Broken Frontier

The Man-thing and the Zombie, two of Marvel’s most memorable monsters from their 1970s horror heyday, return in a creature feature double bill.

Marvel’s Legion of Monsters one-shots continue with an issue devoted to two monster stars most often linked with the work of Steve Gerber. The first story follows Terence DeFlyte who is the wealthiest man in Citrusville, the town that borders Man-Thing’s swamp. DeFlyte is a pedantic and unpleasant man determined that everything should know its place. Determined to master the swamp and its environment, DeFlyte’s arrogance will have gruesome consequences for all around him.

Charlie Huston shows an admirable understanding of what makes a good Man-Thing story in this 14-page opener. The best Man-Thing tales initially examine the lives of normal people, with the muck-monster being almost incidental, until their worlds intersect and lives are changed forever. There are some similarities with a Mark Millar Swamp Thing issue from a few years back but the twist here takes the horror a step further. Huston’s Man-Thing story is a hugely enjoyable little package wrapped up in delicious irony.

The second entry follows the Zombie, Simon Garth, the star of the black and white Tales of the Zombie magazine from the mid-Seventies that was collected as an Essential volume last year. This is a more traditional take on the character than the recent Marvel Max reimagining. Ted McKeever presents a rather rambling adventure as the Zombie looks for love and finds it in a quite morbid fashion.

Perhaps I should have just gone with the flow and enjoyed the dark humor of McKeever’s piece, but it was a little jarring to have the Zombie, who was largely mindless in his own book, narrate the story. He certainly seems a touch more articulate than I remember…

"Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch…" went the old tag line and rarely has the reality of that statement been as vividly illustrated as it is by Klaus Janson here. Shockingly effective in all respects! Ted McKeever’s angular visuals are a perfect fit for the bizarre world of the Zombie but then I would have bought the issue just for his art alone. It’s always worth the entry price.

This is a far more successful issue in this run of themed specials than its predecessor was. I fervently hope that through the Legion of Monsters banner the Marvel horror characters find an audience that consists of more than just the nostalgic. There are some wonderful creations in that stable that deserve reviving… in every sense.