INVINCIBLE versus TITAN

(Image)
Where: Invincible #1 When: January 2003
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Cory Walker

The Story So Far...
Mark Grayson may seem like any ordinary boy, but as a young child his father revealed himself to have an incredible secret -- he's the superhero Omni-Man!

Nolan had come to Earth from the planet Viltrum, and in puberty Mark would be destined to develop super-powers of his own: super-strength, speed, and flight!

In his teens: Mark enthusiastically embraces his powers and the legacy of heroism that comes with them. Devising a makeshift costume to hide his identity while he practised flying -- he eagerly embraces his first test when he happens upon an early morning diamond heist!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Invincible 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Invincible 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Invincible 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Invincible 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Invincible 3 (Acrobat)

Fighting: Invincible 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Invincible 30 (Super)

We're going right back to the very beginning! Invincible doesn't even have a superhero costume or name yet! He's still just Mark Grayson: two weeks into developing super-human strength, speed, invulnerability, and the power of flight -- perks that come from having an alien father from the planet Viltrum!

Mark hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father: visitor from another world who integrated into human society as one of its greatest champions - Omni-Man!

In the 1980s Nolan found a life with a woman he once rescued. He and Deborah Grayson were married, and thanks to the relative similarity between human and viltrumite DNA, they sired a healthy boy destined for great power.

The first test of Mark Grayson's responsibility is Titan: a low level criminal enforcer with the ability to generate a durable layer of rock over his entire body.

The casing grants Titan super-human strength and a hide capable of surviving heavy impacts -- even if he still feels the sting of bullets and other blows.

Mark only has a couple of weeks experience with his newfound powers, which could roughly be compared with Superman. Will that give Titan the edge to send the future Invincible home with a loss in his opening bout? Let's find out!

The Tape: Invincible Ranking: Draw (Not Ranked)

What Went Down...

The arrival of local law enforcement sends two well dressed diamond thieves fleeing from the scene of their successful heist. Between them is the rock-skinned Titan -- chided for failing to fulfill his intended role holding the cops at bay.

"It was a diamond heist! We knew there would be cops there! Why do you think we brought you along?!"

The super-powered enforcer makes up for his reluctance to stare down a half-dozen armed cops by tucking the suited men under each arm and leaping them over an obstructing fence. A clean getaway? Not quite...

On the other side of the fence the thieves land right in the path of a waiting masked man who delivers a powerful uppercut to Titan!

The suited thieves spill unconscious to the ground as the mystery man follows his attack on Titan with a leaping stomp that drives both feet into his chest!

The rocky villain fires back with a hard right hand that knocks his attacker off of his chest!

Titan dives through the air to take the offensive, unsure of the masked fighter's intentions. He asks: "Who the hell are you? Are you trying to stop us or rob us?" 

The hero responds with his fists -- unleashing a powerful haymaker that smashes the stone from Titan's body! A knock-out that declares his intent to stop them.

The Hammer...

The budding hero apologizes for mixed messages his handkerchief mask and goggles might be sending, but the thieves are already out cold, awaiting collection by the proper authorities.

Omni-Man happens to catch his son in his first heroic outing, and the confusing bandit chic of Mark's makeshift costume prompts the father to take his super-powered son on a rite of passage to the tailors. The next step on the path to becoming the Invincible you know and love!

The way I remember it Invincible was a relatively quick cult sensation, but in his foreword for collected editions of the series: Kurt Busiek, writing circa May 2003, describes his conceited dismissal of the new title, and its apparent slow start.

"Like the vast majority of smart-thinking Americans, I passed up INVINCIBLE #1 at least twice. Heard about the new Image "superhero line," saw the books in the catalog, and breezed right by INVINCIBLE. Just another superhero book, I thought. I've got a complete run of Nova. Of Firestorm. Of Speedball, for Pete's sake. This isn't anything I need."

I can relate to Busiek's experience.

He'd probably quibble semantics, but my thinking was somewhat similar. At first glance the Invincible #1 cover is not very remarkable. Plain even. The costume always made me wonder if it was all just somebody's joking attempt to turn the Image Comics logo into a mascot. The internal influences seemed uncomfortably obvious as well: Superman meets Spider-Man, with Savage Dragon action. A hint of Dragon Ball Z flavour may or may not be deliberate.

Busiek goes on to tell us that Firebreather and Dominion were his choices from Image's new wave of the time. Not being a smart-thinking American, I connected with the deepcuts of UK import Jack Staff.

Jack Staff wasn't particularly veiled with its references either, but it pulled from the far less common source of 1960s British comics. Curiosities that I'd enjoyed as a young boy and was eager to do so again, even though I'm not nearly that old. I just happened to discover one of the vital joys of comics at an early age -- back issues!

I like a certain amount of complication. It's the cornerstone of shared universes and one of the great and unique strengths of serial comic books. If things were too simple they'd be boring. Yet by 2003 online comic book fandom had begun to organize around some burgeoning ugly ideas.

Viral myths deeming Superman uniquely "unrelatable" and impossible to feature in "good" stories began to spread. The deeply regrettable phrase "new reader friendly" was coined to give common short-hand to a confused and anxious group convinced history had made American comics uniquely unapproachable. A hideous contradiction that would make human existence impossible. I did not approve.

Invincible seemed to be participating in both of these unfortunate preoccupations, but that wasn't the whole story. Sure, it reduced the Superman archetype to a fallible teenager, and very famously indulges in the increasingly common trope of the evil Superman. It does attempt to be "new reader friendly" and succeeds at that feat very effectively, but it doesn't do it at the expense of comic book excess.

Some of the impression that Invincible was overly-simplified comes from the relatively straight-laced earnestness of it all. It's only post-modern in the most basic of facets, a byproduct of passing time. Otherwise, it avoids commentary or subversion to its betterment. It is unabashedly a superhero comic. Apparent with its references, but still determinedly individual enough to join the pantheon.

Invincible's costume is one of the few meta gags worked into the first issue, using Robert Kirkman's search for an iconic design as part of Mark Grayson's origin story, and the invention of Arthur Rosenbaum: superhero tailor.

The idea of a specialist tailor, or armorer, was an emerging trend of the new millennium fixation with pseudo-practicality. Kirkman gets more out of the idea by using scrapped design concepts to tell his story. The orange & yellow costume Mark Grayson tries on first, and Rosenbaum's assumption that solar batteries would be a useful accessory to a Superman-esque character, directly references Kirkman's earlier conception for his character, then called Bulletproof.

He later spins the serviceable, if slightly generic, earlier design into another character -- Zandale Rudolph -- benefitting from the work done in this first issue. New reader friendly? Pff! You just got backdoored into big boy comics, buddy!

There's "continuity" all over this first issue that will eventually pay off later. It's implicit in the very first pages, where Cory Walker lays out an effective cold open action scene that features a fully realised Invincible grappling with what might, at first glance, appear to be a suicide bomber. A topical assumption in 2003 that gets flipped on its head in future issues.

For the record: I like Cory Walker's artwork. It's got the hallmarks of a modern American superhero comic artist, but a character all its own. Its simple linework lends well to the series' future in animation, and his sense of action is energetic and bombastic. The thin sharpness of his lines, and quirky details feel a little bit European, but there's an anime flavour bubbling beneath the surface, too. I say anime, rather than manga, because a sense of movement is a common feature.

Like the less-than-remarkable cover -- occasionally the staging of scenes is a little too underdone -- but I also greatly appreciate the anime-style stillness he's able to achieve in quieter moments. Scenes of domesticity are as natural as the Kirby by way of Larsen bursts of bombastic wall breaking. You don't always get both.

It'll take an unfortunately long time, but today's featured fight antagonist, Titan, will also take on far greater significance. He gets a little lost in the shuffle, sitting out dozens of issues as the series juggles human drama, other high concept fun, and a commitment to the alien aspect of the title-character that becomes the series' signature. I know you know about Omni-Man, but we'll get to that another time.

If you don't know about Invincible but want to start learning you can start your journey with a tiny bite of Invincible Vol.1: Family Matters or devour the first year of issues with Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1. By using the Amazon purchase links provided you'll not only get an easy and convenient deal, but also help support the site at no extra cost to you!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! If you'd like to see more Invincible, or just help support this project in general, you can get involved on Patreon. As a thank you you'll gain access to additional updates, polls, and options to choose future feature content.

Discover more by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fight articles in order of publisher, series, and issue number. If you've entered into the world of comics through invincible it's a nice way to go deeper into the comic book multiverse! Follow links throughout posts to search for specific subjects.

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Winner: Invincible
#345 (new) Invincible
#955 (new) Titan

ZOMBIES versus ZOMBIES
Marvel Zombies Conclusion (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Zombies #5 When: June 2006
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Sean Phillips

The Story So Far...
Earth 2419: A frightening twisted version of the Marvel Universe, infected by the decay of an alien virus that turns all infected into decomposing, viracious zombies.

With the Earth's population decimated by the super powered zombies, food supplies begin to run low.
Failing to follow their zombified Fantastic Four into a parallel universe (Earth-1610), the zombies finish the last active snack, Magneto, before the heavens present a miracle.

The timing of his arrival affected by unknown elements of this universe; the Silver Surfer descends in present-day to assess the viability of the Earth for consumption by his master - Galactus: Devourer of Worlds. Irony smiles upon the fortunes of Earth, however, and the Surfer is quickly devoured by the once heroic collective of Avengers, granting them the alien energies of the power cosmic!

With their newly aquired powers the zombies seek to feast on Galactus himself, but first they must face the zombie horde of those who opposed them in life. Freed of the moral constraints that spurred their infinite war, the rabid heroes march against their enemies in a battle to the undead-death.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dr. Doom 6 (Genius)
Speed: Colonel America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Juggernaut 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Super-Skrull 6 (UWMD)


- The zombie-heroes are: Colonel America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-man, and Giant-Man.

The Avengers were the first to fall before the zombie infestation of Earth-2419.
Carried by an alternate universe Sentry who had escaped from the gates of the afterlife; the plague spread to even the most powerful members, benefitting from the powers of the likes of Thor to spread the undead plague throughout the superhero community.

Despite retaining cognitive function, the heroes quickly abandon their morals, driven mad by the bloodlust of hunger, to lay waste to the Earth's population.
The few who remain uninfected whittle the zombies number, among them; Magneto, the Acolytes, Black Panther, and Reed Richards of Earth-1610.

Eventually the zombies themselves decimate their own in desperation, leaving only Hulk, Spider-man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Power Man, and Giant-Man, to devour and absorb the powers of Galactus, becoming the interdimensional menace called The Galacti.

As the Galacti they possess the immense energies of the power cosmic, while the many zombies previous retained their abilities from life, with a deminished physical integrity and penchant for bouts of mindless violence caused by the hunger.

- The zombie-villains are: Red Skull, Mole Man, Green Goblin, Super-Skrull, Rhino, Juggernaut, Venom, Dr. Octopus, Stilt-Man, Lizard, and Dr. Doom.

Like their heroic counterparts, the villains of Earth-2419 succumbed to the spread of the zombie plague. Their already questionable morals were altered far less than their counterparts, but in a world where the ravenous hordes quickly became the mainstream, their struggles are on an even kilter.

As with the hero zombies; the villains possess all the abilities they had prior to infection, albeit with a dramatically reduced physical integrity due to decay. Likewise, they are also susceptible to the intellectual haze caused by hunger.

Math: Villains (Ttl) Heroes (Avg) Ranking: Iron Man (#3)

What Went Down...
With Galactus toppled by the cosmic powers of the heroic zombies, the villains who played an integral part in the assault find themselves at odds with their traditional foes. The two factions face off to fight for their food, with the first shot fired by a cosmically endowed Colonel America, who blasts the head clean off of Mole Man's shoulders!

The two sides clash, but the villains quickly find themselves outmatched by the heroes who gained control over the power cosmic by devouring Silver Surfer [Marvel Zombies #3].

Spider-man endures a slash from the taloned fingertips of Venom, only to return fire with a blast of cosmic energy. The costume recoils from Eddie Brock's body, revealing the zombie corpse to be an insufficient host for the symbiotic creature.

Meanwhile, the armored Juggernaut scoffs Wolverine's one-armed stand.
With his healing factor decimated by decomposition, Wolverine's own adamantium laced claws tore through his now missing limb. The already dimwitted Juggernaut suffers for his boast as Wolverine plunges his clawed hand into the exposed mouth of his magically endowed foe, only to blast his decrepid flesh with a swelling mass of cosmic energy!

The raging X-Man turns his attentions to his undead nemesis, Sabretooth, while Giant-Man does away with Rhino with a decapitating blast of the power cosmic.

Colonel America has his own personal showdown, facing off in a physical mismatch with the Nazi, Red Skull. Already his physical superior, the zombified Skull provides little challenge for the zombie icon.

At close quarters, Red Skull loses an arm for his troubles, but delights in the Colonel's absent mindedness. Having had the top of his head sliced open by Magneto [Marvel Zombies #1], the Colonel's wounds provide Red Skull the ultimate equaliser. Tearing at the rotting remnants of Colonel America's brain, Red Skull puts an end to the undead life of the zombie super-soldier.

Spider-man spots the showdown too late to intervene, but scores a vengeful blow for his fallen leader, decapitating the cackling Red Skull with an energy blast, leaving the head to burst like a tomato beneath the heel of Giant-Man.

Green Goblin falls to the cosmic power of Spider-man, while Super-Skrull is stretched to breaking by Giant-Man, who also decimates Dr. Doom with the power cosmic. Finally, Wolverine finishes Dr. Octopus, severing the two remaining mechanical arms, before ending the villain.

The heroes stand triumphant as Galactus rises, crackling with energy. Little does the great devourer know, he faces an enemy like none he has ever seen... [Marvel Zombies #5]

The Hammer...
The Marvel Zombies win! Fatali... Er, you get the idea.

Alright, let's work out how this went down.
Colonel America killed Mole Man; Spider-man took out Venom & Green Goblin; Wolverine killed Juggernaut, Sabretooth, (& Dr. Octopus); Giant-Man killed Rhino, Red Skull, Super-Skrull, and Dr. Doom; and Red Skull killed Colonel America (downgrading his contribution to an assist).

For the trainspotters: Lizard and Stilt-Man go almost unnoticed, but if you look carefully enough, you'll know they're there. The action is really focused on key skirmishes, but Philips works in enough background detail to imply vital input from heroes like Luke Cage and Iron Man, and the presence of these mostly obscured villains.

I don't want to get too wrapped up in the 'game' aspect of the Infinite Wars, but it's probably worth elaborating on the ranking aspects for those who came in late.
Our interpretation is that these alternate universe versions of characters fairly contribute to the win/loss tally by representing elements of unlocked potential. For versions deemed definitively removed (ie; Superboy-Prime) we accept a seperate ranking, but in the case of Earth-2149, only zombie infection differentiates the basic make-up of the characters.

It's a fine line that might be subject to change, and if you have an opinion on this aspect of the blog, you should feel encouraged to drop a comment. It's a discussion we usually prefer to avoid, but it doesn't hurt to hear your thoughts.

As you might have gathered Marvel Zombies is just another perfect contribution to our October spookfest here on the Infinite Wars. As is becoming characteristic of the site, our schedule is running a week behind, suitably enough this time because I had an infection of my own. We're not here to hear about that, though.

Whilst sick I fell in love with zombies all over again whilst watching plague films like Doomsday, Resident Evil, and the Dawn of the Dead remake (which turned out to be much better than I had imagined). Of course, while this immersion in the genre made it easy to come back to Marvel's version of the undead, it did shine further light on the gaping weaknesses of the series.

For a high-concept spin-off from the Ultimate books [ie; UFF #23]; Zombies probably deserves some accolade for grafting something very similar to a plot to the mini. However, after seemingly attempting to take back the derogatory 'Marvel Zombie' descriptor, the series has come to encompass the type of oveworked brand serviced by those very same mindlessly dedicated fans.

I feel a little inside-out talking about the series in negative terms.
To be fair, the most recent incarnation [Marvel Zombies 3] manages to lend gravitas to the brand by admirably introducing it to the Marvel Universe proper. This kind of investment in the concept is what I believe will win Geoff Johns' inevitably compared Black Lanterns kudos, benefitting from the more immediate sense of meaning. It's a point that encompasses Marvel's situation.

I think it's retroactive perspective that has me looking far more negatively upon the first series, which was at the time, fun enough, if already clichéd.

As if presenting a fasttrack guide to Marvel's historic development processes; the Zombies series have arguably found their narrative strength the farther they've gone. Millar's original required only a vague antagonising concept akin to the anonymous threat best associated with zombies, while Kirkman elaborates on the very same characters immediately after Millar's work, indulging moreso in retro superheroes, whilst perhaps saving the good ideas for his own series (Image's; Walking Dead).

The concept of superhero zombies is a very interesting one.
Kirkman, whilst doing little to use the strong conventions of the sub-genre, offers some justification with the simple exploration of the superhero zombie. By keeping elements of the characters intact he really does tell more of a macabre superhero story than a zombie thriller, but even this has it's own merits. I have to at least acknowledge this version's conceits of cognitive function -- which deteriorates with the rise of hunger, but is diminished (in Zombies 2) with a clarity provided by longterm starvation. It provides a chance, albeit a shallow one, to look at zombies with some sense of existential self-awareness.

This only goes so far, however, leaving questions of sustainability and other reflections provided by the genre to his creator-owned work. Not that I say that with any contempt. I haven't read the stuff, but arguably because I anticipate a competence I would not want influencing me in my own aspirations to explore the genre in comics. [Is now a bad time to plug my $1.99 comic?]

On that self-indulgence; there's the matter of the origins of the zombie plague. Later series awkwardly bound the Marvel Zombies to licensed contributions from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise, a fact sure to bite them in the arse in decades to come (so buy now if you want it), but still answered some questions about the spread. The origins, of course, like so many zombie tales, remain obscured, provided by an interdimensional introduction similar to our first meeting with the concept (in Millar's Crossover arc of Ultimate Fantastic Four).


As a bit of a fan for procedural detail, I think the most fascinating concept not yet hammered in to the ground by zombie comics and film is the origin story. Not so much the cause of the plague, which was given a competent sci-fi origin in Resident Evil, but how traditional zombies can achieve their terrifying hordes. While I have to admit, the concept lends a slow burn potentially fatal to audiences, but it's a concept I'd very much like to explore.

With any luck we'll talk speculatively a bit more about what history might lie behind the history of the Marvel Zombies. Probably a refreshing change from the repetitive brow furrowing these entries tend to devolve into.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 4.5

Are you a dedicated Marvel Zombie? Want to avoid those inevitable rights struggles that render the backstory out-of-print? Dive in now and take advantage of Amazon's online purchases! By using links provided you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars, and open yourself up to a world of financial exploitation through our Gift Shoppe. Let's face it. You like comics, I like comics. Why not? Collected editions featuring most issues reviewed are available! Hey, it beats being part of the effectless mass! C'mon!

MARVEL ZOMBIES versus GALACTUS
Marvel Zombies Conclusion (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Zombies #5 When: June 2006
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Sean Phillips

The story so far...
Earth 2419: A frightening twisted version of the Marvel Universe, infected by the decay of an alien virus that turns all infected into decomposing, viracious zombies.

With the Earth's population decimated by the super powered zombies, food supplies begin to run low.
Failing to follow their zombified Fantastic Four into a parallel universe, the zombies finish the last active snack, Magneto, before the heavens present a miracle.

His arrival affected by unknown elements of this universe, the Silver Surfer shows up in present-day to assess the viability of the Earth for consumption by his master -- Galactus: Devourer of Worlds.

The Surfer's defeat paves the wave for the wrath of Galactus, but the devourer who knows no satisfactions appears to have met his match. Having ingested portions of the Silver Surfer's cosmically powered carcass, the Marvel Zombies have absorbed his cosmic power, and prepare to turn it against it's master!

Previous Form:
Marvel Zombies [#5]: Victories over Magneto and the Silver Surfer.
Galactus: Making his first appearance in the Infinite Wars.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Galactus 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Galactus 7 (Infinite Wisdom)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Galactus 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Sabretooth 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy Powers: Galactus 7 (Solar Power)


Okay, we should probably clarify the mass of characters interacting in this particular fight. Actually, we have a bit of a unique situation, given that there's a distinctly seperate fight in the middle of this one. We're going to conclude that the battle against Galactus is a singular fight in this particular saga, and leave the in-fighting between the two factions interesting in G-man to another day.

There are two groups who do battle with Galactus.
While the "heroes" are figuring out how to use the defeated Silver Surfer's cosmic energy [Marvel Zombies #3] against Galactus, the zombified villains of this world emerge to take their own shot at the world devourer buffet on offer.

The villains are, in no particular order: Super-Skrull, Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Stilt-man, Juggernaut, Rhino, Sabretooth, Venom, Dr. Doom, Red Skull and the Moleman.

Conversely, we welcome back many of the core zombie heroes from previous issues; Colonel America, Hulk, Luke Cage, Iron Man, Spider-man, Wolverine, and the brains behind the development of the weapon that harnesses the deceased Surfer's power, Giant-Man aka Hank Pym.

Though far from peak conditioning, this collective of heroes and villains is one impressive unit by any standard. Decomposition may undermine their physical strengths, but never the less, the challenge of the likes of Super-Skrull, Dr. Doom, Venom and the strategic assist from Hank Pym makes for a compelling argument. Then again, they are up against Galactus.

The world devourer represents one of the most powerful active presences in the Marvel Universe. His wealth of cosmic energy has spawned many herald off-springs, while still sponsoring his own space faring reputation built on the destruction and consumption of worlds. This is no guy to sneeze at!

Though made famous for a retreat, it should be noted that the Fantastic Four's defeat of Galactus in his first appearance was more of an agreed upon treaty than any kind of combative triumph for the FF. Such is the power of Galactus, that he has the luxury of living a life bound by his own strict rules, and not the whims of defeat in battle.

Though defeat is feasible (re; Annihilation), the zombie weaknesses of this mass is the most glaring factor undermining their potential for victory. On their best day, the combined minds of Dr. Doom and Hank Pym might represent hope, but otherwise, they stand ready to be mowed down by cosmic energy.

The Math: Marvel Zombies (Total) Galactus (Average)
The Pick: Galactus (Cosmic Class)

What went down...
Having returned from a strategic retreat, the Marvel Zombies gain the attentions of the world devouring Galactus with a massive burst of cosmic energy harvested from the Silver Surfer's broken body, and focused through a weaponized cannon.

Various villains, having engaged Galactus in straight combat similar to the heroes' previous efforts, spill as the blasted Galactus begins to lurch and fall to the earth.

Flat on the mat, Galactus is left in a more vulnerable position for the earth-bound villains to make their frenzied attack -- but the heroes, whose efforts toppled the mighty cosmic warrior, intervene to stake their claim to the fresh meat.

After a drawn out fight that sees the destruction of the villains, and the loss of Colonel America, the cosmic powered Marvel Zombies turn their attentions back to Galactus.

Having recovered from the previous attack, Galactus crackles with power cosmic, rueing the futile efforts to defy his might.

Stunned that Galactus survived the two focused beams of energy fired from Pym's cannon, Spider-man and the other cosmic powered Marvel Zombies regroup to take the fight back to the originator of the power cosmic.

The heroes launch a savage physical attack, pinning the devourer to the Earth as he spews cosmic energy like a massive battery.

The enhanced zombe heroes rip and tear at Galactus' perceived armor, finding the apparent evidence of the flesh and meat they so desire.

Unrelenting, the heroes pursue their attack, giving the cumbersome Galactus no opportunity to stay their efforts. Like a man being eaten alive by ants, Galactus has no choice but to lie and accept his fate -- death on Earth.

Like a pack of pirhanas, the zombies tear Galactus apart, devouring him and subsequently absorbing all his cosmic energies have to offer. It is a feast the likes of which has not been seen for quite some time. Bloody victory, is theirs.

The hammer...
With full bellies and even more power, the Marvel Zombies find themselves victorious once again, against overwhelming odds.

While I think we could question the validity of the victory, you cannot deny the result. Which I guess provides us an immediate segue into the contemplative discussion usually housed in this final section of our regular posts.

I have a fairly general complaint about this series, which manages to blanket much of the action, and conceptual development in this series.
The numbers, the lists, the tape. You've seen my work. I like to process things like simplistic, mathematical formulas. The idea of creating a tangential universe is ripe ground for this kind of thought process, and it's the lack of consideration in it's development that is the source of my disappointment.

Recent additions to the Marvel Zombies branding have revealed the process by which the plague spread through the community. While we were privvy to interesting and cute methods; like zombie Mystique posing as Scarlet Witch to infect the otherwise inaccessible Quicksilver; it essentially spent very little time on the numerical spread of the infection, content with vague specifics that alluded to widspread infection. Consideration for characters with unique defenses and counter abilities were largely overlooked -- we mentioned this in a previous entry, featuring Wolverine under threat of vampirism. [Blade #5]

During the original mini-series, and this issue in particular, we then have similar glossing of points, like the very nature of Galactus. There's a shakey relationship between Galactus as an abstract anomoly, and a physical threat to worlds.

The theory is that Galactus appears however a subject perceives him on an individual basis. Presumably this means there is more to Galactus than a giant man, and certainly more than the purple mini-skirt and tricked out pope-hat.
So, as cute and clever as it is to have the insatiable hunger of the zombies satisfied by the famous world devourer -- it undermines the unique nature of Galactus as a cosmic manifestation.

In some vague twist of fate, I've always liked the notion of Galactus existing as a sentient cloud, something like an autonomous gas giant. I would use the Stephen Soderbergh Solaris remake as a prime example, but it bares startling resemblence to the teased Galactus in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
As a true manifestation, it is nicely conceivable that a cloud of formless sentience could be perceived as many different things, including the familiar Kirby designed character we know and love.

Ultimately, Marvel Zombies represents the hook fairly well.
Continuing to be a source of revenue for Marvel comics, the concept overstays it's welcome, reflecting the kitschy fascination with broad thematic archetypes that has clogged internet humor and cutesy comics. It's big, broad, dumb fun, that potentially overstays it's welcome, even at five simple issues.

With several one-shots, a crossover mini-series, a current crossover arc in Black Panther, and an upcoming sequel mini that parodies Marvel's Civil War, Marvel proves one fascinating thing: Zombies can be defeated by destroying the brain, severing the head, or hammering them into the ground.

Believe me, if there's something we know, it's hammers.

It's not all negative though. Though underhanded, it is a genuine compliment when I say this is dumb fun. It's maybe just a little dumber than World War Hulk, featuring far fewer moving parts, but a similar penchant for big superhero battles. Magneto, Silver Surfer and Galactus each provide the sparring opposition, while there's also an underlying story about Black Panther and the surviving Acolytes, who return from space at the end of the series.

This does nicely to leave the thread which is ultimately picked up in the current Fantastic Four-centric arc in Black Panther.

The zombie hunger is recharacterized, as Galactus gives way to the collective Galacti. Having absorbed his energies through consumption, the zombie survivors take to the spaceways, seeking out planets to quite literally devour, putting a more personal touch on Galactus' old job.

Having slipped into this parallel universe; Black Panther and the current FF find themselves face-to-face with the zombie Galacti in the current story. However unlikely, this actually serves to be perhaps the most impressive use of the device since Mark Millar's original introduction in Ultimate Fantastic Four.

Speaking of hammers, I once again find myself hunched over keyboard in the dark of the AM, losing my train of thought in a maelstrom of words and critical analysis. Fitting then that I should be the subject of such scrutiny!

The Broken Frontier's Bart Croonenborghs has the special honour of being the first out of the gates on the KMI front. His review of The Kirby Martin Inquest #1 [availble online @ nitelitetheatre.com] proves to be an astute and receptive look at the series, with a pleasantly polite outlook.

A few misconceptions aside (the book's timeframe, and format), it's a good opportunity to test the water if you've been as yet undecided about your purchase of the title. Particularly useful for the Infinite Wars faithful, who might have misconceptions about my range as a writer.
Although, even if this somehow doesn't tickle your fancy, I'd emplore you to support independent comics by buying it anyway. You can always use it to line your bird cage, or wrap around a back with a threatening message written on the bold white of the mask picture on the cover.

Before we close, it would be remiss of me not to get in the obvious dig about the Marvel Zombies cover, which was no doubt comissioned with glee by editor-in-chief, Joe Quesada.

See what I did there?...

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4.5
[A fun concept, perpetuating Robert Kirkman's association with zombies, and slightly mediocre writing for Marvel properties. A concept that overstayed it's welcome, it might be a matter of choosing this, or the Evil Dead crossover.]

MARVEL ZOMBIES versus SILVER SURFER
Marvel Zombies (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Zombies #3 When: April 2006
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Sean Phillips

The story so far...
In the universe dubbed 2149, heroes and villains are no longer of any relevant concern. However, this is not a reality of uptopian peace and harmony among man.
The super powered heroes and villains of the Marvel universe have simply become infectious walking dead -- zombies!

With humanity all but exterminated, and the efforts of the genius zombified Reed Richards having been foiled by his alternate counterpart, the zombies are tortured by their lust for fresh meat.

Their undead prayers are soon answered with the arrival of a chrome skinned spaceman called the Silver Surfer, who warns of the coming of the great devourer, but they've got news for him: HE'S the one that's going to get devoured!

Previous Form:
Silver Surfer (#28): Silver Surfer had a victory over Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner.
Marvel Zombies: They ate Magneto...

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Giant-Man 6 (Genius)
Speed: Nova 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Silver Surfer 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Silver Surfer 7 (Solar Power)


Ah, well, here we are again, approaching once more the monumental task of one unfortunate against the ravenous league of the Marvel Zombies. No, not the fans! The infected heroes and villains of the title of the same name.

Our format has changed considerably since the last time we did this [Marvel Zombies #1], and because of that, I feel the need to at least clarify the roster of zombified characters we are dealing with. They are as follows: Iron Man, Nova, Vulture, Falcon, Storm, Thor, Moon Knight, Black Bolt, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Wolverine, Angel, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Crystal, Gambit, Ghost Rider, Speedball, Deadpool, Black Widow, Giant-Man, Spider-man, Hulk, Beast, Hercules and Power Man, Luke Cage.

That's twenty-seven zombie characters all up!
A pretty big ask for even the Silver Surfer, whose power cosmic provides a wide array of strengths and abilities.

A few people, in response to the Rise of the Silver Surfer trailer have expressed explicit confusion about the nature of the character's abilities. To clarify some of that (and hopefully make this section less boring than usual), the Surfer does not phase through objects.
At least, not in such bland terms. "Phasing" is an expression I would limit to a Kitty Pryde, whose chief ability relates to intangibility and passing through objects.

At various stages the extent of Silver Surfer's cosmic powers have been explored, highlighting his abilities on a molecular and atomic level. So, as far as passing through buildings and buses and whatnot, he's less "phasing" than he is displaying his brisk harmony with the universe, and molecular manipulation.
Given some time and energy, he could probably turn lead into gold, too.

So, against an army of Marvel Zombies, does this come in handy?
Maybe, but it isn't one of his chief abilities and requires some effort, so he's not about to try to turn Iron Fist into cheese mid-fight. He's more likely, as I'm sure you're about to see, mow them down with raw blasts of cosmic energy.

Since even Wolverine has been ravaged by the degenerative qualities of this particular brand of zombie-ism, it's safe to say the Surfer has a great chance of coming out on top here. That said, many of them retain their offensive powers, which does pose a problem.

I guess at the end of this we just have to look at it as one for the fans. Cheap!

The Math: Marvel Zombies (Total) Silver Surfer (Average)
The Pick: The Silver Surfer

What went down...
Trust the math to cop-out and pick both sides!
Things kick off from the opening of this action-packed issue! A zombified Tony Stark [pictured above] leads the charge, with various other flying characters hovering around for a taste of the action.

Not one for emotion at the best of times, and not really used to people doing anything but cower in fear in his presence, Silver Surfer meets their challenge willingly. His cosmic plast tears through Iron Man's armor with ease, shredding his decaying body at the waist.

The airborne torso manages to snag the Surfer's board and leg, while the Vulture and Nova swing around for a bite of the cherry. They provide sufficient interference to pull the Surfer's cosmic blast off course.
It narrowly misses Stark's head, leaving him free to ravenously attempt to take a bite out of the chrome thigh before him. His teeth chip on the cosmic wrap, much to the Surfer's stoic disgust.

"In all my travels -- I have never encountered such creatures!"
He frees himself of the full nelson, and fires off devestating blasts at Nova and Captain Mar-Vell, penetrating gut and face respectively.

A lurking Thor makes his presence known, swinging his mighty hammer Mjolnir with a thundering KROOM!
The force of the blow knocks the Silver Surfer from his board, but likewise shatters the stone head of the Asgardian hammer. Perhaps the barer was no long worthy...

Landing hard on the apocalyptic street level below, the harbinger from space finds himself with many more abominations to contend with.

Colonel America leads the charge, promising double rations to the man or woman who makes the kill. Something easier said than done. The Vulture and Moon Knight each take the brunt of cosmic blasts, followed by Namor, and Falcon.

Charging through some of the other street level characters, Wolverine declares his intentions, but is quickly embarrassed.
The mutant takes a swipe with his adamantium claws, but while the skeleton is willing, the flesh is weak. His claws and forearm tear straight through his failing skin and flesh as he strikes the Surfer's sturdy chest.

With his healing factor unable to fight the decomposition, and no ligaments to contain his adamantium laced bones, Wolverine trims the fat. With his good arm, he slices away at the exposed bones and ragged edges of torn skin and muscle.
At this time, he feels a tap at his ankle.

The upper torso of Iron Man asks Wolverine for a lift, and with his one good arm, he's all too happy to oblige a fastball special.

Iron Man hurtles through the falling and fighting bodies of Speedball, Ghost Rider, Deadpool and others, as Gambit's disembodied head floats across the battlefield. Giant-Man arrives from his lab in time to witness the slaughter, and remains content to hideout in the shadows of the alleyways for the time being.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Bruce Banner and Spider-man are both carrying prominent injuries. Banner, with a hole in his gut, feels the hunger gnawing, while Spidey metaphorically gnaws at himself, relieving his body of a useless, dangling leg. By then, Banner is no more, and Hulk has entered the fight.

Don't make him hungry. You wouldn't like him when he's hungry!

The Surfer continues to expell his energies, fending off the never-ending physical onslaught of the zombie armada.

Beast, Black Bolt and others are tossed aside as the rampaging Hulk charges at the first signs of food! He snatches the Surfer from Beast's grip, and scoops him up valiantly in a cradle, declaring "the silver man" as his.

The Surfer has other ideas, firing off a double barrelled blast of cosmic energy at point blank. The gambit is enough to free him from the green goliath's grip, and gives him an opportunity to reunite with his surfboard.

With Colonel America and others in pirsuit, it is again the Hulk who gets the benefit of the alien. Hulk's mighty leap sees him landing atop the chrome herald, forcing them again away from the intergalactic surfboard.

Furious about the damage suffered at the Surfer's blast; a charred face Hulk, seething with strength, guarantees the Silver Surfer regret his resistence.

The Hulk's teeth and jaws prove powerful enough to penetrate the Silver Surfer's hardy exterior. He crunches down, biting the head off like a crazed rockstar.
The cosmic energies housed within spew forth from both the Hulk's mouth, and the gaping neck of the gleeming herald to Galactus.

Giant-Man steps out of the shadows to give Iron Man and Spidey a helping hand toward the feeding. Thor, Wolverine, Powerman and Colonel America are all quick to get their fill, before having the torn body snatched away by Giant-Man.

As things start to get nasty amongst the squabbling zombies, Colonel America makes the discovery that they have inherited some of the Surfer's power by feasting on his chromed flesh. He does so by blasting Beast's objecting head off.

The hammer...
Is there any way being eaten could make you the victor? With the killing blow struck by the Hulk, I declare the Marvel Zombies victorious! Assists for all, with Hulk picking up the kill!

I've probably gone a bit generous on this one. There were a few characters thrown in there getting the assist who really weren't seen to be all that effective. Crystal shows up for a single panel, as best as I can recall at 2:30am.
There's some implication that Gambit is about to do something pretty spectacular, but the biggest scenes for the Cajun are being blasted through the chest, and his decapitated head being thrown across the background.

Still, I guess thems the breaks when we dare to do these BIG superhero battles on Secret Earths. They're usually a bit of fun to read, but when it comes to recapping and judging, it can be a bit of a pain in the ol' arse, if I may say so.

A lot of love being thrown the Marvel Zombies way again with the recent Army of Darkness vs Marvel Zombies mini-series.
I haven't had the chance to pick up any issues yet, but I do have one distinct problem with the project. No, it's not the longevity of the concept, and it isn't anything to do with burning sacred cows. It's the longterm logic of it.

As near as I can tell, the series is set before this particular mini we reviewed here today [Marvel Zombies], but that means Ash and the Army of Darkness intellectual properties, rights and trademarks are being tied into something that will inevitably outlast any agreement between the involved parties.
So not only do you have a concept from an unrelated medium impeding on proceedings, but there's the real likelihood that it will prevent any canonical reference to this period of the past.

Of course, I might be scaremongering there. It might not really matter, and certainly for the on-going adventures of the Marvel Zombies, I can't imagine it will. I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming storyarc with Black Panther and the new Fantastic Four.

Dramatic resonances of the Black Panther involvement aside [BP is a surviving human in Marvel Zombies], I just think it's a nice change of pace to be seeing quirky concepts like this being drifted toward the 'serious' business.
It could very easily overstay it's welcome, and cross into in-your-face mundanity, but for the time being I watch with interest.

On another related note -- if you backtrack through the downing of what went, you'll notice during Thor's moment of glory I made reference to Mjolnir.
The hammer explodes upon impact with the Surfer, which isn't really what Mjolnir is known for in the regular universe, so it potentially answers a question I would have asked: -- Is zombie Thor still worthy of lifting the enchanted hammer?

I guess you could theorize that deep-down he is worthy, and that the spell is somewhat robotic or mechanical in it's determination. You could extrapolate to come up with some sort of meta-mystic theory that the hammer shattered because it was weakened byproxy by the infection.
Or you could just say it was a fun moment, with a bit of creative oversight.

Certainly, despite an upcoming prequel, the series does not feel like something carefully crafted and built atop lengthy planning. Which is where some of my concerns for the Zombies franchise enter the picture, but we'll burn it as it comes.

Ah, we can also harken back to a discussion had previously [What if...? #24], where I asked how Wolverine, healing factor and all, could be infected to begin with. Apparently the proposition here is that the zombie infection has simply overpowered his regenerative capabilities.
It's a simple solution, but I can't help but think it isn't what I'd go with...

Well, it's getting late and I'm probably minutes away from getting incoherrent, so I'll wrap it up here. Stay tuned for next week when we wrap up with a MAJOR finale for What If Wednesdays, and fight out where we're going next in the May Punch-Up! Cheers!

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 5.5

MAGNETO versus ZOMBIES
"Marvel Zombies Part 1 of 5"
Where: Marvel Zombies #1 When: February 2006
Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Sean Phillips

The story so far...
As previously seen in Mark Millar's Ultimate Fantastic Four, in an almost identical alternate reality, the heroes have succumbed to a deadly plague that renders them little more than zombies.

With food supplies running thin in this world, Reed Richards attempted to reach out to his counterpart of the Ultimate universe, to lure him into a trap. Eventually the Magneto of this bizarre world was able to thwart plans of immigration, trapping the evil Fantastic Four in another dimension, but damning himself to remain with the infected in his own.

Tale of the tape...
Though infected with a zombie plague, this world really isn't so different from our own... well, y'know... their Magneto isn't, at least.

By and large most of Magneto's strengths are much the same, however in this particular scenario he is considerably drained, considering he's already taken part in events prior.

Stamina: 6 (Generator)
Energy Powers: 6 (Mass Destruction)

This stamina rating is obviously not at all indicative of the punishment Magneto's strength has already taken, but it does reflect his uncanny ability to constantly find something more in the most dire of situations.

Though in ruins, the fact that Magneto faces his adversaries in a city is no small factor. With a limitless supply of metals at his whim, Magneto potentially has at his fingertips an entire arsenal of ammunition. Which means if he can stay alive long enough to gather his energy, he's a pretty good chance.

Of course, staying alive is considerably easier said than done, when a dozen super heroes want to maim and eat you. Super heroes like; Daredevil, Spider-man, Moon Knight, Giant-man, Captain America, Luke Cage, Angel, Wolverine, Nova, Falcon, oh yeah, and the Norse God of thunder - Thor.

As daunting as that sounds, on paper, Magneto is always a very good chance.

What went down...
So... Magneto, dented helmet and all, stumbles around infront of some of the most powerful heroes undead. Not exactly a place you want to be, but then, there is that cuty of metal I was talking about...

Magneto summons up his strength and hurls anything he can find at the closing zombies. Shang Chi, Nova, Thor, Nighthawk, Cyclops, Daredevil and Moon Knight all take damage, giving Magneto the chance he needs to flee. Let's be honest, when you're in a city overrun by super powered zombies, cowardly is probably out of the equation.

Spider-man, out of webfluid, falls behind leaving Captain America to take pursuit to Magneto - shield in tow. I'm pretty sure the accompanying image should adequately inform where that headed. Metal shield, good one, Cap.

Magneto takes the shield and runs, finding temporary refuge in an alley amongst the ruins of New York City.

While laying low, the mutant master of magnetism receives word from Asteroid M, which has presumably survived zombie incursion. Intending to find a way to reach his satellite base, Magneto heads for the cover of the sewers, but [Not like this!] he's spotted by zombie Hawkeye.

Magneto decapitates the archer with Captain America's shield, but not before taking an arrow to the gut for his trouble.
Cap is there to retrieve his shield, giving Magneto the opportunity to toss him aside, as more zombies arrive on the scene.

Magneto uses the very arrow sticking out of him, as a weapon, sending it hurtling through Thor's throat. With the little strength he still has, Magneto fights for his life, whipping a car door at Giant-Man, before pulling a building down on he, and others.

Sadly, it's the least threatening of the former heroes that goes unchecked.
Under ordinary circumstances Wasp's offensive abilities in the field are questionable, but here she is the unseen missile that is Magneto's undoing.

As she grows to human-size and chomps down on his neck, the other heroes prepare to take their pound of flesh. As the zombies fight over their meal, Magneto is helpless to watch them tear him apart.

"I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON ME!!"

Thor and Hulk play tug-of-war with Magneto's body, Hulk eventually pulling his leg off. The heroes have their long overdue fiest, and one of the most powerful mutants on the planet is no more.

The hammer...
Magneto got eaten, so I'd have to think the zombies probably won this fight... Yeah... if you want to dispute that result, by all means, drop a comment!

I've been focusing a lot on fairly recent comics, and I have to admit, this was among the books I got only last month, for Christmas.
There's a very good reason for that, and that's by and large beause the comics have just been so damned good.

The novelty alone made this too attractive a comic to pass up, regardless of execution, which was pretty reasonable. It's an interesting concept, because it's so obvious. When I first heard about the UFF arc, my initial reaction was the mundane realization that nothing quite like mass zombie attack had ever really been done in big-two super hero comics.

In the delicate world of franchises and fickle fans, I can see why something like this might not work in the core universes, so I'm quite pleased with this mini-series on principle alone. It's one of the few praises I've had for Marvel over their last year of decimation of quality.

The Fight - 5.5
The Issue - 5

NEXT WEEK: Tag team action - Batman and Robin? Be here!