HISTORY
Beginning in December 2005, Marvel Zombies hit shelves in comic shops as a five issue series concluding in April 2006. Written by Robert Kirkman, who is more famously known now for his work with The Walking Dead and with art by Sean Phillips, the alternate zombie universe is where superheroes have been infected with a virus causing a "hunger" for flesh. Naturally, human life is essentially eradicated and it's only superheroes, supervillains and mutants left to duke it out. Unlike zombies in most pop culture, these Marvel zombies still think, process ideas and store memories so they're not your everyday zombie. But what makes matters worse is that they still keep their superpowers.
FIRST GLANCE
In 2007, Diamond Select provided the masses with three heroes in zombie select form with Dig Deep Design and Entertainment handling the sculpts. However, the reception probably was not as they would have expected. For a while, many warmed shelves in local comic shops as the response to zombie products isn't exactly into the mainstream as it is today. At the moment, with Marvel under Disney, heroes will no longer be reissued or produced in any zombie form. With that being said, and the recent resurgence of the Marvel Select Zombie Villain line, it has caused the heroes to become more sought after.
PROS: The best feature to this figure is probably the detachable lower right leg. The exposed bone on the same detachable leg is nicely sculpted. Further up on the same leg, there is a lot more flesh torn away, particularly at the hip. Blood on the bone is also rather clean for appearing to be such a sloppy damaged figure. Surprisingly, the weight is also a pro and a con. Because of how much or rather how little it weighs, it can be balanced very easily. Range of motion at each point of articulation is rather standard though. Nothing too surprising there. Zombie Spidey's base is the torso of the late Silver Surfer.
CONS: Again, at the mention of the weight, it becomes an issue when posing because at most joints, it feels like it may break. Which is clearly a construction flaw. Other than that, there is a bit left to be desired seeing as the zombie Spider-Man is possibly the lightest figure in its packaging among every Marvel Select figure. There is so much more space in the shell which something else could have been added. It's really just a waste of space in my opinion.
ARTICULATION
360° neck peg with minimal vertical movement
Ball shoulders with no bicep swivel
Single direction elbows with 360° swivel
360° wrists
360° waist
Multi-directional single peg hips
Single direction knees with 360° swivel
Single direction ankles
PROS: Like Zombie Spider-Man, Colonel [Captain] America also has a very unique piece. In this case, it is probably the best shield Diamond Select has made for any Captain America related figure. With two elastic straps and a clip give you the choice of either clipping it onto the arm or putting it around the shoulders like a backpack. The wear and tear on the shield is also a really nice touch. Also, there is a detachable skull cap. The upper half of the skull above the eyes is removable and shows Colonel [Captain] America's brains. However, no detail was spared in the removable skull cap with brain impressions on the inside. Paint is also nicely applied throughout the whole figure with plenty of distressing. Yet there is also very little actual exposed flesh or torn clothing unlike his counterparts Hulk and Spider-Man. Furthermore, I think the best sculpted feature of this piece is probably all the half circles on the upper chest. There is consistency in every cut with the exception of the upper rear neck where it did get just a bit sloppy. Finally, Zombie Colonel features the Silver Surfer's dismembered right arm with some power cosmic blood leaking everywhere.
CONS: Like most Marvel Select figures from a few years ago, the articulation is not the greatest. But in all actuality that is probably the only gripe I really have about this figure.
ARTICULATION
360° neck peg with good vertical movement
Ball shoulders with no bicep swivel
Single direction elbows with 360° swivel
360° wrists
360° waist
Multi-directional single peg hips
Single direction knees with 360° swivel
Single direction ankles
PROS: The Hulk still gets amazing attention to detail on most of the figure. Ripped up pants are very nicely sculpted. The face is probably the best feature of the figure as well. Hair has paint that's accurately applied and the eyes and teeth are clean. Zombie Hulk also comes with the largest portion of the build-a-base, featuring the dismembered head of the Silver Surfer and various rock arrangements.
CONS: Zombie Hulk is probably the most basic of all the zombie hero figures. With just the figure itself and the base, there are no hidden surprises. Also, the overall size doesn't exactly compare to other Hulks in the Marvel Select line. This is easily the smallest by a large margin of all other Hulk figures. Granted, as zombies, characters probably do lose some bulk and mass, but it still doesn't really excuse how small the figure is. Besides the basic articulation scheme, the only other real drawback to this figure for me was the shoulder joints. After owning the figure for well over a year, I still haven't tried to move the shoulders outward seeing as they feel like they're going to snap out or break due to the hollow plastic that makes up the figure. Also, because of the value of the figure itself I don't think it's worth the risk.
ARTICULATION
360° neck peg with excellent vertical movement
Ball shoulders with no bicep swivel
Single direction elbows with 360° swivel
360° wrists
360° waist
Multi-directional single peg hips
Single direction knees with 360° swivel
Double action ankles with vertical, inward and outward movement
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: Since the Zombie Villain line has made its way into the annual circulations of Marvel Select figures recently, the price on these Zombie Heroes has gone up. Considering the retail price of $25 as wishful thinking. The interesting fact is that they're all just as hard to find as the other. There are many in circulation from secondary retailers that average from $35 loose, $60+ carded but depending on the condition fetch nearly double that price. No figure is particularly more rare than the other so if you can bring yourself to pull the trigger on one of them, you can likely complete the rest.
I think my only knock on these figures is just some of the paint that bled into the joints caused them to get stuck. So be careful with trying to mend them. And neither Hulk or Spider-Man have the heft we expect from MS figures and they feel brittle. That's mainly it. If you're a completist, I'd wouldn't pass up on these at a good price, but you can always rely on finding one online in the $50-$100 range individually, carded. I personally would pass on these, just because I'm not a huge zombie fan, but let don't my opinion sway you. All in all, they're great figures, just not my cup of tea.