It can be a tough task to craft a new, gripping Marvel story with the long history of comics. What makes things a bit tougher is taking a story, such as Marvel Zombies, initially a one-off series, that spawned into many others, and make it feel unique. First introduced years ago, Marvel Zombies seems like it might have run it’s course, but writers Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan, along with artist Jan Bazaldua prove there is more to tell in this disease infested storyline and it’s even more horrifying than ever with a red band designation.
It was the most important space flight in the history of the Marvel Universe. Four intrepid adventurers took off into the unknown and returned changed, gifted with great abilities — and hungering for human flesh! Travel back to the birth of a Marvel Universe parallel to our own but chock-full of horror! Which heroes will rise to become the champions we know and love? Which will be torn limb from limb? And which will devour the scraps? Find out in this blood-soaked series that introduces a new era of Marvel Zombies!
Mixing the genre we have come to know with Night of the Living Dead, The Walking Dead, and more with Marvel heroes and using the Fantastic Four as the catalyst may not be groundbreaking, it’s where this storyline goes that makes it something original and unique. Not to mention this is some of the most ferocious zombies and fights in Marvel history.
Parker and Sheridan were able to incorporate many different characters from over the history of Marvel Comics which added so much more to this story than I had originally expected. The first three-quarters of the collected edition (or roughly four issues) hit hard and had me wanting more. The final chapter was where things got a little off pace, but that seems like the norm for a Marvel series over the past few years, but this does not take away from the series overall.
The artwork by Bazaldua and colors by Erick Arciniega are super gruesome, gross, and unsettling at moments. Something we don’t typically see in a Marvel Comic. However, as this story is designated in the Red Band side of things, the creative team was able to take some liberties not usually afforded to the artists of the main storylines. Something Marvel Zombies needed.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band – Death Story by Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan proves there is plenty in the tank in this undead corner of the Marvel Universe. Taking our familiar heroes and blending it with relentless horror and pushing the boundaries of what Marvel usually does really makes this series brutally fresh. The artwork by Jan Bazaldua is gruesome, visually rewarding in a story such as this.
The collected edition of Marvel Zombies: Red Band hits your LCS and bookstores everywhere on May 19, 2026 from Marvel Comics.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band Preview
