MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY- Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood (2023) #1

I was only able to grab a copy of this issue recently, which is a shame because this would have been perfect for Halloween. But, nevertheless, I am really happy that I chose to give this title a shot. I wasn’t aware at first, but it turns out that Spider-Man gets a truly heartbreaking, tragic, and ultimately brutal story in this one. I have been a fan of Marvel Zombies from the very first time that they appeared. And while the hype for this line of books may not be the same as it was during the earlier days, it is reassuring to know that the Marvel creative team still knows how to throw hands with their in-your-face, hard-hitting, and unrelenting storytelling.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published:

October 25, 2023

Writer:

Garth Ennis, Alex Segura

Penciler:

Justin Mason, Rachael Stott, Javier Fernandez

Cover Artist:

Gabriele Dell’otto

AN ALL-NEW ERA OF MARVEL ZOMBIES! The undead plague starts here…and you know it won’t stop until everyone’s in its clutches! This first of four action-packed, utterly original, gloriously gory anthology issues features Daredevil, Spider-Man, Moon Knight and many, many more Marvel heroes and villains beset by ever-growing zombie hordes! In a brutal, bloodstained world, can hope survive? Or will creeping, gnawing, shambling horror win out at last…?

PROS:

The art of this comic book is simply amazing, no pun intended, once again. The title says everything, and the actual content of the comic book delivers on this promise: we get a lot of black, white and blood. I can say this has been one of the very best visual takes on the Marvel Zombies franchise so far, and that is saying a lot. The minimalism, the simplicity, but the extreme attention to detail makes the pictures pop out of the pages, grab you by the neck, and deliver a blood-sucking bite.
It was so painful seeing Spider-Man have to confront Aunt May in her zombie form. The sense of desperation, depression, and hopelessness could be felt in the air. Usually, Spider-Man always has a joke or two to toss around for everybody’s appreciation. But seeing Aunt May as a deformed, monstrous version of herself, in her favorite new blouse, sucked all the life and happiness out of Spider-Man. And it leads to the great tragedy of both of them dying together.
It was nice to see Jonah showing care and concern for Spider-Man, though. Jonah was even smart enough to come up with a distraction for the zombies, buying the humans some much-needed safety time. Even Peter Parker was surprised to see that the worst possible scenarios in life can actually bring the best out of people. Peter was so distraught to see his former coworkers turned into zombies. Even his first girlfriend became one of the walking dead. But it was being abandoned by the Avengers, being cornered by the zombies, and losing the ones he loves that brought Peter Parker spilling over his tipping point.
It may not have been a Spider-Man story, but with Daredevil and Punisher being so close to the Spider-Man family, they deserve a special shoutout for their short story. It was particularly harrowing seeing Daredevil being used as a zombie gladiator for people’s entertainment and greed. But precisely because of that, it was immensely satisfying seeing Punisher load his zombie body up with explosives and taking down all the baddies in one big bang. If Daredevil could not have peace, then his life was definitely worth sacrificing if it meant taking down more evil, nasty, despicable creeps.

CONS:

I really feel that the stories, especially the one revolving around Spider-Man, could have been given a full issue to be more fleshed out in detail.

FINAL GRADE: A++

I am a huge sucker for horror, and if you throw Spider-Man into the mix, then you can count me in, all in! I wish the Spider-Man story could have been extended somehow, but I will take what I can get. I am looking forward to more Marvel Zombies stories in the future, whether it be in the pages of a comic book, streamed on Disney+, or even on the big screen. Speaking of which, I hope you all enjoy The Marvels this week! In the Philippines, we get our screenings a bit earlier, so I was able to catch it already. AND I WILL NOT SPOIL ANYTHING.