Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1: From Flesh Came Hunger…

Reboots, re-tellings, re-visiting, whatever you label it has been a trend for a lot of stories over the past 15 years. Movies, television shows, comic books, nothing is safe from getting a facelift and repackaged aiming at a new set of fans and that is ok, just as long as the effort feels just as authentic as the original. In some cases, they miss the mark by incredible distances, and other times they are pretty good and merit undivided attention. Such is the case for Marvel Zombies: Resurrection. I will be the first to admit I had zero intention of even reading this until I was asked to review the book and I’m glad I read it. Crow is best served with morning coffee, in case you were wondering.

We start off with an unlikely cast of “heroes” in a post-apocalyptic world searching for the Galactus Hive so they can hopefully cure the world. Now zombie stories are a dime a dozen and hard to market a new version, however, where Phillip Kennedy Johnson shines is the pacing of the story making interesting from the first page. There are flashbacks, there’s emotion, there’s remorse, and the ever-popular take, “we can change them” and it works. Forge, Spider-Man, Moonstone, Franklin & Val Richards, Chewie, and a re-programmed sentinel named Nana. Yes, a sentinel. Right from the introduction we get the idea Forge and Spidey are co-captains with Moonstone being the middle-ground role player. Their travel eventually lead them to the Xavier School which was found by Nana, who says “it looks like a school of sorts”

Simple cheese like that line is why Phillip Kennedy Johnson makes this book work. His approach has a “have fun with it” feel to it that really comes through nicely. Whether it’s moments that put a smile on your face and get you in the feels Marvel Zombies: Resurrection fires on all cylinders. Once the crew is in the school they come across people in need of saving from a band of “Deadheads”. These Deadheads are not traveling from state to state in a van chasing the next time they will hear China Cat Sunflower. Theses Deadheads are “people” that feed other people to the zombies in exchange to keep living…if you want to call it that. Epic gore provided by Leonard Kirk lends hand to an already solid story, a prime example is when Beast appears, and all hell breaks loose.

Body parts both on the inside and outside are flying everywhere, guns are blazing, and it is just awesome. Kirk’s art really comes through with a grim feel throughout the book and matches really good with Johnson’s words. Rachelle Rosenberg on colors and Travis Lanham on letters round out the creative team. I enjoyed how Rosenberg stayed true to the iconic coloring of the characters wen needed but also brought dark and gritty colors when needed. All in all the creative team brought a solid story to the shelves that is fun, bloody, and stands on its own as a new story and not just another reboot.