Marvel Universe superheroes who have been portrayed as both protagonists and antagonists through the different limited series within the metaseries....
series.
Publication history
The Marvel Zombie concept first appeared in Ultimate Fantastic FourUltimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#21-23 (2005), in which almost all of the superheroes on Earth became flesh-eating zombies after being infected by an alien virus. The Marvel Zombie phenomenon then continued with the Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
metaseries that was published from December 2004 to April 2006. In the series, the zombie superheroes eat the human race to near-extinction then begin to travel the universe to search for even more sources of food.
In 2007, a single comic came out, called Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days is a comic book one-shot first published in May 2007 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Sean Phillips, with cover art by Arthur Suydam. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The issue is a prequel to Marvel's first Marvel Zombies limited...
. Dead Days is a prequel to the Marvel Zombies series, in which the zombie infection spreads throughout the world and the superheroes try and create a plan to save the human race. Lastly, there's Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular Evil Dead film and comic book, finds himself in the Marvel Zombies...
, a crossover five-issue series published in 2007. The series is set before and during the prequel Dead Days, where Ash Williams
Ash Williams
Ashley J. "Ash" Williams is the protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. Throughout the series, Ash has to face off against his loved ones inside an abandoned cabin as they are possessed by "deadites", the evil souls of the dead...
is transported into the Marvel Zombies universe and must fight the zombies while trying to escape back to his own universe.
Plot
Forty years after leaving Earth, the cosmic-powered zombies have systematically devoured all other life in their universe, as well as infected the Titan ThanosThanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
, the mutant Phoenix
Phoenix (comics)
The Phoenix Force is an entity in the Marvel Comics fictional universe which has bonded with other characters, who often used the alias Phoenix....
, Shi'ar warrior Gladiator and former Herald of Galactus, Firelord
Firelord
Firelord is a character in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Gerry Conway and John Buscema, and first appears in Thor #225 .-Fictional character biography:...
, with the zombie plague. They then decide to return to Earth and rebuild the interdimensional portal that Magneto destroyed forty years ago, in hope of finding more food. On their way to earth they encounter Ego, the living planet. Surprised that there was a living planet, but didn't hesitate in devouring him.
On Earth, an elderly Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
rules the surviving humans in New Wakanda, but is in a power struggle with the new generation of Acolytes, a team of mutant super villains who praised Magneto, a mutant that believed mutants had superiority over normal humans. An Acolyte assassin attacks the Panther in his sleep and nearly disembowels him, but the Panther is saved from death by the Wasp -who remains a zombie but who is now cured of her hunger -when she deliberately infects him in order to 'save' him. After devouring the assassin, the two struggle with how to manage their hunger, while the cosmic zombies continue their approach to Earth. During the decades of interstellar travel back to Earth, Spider-Man and Luke Cage gradually have lost their hunger and begin to act rationally once again. Giant Man wishes to start a "breeding program" to create more human food. A battle ensues because of Spider-Man and Luke Cage's new insight, knowing what they have done is wrong now that their hunger has subsided enough to allow them to think rationally.
The humans erect an impenetrable barrier, with most of the cosmic powered zombies outside trying to find a way in. Inside the barrier, Spider-Man and Luke Cage help kill the Gladiator. Because of that, the humans gain trust in the two and restore the superheroes' lost limbs with cybernetics. Spider-Man then reveals that the other zombies seek the dimensional teleporter, which is said to be stored in the base. Knowing that the zombies will not depart without the device, the heroes prepare for the next battle.
The cosmic zombies gain the upper hand, getting access into the human's base, and start to prepare to feast on the remaining humans. Giant Man is surprised to realize that he has lost his hunger. Giant Man then convinces the zombies that their hunger is in fact gone, and while he is successful, they are interrupted by an enraged and starving Hulk. The Hulk destroys several of the zombies (Phoenix, Firelord, Hawkeye and Iron Man) as they attempt to stop him from eating the remaining humans. Reynolds, having fallen in love with Wasp and believing her to be dead, offers himself to be devoured by the Hulk to stop the Hulk's rampage. The Hulk consumes Reynolds and then reverts back to Banner, who requests to be killed by the survivors to prevent the Hulk from ever returning.
The zombies are then transported to an alternate universe by one of their enemies, Malcolm Cortez (Fabian Cortez
Fabian Cortez
Fabian Cortez is a fictional character, a mutant comic book supervillain from the Marvel Comics universe and an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and writer/illustrator Jim Lee, he first appeared in X-Men #1 ....
's son), who organized a new generation of Acolytes.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a single volumeTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Marvel Zombies 2 (collects #1-5, 128 pages, hardcover, June 2008, ISBN 0-7851-2545-0)
- Marvel Zombies 2 (collects #1-5, 120 pages, softcover, May 2009, ISBN 0785125469 / ISBN 978-0785125464)
Merchandise
There is a very large amount of merchandise based on the zombie superhero characters of Marvel Zombies.Diamond Select have produced Marvel Zombie Minimates
Minimates
Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a 2" tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 points of articulation, higher than average for block...
, action figures, statues, and a number of mini busts. Along with figurines, there is also "Marvel Zombie" clothing, including sweatshirts and t-shirts that have pictures of the zombie superheroes themselves or covers from the multiple comic books.. Stores such as the popular retailer Hot Topic
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
carry a lot of the zombie comic book merchandise.
There is also a collection of the Marvel Zombie comic book covers, featuring the art of Arthur Suydam
Arthur Suydam
Arthur Suydam is an American comic book artist and musician. He has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, Tarzan, Predator, Aliens, Death Dealer, and Marvel Zombies.-Illustration:Suydam has...
, Greg Land
Greg Land
Greg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...
and Kyle Hotz .
See also
- Marvel ZombiesMarvel ZombiesMarvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
- Marvel Zombies 3Marvel Zombies 3Marvel Zombies 3 is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in October 2008. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The series is written by Fred Van Lente, penciled by Kev Walker, with covers by Greg Land.-Plot:...
- Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of DarknessMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of DarknessMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular Evil Dead film and comic book, finds himself in the Marvel Zombies...
- Marvel Zombies: Dead DaysMarvel Zombies: Dead DaysMarvel Zombies: Dead Days is a comic book one-shot first published in May 2007 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Sean Phillips, with cover art by Arthur Suydam. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The issue is a prequel to Marvel's first Marvel Zombies limited...
External links
- Talking Marvel Zombies With Robert Kirkman, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
- Marvel Zombies vs AOD panels at Dread Central
- http://www.popcultureshock.com/marvel-zombies-2-1-first-look/42653/, PopCultureShock