Corpse Crusaders: The Zombie in American Comics

Corpse Crusaders explores the influence of superheroic generic conventions on comic book zombies, showing how they have been used to defend the status quo and parallel superheroism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 08 July 2024
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Corpse Crusaders is a fascinating exploration of the profound influence early action/adventure and superheroic generic conventions had on shaping comic book zombies. By delving into archival research into Golden Age comics and conducting extended analyses of comics from the 1940s to the present day, the book reveals how these conventions have shaped the zombie character and its role in the comic book medium. The book takes the reader on a journey through the history of comic book zombies, from the 1940s superhero, The Purple Zombie, to the 1950s revenge-from-the-grave zombies, to the 1970s anti-hero, Simon Garth ("The Zombie") and the gruesome heroes-turned-zombies of Marvel Zombies. Through its analysis, Corpse Crusaders demonstrates how the zombie in comics has become a figure that, unlike the traditional narrative uses of other monsters, actually serves to defend the status quo. This trend not only provides insight into the overwhelming influence superheroes have had on the comic book medium, but it also offers a unique opportunity to explore the ways in which zombiism and superheroism parallel each other. Corpse Crusaders explores the ways that truth, justice, and the American way have influenced the undead in comics and turned what is often a rebellious figure into one that works to save the day.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472076857