I don’t like Marvel Zombies.
That’s a pretty jarring way to start a review for the now completed Marvel Zombies: Red Band series, by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan, drawn by Jan Bazaldua. But the context is important here:
I don’t like Marvel Zombies. But I did love Marvel Zombies: Red Band.
The latest addition to the Marvel Zombies series, which began with Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips in 2005, drafted in by Marvel to capitalize on the zombie craze and the success of The Walking Dead comic series, Marvel Zombies: Red Band is the best entry so far.
Issues #1-5 came out between September 2025 and finished just this week on January 28th with its final installment. With the full series published, a review of the entire story and where it stands in the broader context of the “Marvel Zombies” franchise can be done more clearly.
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The Familiar and the Different
Penned by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan, drawn by Marvel Stormbreaker artist Jan Bazaldua, and colored by Erick Arciniega, Marvel Zombies: Red Band begins in a familiar way to other iterations of this concept; the beginning and rapid spread of a zombie “hunger’ infection that infects not just regular humans, but superheroes as well. The source this time around are the cosmic-faring Fantastic Four, whose sojourn into space brings them back infected at the dawn of the Silver Age, and they become patient zero in the outbreak.
Quickly, a band of survivors develops. Issue #2 stands out among the others for the effective work it does in building a band of heroes that readers can root for. Starting with a dark twist on X-Men #1, where Jean Grey finds herself attending the Xavier School one day, and then waking up to all her new teammates being turned into zombies, issue #2 is effective with its pacing: delivering key information and character moments quickly but efficiently and grouping together characters in logical but unique alliances. Jean Grey meets Jessica Jones and Spider-Man, peers of hers, before they join with the surviving Avengers, consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, and Doctor Octopus.
The Cosmic Showdown
From there, Marvel Zombies: Red Band escalates in a decidedly grander, more cosmic direction than previous versions. There’s a big scale to it, and the series cleverly uses each issue to explore different eras of comics, jumping from the Silver Age through to the ’70s to the 2000s, paying homage to versions of iconic events, such as the Dark Phoenix Saga and Civil War.
Which all comes to culminate in issue #5, which adapts the modern stories of the 2020s through an homage to King in Black. The great showdown with Knull and the heroes is one to read and is instantly memorable.
Why Marvel Zombies Red Band Finally Nails the Series’ Dark Tone
What makes Marvel Zombies: Red Band such a triumph, and such a unique stand-out among its grim, edgy cousins, is how the series leans into the horror and gore of zombie media but still espousing a message of endurance and hope.
Spider-Man is the main hero of this series, and it’s through his eyes that the finale plays out. His quest, to preserve the world and protect it, even when all others have succumbed to the zombie infection, is one of the triumphs of the human spirit. And the series rewards readers with quite a clever twist in its ending; compared to the tragedy or hopelessness of previous versions, Marvel Zombies: Red Band ends with a message of hope and promise. Series writers Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan deserve credit for balancing the tone of the series perfectly, as well as creating engaging character dynamics in a series that isn’t known for it.
Jan Bazaldua draws and Erick Arciniega provides the colours for all five issues. Bazaldua’s looser, messier pencils are at their best in the bloody, red-toned world of Marvel Zombies, and Erick Arciniega’s colors are excellent, complimenting the art perfectly, hiding the flaws, and emphasizing its strengths.
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Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1-5
Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan write the best Marvel Zombies series maybe ever, surpassing the original and delivering a bloody yarn that balances all the violence, gore, and action fans could want, while injecting it with a much needed dose of hope and spirit. Jan Bazaldua and Erick Arciniega work together perfectly, and shine as a duo in the red-soaked Marvel Zombies world.
