5 Zombie Themed Comics Worth Checking Out If You Enjoyed Marvel's 'What If.. Zombies?!' Episode

The recent airing of 'What If.. Zombies?!', the fifth episode of Marvel's What If..? animated TV series, has been met with a positive reception from fans and critics. While not a direct adaptation, the episode is clearly inspired by the spin-off comic series Marvel Zombies, including a few Easter Eggs and nods to events in that book.

The episode has sparked a renewed interest in the Marvel Zombies series, and Zombie stories in general. So, here's five zombie-themed comics that are worth checking out if you enjoyed 'What If.. Zombies?!'

1. Marvel Zombies

Of course, the best place to start is with the comic that inspired the What If..? episode. The first six part entry in the the Marvel Zombies universe, written by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, was released between December 2005 and April 2006. The story begins in the alternate universe of Earth-2149, first introduced briefly during an Ultimate Fantastic Four event, where a hero from another dimension as infected nearly all of Marvel's greates heroes with 'The Hunger', giving them an uncontrollable urge to consume human flesh. After eating all forms of 'lower' human life on the planet, the Zombified heroes struggle to find more food. They must also deal with the impending arrival of Galactus, who plans to consume the planet.

Unlike many Zombie stories, the undead heroes maintain their personalites and powers, but are constantly overwhelmed by the uncontrollable Hunger. Between meals, the Zombies' minds are more clear, sometimes even enough to experience remorse for their actions. Marvel Zombies spawned a number of sequels and spin-offs, including Marvel Zombies vs. The Army Of Darkness, a crossover with The Evil Dead franchise that also serves as a prequel to the original Marvel Zombies story. The franchise was rebooted with a brand new storyline, Marvel Zombies: Resurrection in 2019.

2. DCeased

In 2019, DC attempted their own Zombie story with the DCeased event. After escaping the planet Apokolips, Cyborg inadvertently brings a deadly technological virus, created by the Anti-Life equation, back to Earth. The virus is able to infect people through the screens of corrupt devices such as phones or computers, causing hundreds of millions to become infected instantly. As the story progresses, many DC heroes become infected, including the trinity (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman). Eventually, the remaining survivors head for Gotham, which Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have transformed into a jungle sanctuary to keep out the infected, and make a plan to evacuate the Earth. A seven issue sequel, DCeased: Dead Planet, was released the following year.

As is often the case, there is much debate among Marvel and DC fans over which company produced the better Zombie Apocalypse story. Both, however, have been praised by critics.

3. The Walking Dead

In October 2003, The Walking Dead comic began it's run. The series, intended as a modern-day take on the zombie apocalypse, focused on Rick Grimes, a Police Officer who wakes from a coma to discover that a deadly virus had taken hold, leaving the world infested with re-animated corpses. Rick embarks on a perilous journey to track down his family. Even once he locates them, the struggle to survive in the New World continues, as Rick and his fellow survivors face a series of threats both from the Dead, and the living.

The series ran for sixteen years, during which a popular TV adaptation hit screens. The TV series is set to end next year after it's own successful eleven-season run, but has spawned two spin offs, with more in the pipeline.

4. Afterlife with Archie

In 2013, the world of Archie Comics was reimagined in the Afterlife With Archie series. Following the death of his beloved dog, HotDog, Jughead Jones begs local witch Sabrina Spellman to revive the animal. Unfortunately, HotDog is revived as a zombie, immediately biting Jughead. Jughead soon turns, beginning a zombie outbreak in Riverdale. The few remaining survivors, led by Archie Andrews, struggle to survive the new world, and each other.

Afterlife with Archie ran for ten issues, between October 2013 and August 2016, and was well received. While the series was never offically cancelled, no new issues have been released since 2016, leaving the story unfinished. However, the 'Archie Horror' imprint that the comic inspired is still going strong, spawning releases such as Jughead: The Hunger, Vampironica, and Blossoms: 666.

5. Fanboys vs Zombies

In 2013, Boom! Studios published Fanboys vs Zombies. The book explores what happens when a zombie outbreak occurs at San Diego Comic-Con. A group of estranged friends must put aside their differences, and use their knowledge of video games, comics, and horror movie tropes to survive as they battle hordes of undead Comic-Con attendees, many still in their cosplays.

During it's run, the series was praised for its unique concept and toonish art style. While some reviewers thought the story lost some steam in the final few issues, it was still considered a fun ride, and a welcome humorous take on the zombie genre.

There are plenty of Zombie comics out there, but those above are some of the best. Happy reading!