Trick or Treat Month: The Top 10 Zombie Comic Books
Jun 28, 2015
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Zombies have become one of the most popular monsters in recent years. First appearing in folklore and legend, these undead creatures soon moved to the silver screen in movies like White Zombie, Zombies of Moro Tau, Tombs of the Blind Dead, and the original Night of the Living Dead… which changed the modern Zombie from the shambling, hypnotized beings or yore to the flesh-eating ghouls we know and love today.
Over the years, Zombies also made their way into the comics. In the pages of EC’s Tales from the Crypt and Atlas/Marvel’s Menace (birthplace of Simon Garth, the Zombie!), the reanimated corpses of the dead became favorites of kids and the bane of the establishment. Since the early ’50s, zombies have come in and out of style in comics, even undergoing some name changes to avoid the archaic rulings of the Comics Code Authority (“zuvembies” anyone?).
But today, Zombies rule (and drool!) comics, and it seems like this unstoppable army of the dead is just that: unstoppable. With The Walking Dead ruling comics and TV (with two series!), and Marvel’s Secret Wars “Battleworld” playing host to an entire realm dedicated to their “Marvel Zombies”, it seems like there they’re everywhere. And they are!
So here then, for your enlightenment and enjoyment, we present our Top 10 Zombie Comic Books. These things are quite subjective, and we may not see eye-to-eye on what we consider Top Zombies, but you can’t argue that these aren’t some of the beast flesh-eaters and brain-gnashers around (presented in no particular order)!
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SIMON GARTH: THE ZOMBIE! Marvel Comics Simon Garth was a man cursed to walk the Earth as the living dead, first appearing in the 1950’s in the pages of Atlas/Marvel’s Menace #5, in the Stan Lee/Bill Everett story, “Zombie!” Years later, in the ’70s, Simon Garth would walk the Earth again in the pages of Marvel’s B&W Tales of the Zombie magazine, which ran for 10 issues! Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Menace Vol. 1 HC (MAY090566) |
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DEADWORLD IDW Publishing Originally written and illustrated by Vince Locke, Deadworld had a storied publishing history, appearing sporadically throughout the’90s to today; a post-apocalyptic saga following a band of survivors pursued by the motorcycle riding “King Zombie”… definitely a more supernatural take on the zombie apocalypse! Deadworld Omnibus Vol. 1 TP (NOV100400) |
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iZOMBIE DC Comics/Vertigo Now a hit TV series, DC/Vertigo’s iZombie follows Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan, 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her own memories… but eating those brains gives her the deceased’s thoughts and personality, spurring her on to fulfill their last request, solve a crime or right a wrong. iZombie Vol. 1: Dead to the World TP (DEC100299) |
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THE WALKING DEAD Image Comics The benchmark, one that all others are measured by. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is a multi-media juggernaut, spawning TV series, video games, merchandise, memes and plenty of imitators. It is a unique property, in that it plays to two different audiences (print and TV), yet also attracts both. The Walking Dead Compendium Vol. 1 TP (MAR092419) |
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ZOMBIE TRAMP Action Lab Dan Mendoza’s Zombie Tramp is a supernatural call-girl gifted with supernatural powers and a bod that quit. But that doesn’t stop our gal from plying her trade in the world’s oldest profession. Or eating brains. Zombie Tramp TP (JUN130714) |
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NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL Marvel Comics The “Merc’ with a Mouth” vs. Zombies. Nuff Said! Night of the Living Deadpool TP (MAR140768) |
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Zombie Proof Moonstone Books Billy Bob Driwahl (a good ol’ boy handyman based on comics writer Beau Smith) was considered a nut-job when he offered “zombie-proofing” as a part of his services. So when the zombie apocalypse came, who was the crazy one? Zombie Proof HC (MAR121126) |
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MARVEL ZOMBIES Marvel Comics Once a derogatory term for comics fans who bought nothing but Marvel comics, Marvel Comics embraced the moniker and gave it a new (un)life as their cult-classic Marvel Zombies line. Spinning out of a bizarre dimension-hopping epic involving the Ultimate Fantastic Four and an alternate Earth designated “Earth-2149”, this series lead to multiple sequel series, and a chunk of prime real estate located in 2015’s Secret Wars “Battleworld”! Marvel Zombies Zomnibus HC (APR120685) |
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NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Avatar Press Spawned from George Romero’s 1968 cult-classic (and its many cinematic sequels), publishers like Avatar Press and Double Take (see Pages 343-346 this month for their listings!) launched their own zombie epics that took the films as their starting points and went well beyond them into new realms of zombie horror... Night of the Living Dead Vol. 1 TP (APR100765) |
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ARMY OF DARKNESS Dynamite Entertainment Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead protagonist Ash Williams was sent back in time to the Medieval era to face the Army of Darkness, an undead horde known as the “Deadites”… but let’s face it, they were zombies (and skeletons)! Armed with his massive chin, chainsaw, and bad attitude, they didn’t know what hit them! At least until the various sequels and specials… Army of Darkness Omnibus Vol. 1 TP (DEC090809) |
