Marvel Comics is giving fans waiting for the Sept. 24 premiere of Disney Plus’ Marvel Zombies miniseries the chance to see some undead heroes a week early. A new gore-soaked Marvel Zombies limited series kicks off on Sept. 17 as part of the Red Band format for issues with graphic art Marvel introduced in 2024.
The five-issue series from Kill Your Darlings creators Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan, with pencilling from Jan Bazaldua (Immortal Thor) and colors from Erick Arciniega, inserts horror throughout the history of the Marvel Universe. The first issue o f Marvel Zombies: Red Band imagines if the space flight that turned Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Sue and Johnny Storm into the Fantastic Four also left the explorers craving human flesh. This is a new spin on the original Marvel Zombies story written by Robert Kirkman in 2005.
The second issue, releasing Oct. 22, presents a zombified spin on the Secret Wars storyline. Years after the Fantastic Four caused a zombie outbreak, a group of survivors is taken to another world and forced to fight undead superheroes. Cover art from Greg Land (X-Factor) depicts a giant brawl featuring bloodthirsty versions of Hawkeye, The Hulk, and Charles Xavier.
Red Band issues have a parental advisory label, which like Marvel Zombies’ MA rating, is meant to keep the kids from getting too scared while letting older fans witness some serious carnage. Marvel has been using it primarily for horror titles like Blade, Werewolf by Night, and the vampire-focused crossover event Blood Hunt, but Red Band has also given creators the chance to get extra bloody with the Punisher and Wolverine.
The infection is spreading to other series with a set of 10 variant covers releasing throughout October. You can take a look at the rotted flesh of Spider-Gwen, Thor, the Silver Surfer, and others below and preorder them at your local comic book shop.
