Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Cover: Arthur Suydam
“With Great Hunger…”: I’m pretty much a sucker for just about anything related to zombies! However, I almost gave up on the Marvel Zombie franchise and it took quite a bit for me to convince myself to actually pick this issue up. Installments 3 and 4 just seemed like an excuse to pump out more zombie books due to the zombie boom going on right now. Each issue of the Marvel Zombies Return series focuses on the main superhero zombies after they were thinned out. The bad luck magnet of the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man, gets the spotlight in the first issue!
Starting off with a monologue from The Watcher, he brings us up to speed by recapping the first 2 Marvel Zombie arcs. Zombified heroes have been scattered across dimensions and after searching for them, he comes across Zombie Spider-Man who appears on Earth. This Earth however is from Peter’s past, and takes place during Amazing Spider-Man # 68 which came out in 1969! Spidey grabs a paper and reads about an ancient tablet that if deciphered correctly, would reveal the key to eternal youth. Now what zombie lookin’ for redemption wouldn’t want that?! The only problem is he also remembers that the Kingpin was after this same artifact.
So our decaying hero swings across town only to stop high above Empire State University when he spots a younger version of himself, Harry, Mary Jane, and Gwen Stacey. He pauses to look at MJ and at that moment the Sinister Six appear, threatening everyone at the protest march. Of course this is a diversion set up by the Kingpin to slow down any heroes, so Zombie Spidey decides he needs to save his friends and be a hero again. This is where things go from bad to DAMN! Kraven mistakes Zombie Spidey for his Earth’s Spider-Man, and this last hunt ends with Spidey succumbing to the Hunger and literally ripping through Kraven! The remaining 5 members are frozen with fear and within a few seconds are devoured, gutted, and torn apart by Zombie Spider-Man in various and humorous fashions! Only a terrified Sandman escapes when the Kingpin decides he needs to deal with Spider-Man himself! Needless to say, things don’t go as Kingpin plan; however the real tragedy is when Sandman runs into the Spider-Man of HIS reality! He’s convinced that Spidey has gone overboard, and in a blind rage does something to Spidey that couldn’t be done back in ’69! Let’s just say it’s a pretty funny but gross death scene for our buddy Pete. In the end, Zombie Spidey has totally lost it after seeing his friends end up as dinner for the zombies that he just turned. No longer yearning for redemption or to be a hero, he fully embraces the Hunger, and what we get is a new zombie twist on that infamous ’Spider-Man No More’ cover!
I can actually say that this issue reminded me of why I liked the first series to begin with! Where I think this book excels and parts 3 and 4 failed, is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Fred Van Lente keeps the book funny when it’s necessary, but still retains a dark tone and tells a good story. Nick Dragotta’s pencils are great as he’s able to give us a “modern” portrayal of Zombie Spidey, and then use that late ’60s style for the rest of the story. Coming into this I did have low expectations but I was pleasantly surprised! So if you’re not too burnt out on the Marvel Zombie craze, give it a try; hopefully the rest of the series stays on this path!
Infinite Speech
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I loved the original series. It was so cheesy and hilarious. I didn’t think it took itself serious at all. But I ignored it when they went back to it, thinking it would never be as good as the original series. I didn’t want to read something that was just milking the franchise. Especially since they were going totally crazy and putting the zombies all over the place. It really turned me off.
Watching Spidey go zombie crazy after issues of crying over eating his Aunt May might be pretty amusing though.
After reading this issue I wished that THIS was the 3rd arc in the story and Marvel had made us wait instead of just pushing the series out the way they did. This one was just as cheesy and funny to read as well and thats what made enjoy it so much!