In the last several decades of pop culture, we have become totally obsessed with zombie stories. Zombie movies, television shows, video games, and even comic books have totally dominated mainstream entertainment. Just when you think the popularity has diminished a brand new zombie story comes out and takes over the cultural conversation.
The two titans of the comic book industry, Marvel and DC comics, have both given their own takes on this specific genre of storytelling. DCeased and Marvel Zombies are both popular stories, but the question remains as to which one is actually better. Here are five ways DCeased is better than Marvel Zombies and five ways it's not.
10 DCeased: New Superheroes
Damien Wayne graduates from Robin into a young Batman. Black Canary is granted the Green Lantern ring and becomes a Green Lantern/ Black Canary hybrid. DCeased gave comic fans several new superheroes that we all had the pleasure of enjoying.
Maybe these new heroes weren't exactly "new," but they were still classic characters taking on new mantles in utterly interesting ways. In Marvel Zombies, we don't get to see the world move forward in these ways. Instead, everything falls apart until there's nothing else left of the world we used to love.
9 Marvel Zombies: Retained Intellect
One aspect of the Marvel Zombies story that makes it unique within the zombie genre is the nature of these zombies. All of the Marvel infected actually retain their consciousnesses and intellects. That just makes it all the more tragic when, despite that fact, they still give in to their bloodlust and desire to feed on others.
While this aspect of the narrative leads to some incredibly depressing and horrifying moments of realization for our heroes, that's kind of what makes Marvel Zombies so special. Take this as a warning: if you don't like sad or depressing stories with even worse endings, do not read this book.
8 DCeased: Creative Inciting Incident
In DCeased, it isn't the typical zombie-virus that infects the people of Earth. The writers did a very good job at making the origins of this outbreak much more interesting. Instead, the infection in DCeased is caused by the Anti-Life equation.
After finally discovering that Anti-Life equation that he had been searching for for years, Darkseid finds that this isn't exactly all he thought it would be. Instead, the equation infects the minds of all who see it and turns them into undead rage monsters.
7 Marvel Zombies: Classic Zombie Trope
In the world of Marvel Zombies, the monsters created by this infection follow all of the same zombie-movie tropes that zombie fans love to see. They eat brains and begin to decay and take on a ghoulish visage.
Those aspects of the story, among many others, make Marvel Zombies much more of a traditional zombie story that most people would be looking for when they pick up this book. DCeased's monsters don't follow the traditional tropes quite as well.
6 DCeased: Standalone Story
Any time that DC or Marvel make an alternate universe story, it's very important to set that world apart. If the story can't stand on its own, it shouldn't have been given a chance in the first place.
DCeased does an amazing job not just of standing on its own, but also standing apart from other DC stories. This story will no doubt continue with a series of spinoffs given how well-written and popular it has become.
5 Marvel Zombies: Mainstream Crossover
Marvel is all about crossovers. DC has its fair share as well but since the amazing accomplishment that is the MCU, Marvel has continued to intertwine its many stories to an even greater degree.
In later additions to the Marvel Zombies story, we actually get to see that dimension cross over with the mainstream Marvel universe. This leads to a very interesting conclusion to the Marvel Zombies story.
4 DCeased: Not Overly Sad
Many of DC's greatest heroes die in DCeased. Many of them also live. Unlike Marvel Zombies, this story keeps the stakes of any world-ending story without making it gratuitously full of deaths.
Since that is the case, readers actually stay invested because they have no idea whether their favorite characters are going to make it out alive or not. In Marvel Zombies, readers have a harder time staying invested due to the fact that it is clear everyone is beyond saving.
3 Marvel Zombies: Endlessly Depressing
Marvel Zombies is simply a horror story that is meant to instil, well, horror. Unlike virtually every other Marvel and DC story, the heroes never manage to get the upper hand in this tale.
Those kinds of stories are in short supply; not just in comics, but in every medium imaginable. Because they are so hard to look at, storytellers often shy away from them. That being said, these stories can often still be very good and reflect the tragedy of life. Marvel Zombies is a good example of that notion.
2 DCeased: There's Hope
Although DC's two most popular characters, Superman and Batman, die by the end of the story, there is still a lot of hope for the future of the DCeased universe. Several young heroes are taking on their predecessors' responsibilities of protecting the human race.
At the end of DCeased, the last remaining living people of Earth board spacefaring arks and begin their journey to a new world. DCeased ends with a lot of hope for the human race. That is exactly the opposite of Marvel Zombies.
1 Marvel Zombies: No Hope
Marvel Zombies, unlike DCeased, ends with absolutely no hope for any sort of positive outcome. No character has any chance of being saved. While in many ways that make for a bad story, in some ways it makes for a good one as well.
Zombie stories, and also horror stories in general, are often meant to show us the drearier side of life. Some stories are not meant to have happy endings. Marvel Zombies stay true to that message and gives us that dreadfulness. Not every story has the guts to go all the way. Marvel Zombies deserves credit for staying committed.