Tales of the Zombie
| Tales of the Zombie | |
|---|---|
|
Tales of the Zombie #1 (Aug. 1973). Art by Boris Vallejo. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | quarterly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | August 1973 – March 1975 |
| Number of issues | 10 |
| Main character(s) |
Simon Garth Brother Voodoo |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Steve Gerber, Tony Isabella, Doug Moench, Carl Wessler, Chris Claremont |
| Artist(s) | Pablo Marcos, Alfredo Alcala, Ernie Chan, Win Mortimer, Tony DiPreta, Crusty Bunkers |
| Penciller(s) | Syd Shores, Dick Ayers, John Buscema, Virgilio Redondo, Yong Montano, Ron Wilson, Rich Buckler |
| Inker(s) | Tom Palmer, Pablo Marcos, Alfredo Alcala |
| Editor(s) |
Roy Thomas (issues #1–10) Marv Wolfman (#3–10) Tony Isabella (#7 & 8) David Anthony Kraft (#9 & 10) Don McGregor (#9 & 10) John Warner (#10) |
| Collected editions | |
| Tales of the Zombie | ISBN 0-7851-1916-7 |
Tales of the Zombie was an American black-and-white horror anthology comic magazine series published by Marvel Comics in the mid-1970s. Tales of the Zombie published ten issues and one annual, many featuring Simon Garth stories by Steve Gerber and Pablo Marcos.
The magazine format did not fall under the purview of the Comics Code, allowing the title to feature stronger content — such as moderate profanity, partial nudity, and more graphic violence — than Marvel's "mainstream" titles. The larger format allowed the interior artists to "stretch out" a bit more.
Publication history
To star in the new title, Marvel's then-editor-in-chief Roy Thomas plucked Simon Garth, a character from a pre-Comics Code horror tale created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, and first published in Menace #5 (July 1953). The initial modern story, co-scripted by Thomas and Steve Gerber and drawn by John Buscema and Tom Palmer, was a 12-page tale that led into a seven-page reprint of the 1950s story (with the art slightly altered to give the Zombie shoulder-length rather than short hair). (That original story was also reprinted in 1975's Tales of the Zombie Annual #1.)
Following the premiere, all the Zombie stories were by Steve Gerber and artist Pablo Marcos (one of these in collaboration with writer Doug Moench and artist Alfredo Alcala). The original series' finale, set at Garth's daughter's wedding in issue #9, was a three-chapter story written by Tony Isabella (chapter 2 with co-scripter Chris Claremont), and drawn by pencilers Virgilio Redondo, Yong Montano, and Ron Wilson, respectively, and inker by Alcala (chapters 1-2) and Marcos (chapter 3). Simon Garth was laid to peaceful rest in Tales of the Zombie #9; the following, final issue contained a Brother Voodoo story and three anthological tales. (Brother Voodoo also appeared in issue #6.)
In addition to reprinting the original Simon Garth story by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, Tales of the Zombie reprinted other pre-Comics Code stories, including work by Win Mortimer and Tony DiPreta.
Tales of the Zombie published the last work of Golden Age great Syd Shores, Captain America's first penciler following Jack Kirby's departure from the character in 1941. Shores had finished penciling two-thirds of the eight-page story "Voodoo War" for issue #5 (May 1974) before dying of a heart seizure. Dick Ayers penciled the remainder of writer Tony Isabella's anthological horror tale.
Painted covers to the series were done by artists like Boris Vallejo and Earl Norem.
The series was cancelled in 1975, along with the other black-and-white horror magazines Marvel was experimenting with during this period.
All 10 issues of Tales of the Zombie and the annual were collected for an Essential Marvel edition in 2006.
External links
- Tales of the Zombie at the Comic Book DB