The Stack in Review Update

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #3

John Layman. Have to Wiki that guy some time. He's taking one of my guiltiest pulls, if you will, and making this marketing-devised thing actually work.

Mostly. He's nailing the characters, the pacing, and the tone bizarre hybrid requires.

I'm going to completely spoil this now, so look! Sea-Monkeys!


The way out of last issue's finale, where Howard the Duck bit Ash's head off, is covered in a way I didn't see coming--by showing us the Marvel Zombie-verse had its own Ashley J. Williams who coincidentally decided to become a chainsaw and shotgun-wielding hero--dressed exactly like the Ash from the movie Army of Darkness--when the superheroes went all cannibalivoracious. It was that Ash who was chomped by Howard the Ever-Lovin' Duck, for cripe's sake, and the real King ended up sandwiched between the still un-zombified (or utterly crazy) Dazzler and Scarlet Witch on a quinjet bound for Latveria, and I then realized that Ash was pretty much going to play a larger part in the creation of the Zombie-verse and that this was the story Layman was really getting to tell. Which gets me wondering whether this is "Marvel Zombie-verse canon," which, by gum, I kinda like.

Bear in mind I have a history of not seeing things coming. Bruce Willis was dead the whole time? News to me. Wait, you're whose father, Lord Vader? Charlton Heston is on Earth, it's a cookbook, I'm in a zoo, and it's people? All of 'em got me. So I hadn't even considered the avenue Layman took. Nice trick.

It's ridiculous. It's also ridiculous I didn't think of this sort of thing coming, but I've lacked time to keep up on any kind of comic news, and I generally avoid spoilers. It's also ridiculous overall. But it's handled damn near perfectly.

As was the scene in the Sanctum Sanctorum was priceless. Both scenes, actually, the one with Dr. Druid (I'm sure I've heard of him, but can't place him) and the fact that nearly every one of Strange's books appears to look like first cousin to the Necronomicon Ex Mortis. I get the feeling that the writer (and the artist, who I'm sure is amazing but it's all I can do to remember Layman's name, and that's just through repition) is being given a lot of leeway to do whatever the hell he (they) wants (want) with this, and they (he) are (is) taking full advantage of that. I can't wait to see what state Dr. Strange is in. Even if it's Indiana.

Here's the thing that cost this book . It's the fact there's as yet no connection felt between the Deadites of the Raimi-verse and the Marvel Zombies. The Marvel plague was never treated as mystical in any of the comics I remember reading, even though I suppose Dr. Doom is a potential avenue into that. But it just feels false every time Ash calls these guys Deadites, and it's worse when the Marvel characters mimic him. It's a natural mistake for him to make, but the fact that the reader (this reader at least) figures ultimately this one isn't the Necronomicon's fault makes the story seem a little too doomed to failure.

Now don't blow it going to Latveria, Mr. Layman and the artist whose name I need to figure out. I don't think you will.