The countdown to extinction is way too close.
Originally written 5-20-10
Manhattan is in total chaos. The Avengers are rampaging through the streets in a bloody rampage with characteristics that exhibit zombie like behavior and they're devouring all civilians in their path. There is little knowledge on what caused this. Meanwhile, other heroes whom were attacked are trying to make sense of the events taking place with very little time to act. Nick Fury devises a plan together with the remaining heroes. Their mission is to try and save as many lives as possible, plus put a stop to the bloodthirsty former heroes. -summary
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days is a prequel to the Marvel Zombies series, which also takes place before the second volume of Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness. The story tells the events before the actual apocalypse and the heroes struggle to control the situation.
The story begins with intense action and the death toll begins to rise. It's superhero vs. superhero to the gory death pretty much from beginning to end. The plot is very straightforward but the direction is well executed. The infection spreads like wild fire and it's something to see when a couple of heroes face the reality of the situation that this could be their very last fight. One hero in particular whom completely breaks character happens to quickly point out that this situation is far more fierce than the mad titan Thanos seeking universal genocide. When looking at it from that context, one whom has knowledge on Marvel Comic crossovers will quickly understand how serious the situation is. I mean worst than Thanos? Yeah that's pretty bad. Things definitely look bad for everyone.
The artwork is pretty good when displaying the brutal action in which you get a good amount of it. I only wish the zombie dine out sessions were more detailed. The character designs on the other hand aren't really that good at all. The writing format is pretty good though and it's easy to tell who's saying what. Overall, this chapter of the story is more action driven with some depth to the storyline, but it doesn't contain any of the comedy you will see in the later versions.
The graphic novel also contains three more stories which are crossovers. Two of these stories that take place involves the Ultimate Fantastic Four, which is written by Mark Miller with artwork by Greg Land and Mitch Brietweiser. This occurs when the Reed Richards of the zombie timeline attempts to crossover into the alternate Earth, by duping his younger Reed Richards counterpart into opening up the dimension. The stories are very solid as side stories, but don't expect to see the over the top gory madness found in Dead Days, or Marvel Zombies despite the crossover delivering a little bit of that. This portion of the story also boasts the absolute best artwork. The character designs are amazing, and appear to be up to date with some great detail. The writing format is also up to standard. However, I won't say that the series is well written though. There are definitely continuity errors but I'll keep them to myself to lower spoilers.
The last side story takes place with Black Panther whom is flanked by members of the Fantastic Four and Storm of the X-Men. This story takes place after Marvel Zombies, and appears to take place sometime before Marvel Zombies 2. This is the one thing about multiple crossovers I could never stand. There are story elements provided where one must possess knowledge of previous events from titles. There are several things that aren't explained here which can somewhat ruin the enjoyment. The saving grace to this portion is the addition of the zombies on another all out rampage, with the addition of the slapstick humor that almost always delivers. This chapter is written by Reginald Hudlin with art work by Francis Portela. The artwork is rather solid here, but not on par with the Ultimate Fantastic Four stories.
Although I enjoy this portion of the series because it provides background. I kind of feel it was a little unnecessary. There's nothing wrong with providing background but it didn't reveal anything new. We all know whom was devoured or turned into zombies; but I would've enjoyed seeing it in all of its gory detail.
I think those that are new to the franchise will benefit the absolute most when coming into this volume. Those whom are interested in the series. I recommend picking up Dead Days, Marvel Zombies and Marvel Zombies 2 at the exact same time. Start on Dead Days, finish the first chapter and go straight to the Ultimate Fantastic Four crossover without reading one word of the interlude. Next, go to Marvel Zombies and finish that completely. After that, go to the Black Panther and finish off that chapter, and then continue into Marvel Zombies 2. If you're a diehard Evil Dead fan then pick up Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness as well, and I think it's best to read that before everything since several early events take place there; but it feels more like a tacked on expanded prequel, however it's still very entertaining. This way, I think one will get the best experience from it.
Pros: Provides some background, good action and gore scenes
Cons: Crossovers aren't as strong as main story, mediocre artwork during Dead Days