Marvel Comics scribe Fred Van Lente on Alpha Flight and more at the NC Comiccon

Writer of The Incredible Hercules, Marvel Zombies, Herc, Power Man and more, Fred Van Lente is one of my favorite modern Marvel comics scribes. A clever and erudite man about funny books, Van Lente’s comics are always full to the brim with homages to the Marvel Comics legacy while paving new paths for these characters. He also worked on Cowboys and Aliens, later developed for the big screen by John Favreau.

Having breathed new life into Power Man, Hercules and Alpha Flight, Van Lente was about to embark on a foray of fisticuffs with The Destroyers with Kyle Holtz, a project that was sadly cut short before it even got started.

But what’s the end of Alpha Flight going to be like? Find out in this interview that gives a few hints and also some words of adoration for readers.

Bookmark his site here:http://www.fredvanlente.com/

Unfamiliar with Fred Van Lente’s work? Shame on you, but here are some suggestions:

Action Philosophers!

Alpha Flight by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente Volume 1

Taskmaster: Unthinkable

Marvel Zombies 5

Incredible Hercules: Against the World

Marvel Zombies fan films

Anyone who has frequented their local comic shop in the past few years must have noticed the current obsession with zombies. The miniseries Marvel Zombies has spawned several sequels and artist Arthur Sudyam’s zombie-themed covers have spilled over onto variant editions of other monthly titles.

A fan has used the opening sequences of classic Marvel cartoons to pay homage in his own way with hilarious results.

Marvel Zombies 1 featuring Thor

Marvel Zombies 2 featuring Captain America

Marvel Zombies 3 featuring the Fantastic Four

Marvel Zombie Madness

Marvel Zombies has been an incredible hit for Marvel Comics, launching a veritable sub-franchise of Zombie-themed books with a Marvel Super Heroes twist.

The story is simple, the Marvel Super Heroes are Zombies and there’s not enough ‘food’ to go around. Meaningless violence and sick humor abound (including Hank Pym keeping Black Panther alive yet sedated while he works on a cure for their affliction… as he eats the Panther bit by bit).

It’s a very sick joke on the Marvel Comics characters constantly riddled with guilt and tangled emotions as they try to vainy justify their actions while looking for non-zombies to eat.

I laughed out loud at an overwought Spider-Man who had apparently eaten both Mary Jane and Aunt May (I always thought she WAS a zombie!) to stay alive. And the scene where the Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner only to spill his shrinking stomach’s contents on the street was another dark joke.

The series has no mercy.

But it’s not just the simple story that is drawing collectors and non-traditional readers back to the stands with this series. The covers gloriously painted by Arthur Suydam are in-jokes on famous covers from Marvel Comics History, including Spider-Man‘s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 (seen above), Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, Frank Miller’s Daredevil, and even Spider-Man’s Wedding.

It’s not uncommon to see collectors hunting down reprints of the series just for the covers… and I hate to agree with their behavior but the covers are damned cool.

The series was such a hit that a cross-over was commisioned, ‘Army of Darkness Vs. Marvel Zombies.’ The introduction of Bruce Campbell’s alter ego Evil Dead‘s Ash, is an inspired decision and pays attention to the franchise’s following.

As always, the wacky covers continue.

And the beat goes on…

Marvel Zombies Dead Days is a prequel released this week (remember Marvelites, Wednesday is new comic day… in the US anyway) which explores the origin of the Zombie Marvel Universe. Don’t think that this is some navel-gazing prequel, though.

Many acts of carnivorous violence including the horrific death of the Avengers‘ butler Jarvis are promised.

Another stunning Arthur Suydam cover adorns this issue, paying homage to the 90’s era Jim Lee X-Men.