Halloween is a tricky time for comics in general. There are horror elements in plenty of titles. And plenty of horror concepts that don’t have elements of the genre; for example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer noticeably lacks a fear of the unknown. So I’m going to stick with something simple — ZOMBIES! Marvel has released several universe wide zombie titles in the last few years. And this column and my next will explore two of those titles.

If memory serves, and honestly it might not, the concept of Marvel Zombies originated in the Ultimate Fantastic Four (not a bad title, but not my cup of tea). Then it broke out into its own stand-alone with the Marvel Zombies.

The premise was simple: superheroes and/or metahumans were infected with the zombie virus and began eating humans. They are struck with a powerful hunger and lose control of themselves. When their hunger is satisfied they regain their composure and personalities.

They go to extreme lengths to maintain their composure, such as tying other superheroes up and feasting on their flesh a little at a time. But in the end, which is really near the beginning of the book, all the normal humans are dead. Slowly the zombies rot and die. Then Galactus shows up. I won’t spoil the ending, but damn it’s cool.

The concept is fun. I’ve enjoyed all the subsequent titles I’ve read (including the unique one I’ll cover in two weeks). But it could be a bit much for smaller children. Intense horrible violence is one thing, but when your favorite hero is eating another hero that can traumatize you for life.

The book doesn’t take itself too seriously, but doesn’t quite reach the mark of self destruction in terms of yuk-yuk jokes and one-liners. If you’re looking for a good quick read to get in the mood for Halloween, Marvel Zombies could be your ticket.

Just Fantastic appears the second and fourth Wednesday of every month.

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