Cuento de Navidad Zombie

Marvel Zombies (Collected Editions) #Christmas Carol

by Jim McCann

Junta a toda tu familia, bloquea las puertas de tu casa y presta atención a la leyenda de Ebenezer Scrooge, un hombre al que ningún fuego podría hacer entrar en calor, cuyo frío corazón bombea hielo a sus venas y cuyos labios rechazan de plano cualquier felicidad. En el día de Nochebuena, recibirá la visita de unos viejos amigos que creía muertos... Y quizás lo estén. Jim McCaan (Ojo de Halcón) y David Baldeón (X-Men Legado) te ofrecen la más inesperada revisión del clásico de Charles Dickens: ¡desde el punto de vista de los Marvel Zombies!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Zombies, Christmas, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics

Paperback

First published September 28, 2011

About the author

Jim McCann is an award-winning writer of comic books, television, and theatre. He worked on several films and music videos before he was accepted into the ABC Daytime Writer Development Program. During that time he wrote for the popular ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Upon moving to New York, he found a position at Marvel Comics, where he remained for six years, working in publicity and PR.

He wrote several critically acclaimed Marvel HAWKEYE series before branching out into creating his own comics and graphic novels, as well as other projects. His first graphic novel, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, won the comic book industry's top award: Best Original Graphic Album. He has since gone on to create hit series such as the space-heist LOST VEGAS and the ongoing top-rated series MIND THE GAP, both published through Image Comics.

McCann earned his BA in Communication Arts, Electronic Media as well as a double minor in English and Theatre from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.

He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he is represented by Chelsea Reed at CAA and managed by Stan Spry at The Cartel.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was a chore to get through.



I thought it might be something fun or odd, but I didn't really think it would be boring. But it was. Boring and weird - and not in a good way.
I don't understand how the zombie plague spread and I don't understand how it was ended.



Now, maybe I missed out on some metaphorical shit because I've (shockingly) never read the original Dickens' story, but I kind of doubt it. I know crazy nonsense when I read it and that's exactly what the vast majority of this was.
Scrooge McDuck gets bit by a horse when he's a young man and it gives him zombie-itis. Now, it doesn't actually hurt him, he just passes it along to everyone he meets, along with his new Grinchy attitude.
Wait. What?
He gets bit by a sick horse and that moment shows him that helping his fellow man (horse) isn't worth it.
THEN, all he has to so to stop the Zombiepocalypse is stroll through town smiling and promising food and good cheer. A giant dust cloud of love and sunshine floating behind him to cure all the former flesh eaters.
What the actual fuck? I'm here to tell you, that makes zero sense even in some jacked-up Marvel zombie/Christmas Carol reality.



I understand that the idea was to say that his greed and uncaring attitude spread like a disease. I get it, really. But it was still stupid.
Art wasn't bad, though.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was trawling my way through all the Marvel Zombies books I thought I might as well do this one as well, despite it not being connected to the other MZ books in any way. I’m glad I did; I found it to be a thoroughly entertaining take on one of my all-time favourite novels.

David Baldeon’s artwork was superb, which is why it was such a shame that issues two and four had fill-in art by another artist, whose work just paled in comparison.

I’d give the story a solid 4 stars and the artwork on issues 1, 3 and 5 4 stars and the fill-in art on issues 2 and 4 2 stars giving this an overall score of 3.6 stars, which I shall round up in the true spirit of Christmas (yes, I know it’s only September! Shut up).

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly clever and blood-soaked take on Charles Dickens's beloved classic, Jim McCann's "Zombie Christmas Carol" is the story of how Ebenezer Scrooge both ruined---and then saved--- Christmas.

A word of warning: Do NOT read this as a bedtime story for your kids or let your little ones look at the pictures, unless you are willing to suffer the consequences.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this collection was amazing.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly wasn't expecting much out of this. A Christmas Carol with zombies? Not exactly promising. And yet, oddly, it actually works fairly well. What keeps this together, I think, is that McCann largely uses Dickens' original words, and what original text he adds he's careful to keep in essentially the same style. Not the easiest thing in the world to do. And he also manages to make an original, zombie-filled storyline fit into the basic story arc that one would expect from A Christmas Carol.

But it's still a zombie-filled version of A Christmas Carol. It's unnecessary in the extreme, and it doesn't accomplish anything that the original doesn't do twice as well.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/918XdFOGpGE

[J.C. Pillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had sort of a "Christmas Carol"-themed winter this year, so I finally picked up this graphic novel. While there were moments of really stunning artwork, I was mostly unimpressed with it. The changes to the story to suit the "zombie" theme don't make a ton of sense, even within the context of this version. And while I particularly enjoyed the artwork of the Ghost of Christmas Past and Ghost of Christmas That Will Never Come, I was put off by the more grotesque aspect of the art, which just isn't suited to my taste. Still, it was an interesting take on the tale, and there are certainly things to enjoy for avid readers of comics.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather fun and great for the Halloween season. It's rather similar to the Dickens story, but with zombies. It's a story of redemption, near apocalypse, and sacrifice. I didn't really understand how is it that the zombie virus came to be because, while its established its rather lose. But what the heck. Still works, and the art is just amazing.
Good little read if you're looking for something different.

[Satrina T · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Christmas Carol + Zombies. The old tale of grouchy Ebenezer Scrooge with an added twist of zombies and disease.

My favorite part: The introductory scene for every ghost, they are all great. I also enjoyed the Victorian zombies.

Least favorite part: I felt the first part a little slow and a little boring.

Nice story, good artwork, 3 stars from me.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ended up skimming the last half of this. Only reason it's not getting 1 star is the art was fun and the coloring was well done. Just....this isn't good. I'm glad I bought this book used and paid very little for it. The hardcover though is pretty good quality...shame the book sucks

[Matt Holben · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the Dickens classic. Zombies as an allegory for poverty was an interesting angle, albeit maybe a little problematic as it classifies the impoverished as less than human, but I get what they were going for.

[Jorge Rosas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny retelling of the well-known tale, but with zombies! I enjoyed the concept and how it still feels like the original tale but with a grain of horror in there.

[FamilyPenguin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable take on Dickens's A Christmas Carol.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zombie twist on classic tale. Nothing more, but art is nice and over and all it's fun to read. 3,5*

[Jacquline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim McCann took the beautiful Christmas Carol and made it his own by retelling the story of redemption through zombies. This is appropriate for this type of story because McCann is trying to get across that Scrooge's negativity towards everyone is poisoning, which is why the population is dying and hurting others. It's a unique twist to the much loved story. McCann stayed close to the original story but added his own touch to make the story believable as a zombie tale. The only negative aspect about this book is that there are some places that the writing needs to be stronger, especially through the narration. It was not written very well, and it could have used some improvement. Now, the art for the book was incredible! The zombies looked amazing and the spirits as well. My favorite was the Spirit of Christmas Past, and it was Belle, Scrooge's love. It really worked well that McCann used Belle as the Spirit of Christmas Past because she holds a key part to his past, one of the few reasons why he became a miserable grouch. Also, the Spirit of Christmas to Yet to Come was completely appropriate. It was not a traditional Grim Reaper, but rather, the spirit had a dominant haunting aspect to it, especially the way the bone jaw hung out from under the cloak's hood. The colors were appropriate, and I really enjoy the Spirit of Christmas Present with Ignorance and Want. It was cool to see the two eat the flesh of the spirit. McCann did a great job bringing a classic back with his unique touch and kudos to the artists because they did a fantastic job!

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to confess that I have not actually read Charles Dickens' original work. To be honest, most of his work doesn't strike me as my sort of reading. But, given how much the creators of this work revered the original that they were "zombifying," I just might check out A Christmas Carol.
Adding zombies to classic books seems to be all the rage. Most of them have not interested me, but when I saw that Marvel (who've been doing their own take on zombies for some years now) were beating the prose publishers to this idea, and given the fact that it was close to Christmas, I just had to give it a try.
Rather than an absurd novelty, Jim McCann adds even more poignancy to Dickens' tale. Zombie stories, when they're at their best, are vehicles for spotlighting the best and worst of human behavior. Here, the zombies themselves are the reflections (and the direct results) of that bad behavior. It's up to Scrooge, of all people, to try and show the best humanity has to offer in order to fight off the worst.
The artwork here is the best kind for this sort of tale. Pencilers David Baldeon and Jeremy Treece, along with a team of inkers and colorists, provide graphics that are appropriately dark and cartoony. Their interpretations of the three ghosts of Christmas are the most striking that I have ever seen in any visual medium.
It is likely that these visuals will haunt my imagination when I finally get around to reading Dickens' original novel.

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvel presents a terrifying new vision of Charles Dickens’ classic tale that puts the horror back into it in the graphic novel Zombies Christmas Carol. It’s Christmas Eve and a plague known as the Hungry Death is sweeping across London, turning the surplus population into the undead, and only one man, an old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, has the means to save them. But he’s unwilling, until he’s visited by three spirits whose revelations about the Hungry Death spur Scrooge into action. Author Jim McCann does a surprisingly good job at sticking to the original text and includes much of the dialog from the novel (with slight changes/additions). He also makes several tweaks to the plot that develop into some interesting twists that are quite powerful. The artwork and character designs are also especially well-done. And while the undead and spirits can be quite ghoulish at times, there’s no gratuitous violence or gore. However, it all falls apart in the last stave; as McCann doesn’t really have a way to wrap up the Hungry Death and ends up botching everything with a rather inexplicable conclusion. Still, Zombies Christmas Carol is a creative retelling of Dickens’ tale that stays true to its message and spirit.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always look for new editions or versions of Dickens' Christmas Carol every Christmas season, as it is another of my all-time favorites. It never gets old to me & is re-created in a multitude of variations, from the Muppets movie to beautifully illustrated books. This one is also fantastically illustrated, but in a most macabre, yet Victorian, style. I enjoyed reading this; only gave it 4 stars because I don't like zombie stories very much- give me vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc. but zombies hold no appeal to me & they are pretty vicious in this book! It was a clever adaptation & still retained the original story.

[Scott McCloskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't say enough good things about this tale. Excellent artwork, and it keeps well to the spirit of the original while adding in a horror aspect that excites the reader that much more. Clearly a lot of time went into crafting something truly enjoyable here for all walks of life. If you already enjoy comics, don't miss this one. If they aren't so much your thing, consider giving this one a chance anyway. I think you'll be glad you did.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. I really liked the art a lot but obviously there weren't any big surprises. I can't remember if I've ever read the original so I was very curious how much of the text was the same.

It's funny because I thought it would have been really fun (but totally ridiculous) if Scrooge would have turned into the ultimate zombie killer and been totally armed to the teeth then wiped out the entire town.

[Wit · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a little surprising how easily this classic tale was transformed into one of a zombie nature. Nothing of the original was lost in this adaptation, and other themes were actually added, or expounded upon. This one gave a better look at how one person's actions can effect everyone around them.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disgustingly warped twist on an often-told tale, with beautifully-creepy artwork.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twist to the classic Dickens tale adding zombies to mix. A very good read with brilliant artwork.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute take on the story, but I'll still take the original.

[Jakub · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these zombie stories...

[Alex Neilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good graphical adaptation, but lost me a bit in the metaphysics at the end.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a HUGE fan of Charles Dicken's story "A Christmas Carol." I have read the story at least a dozen times. I have seen many movies, television shows, and cartoons based on the story. I have also listened to many newer and old time radio shows based on this story. I have read books parodying this story. In short, I am a huge fan.

Some of these adaptations are well done, however a lot of them are just terrible. Marvel has done the zombie theme before with a tongue and cheek humor approach with their superheros, so I went into this book not expecting it to be really good. However, I am happily surprised that this graphic novel is well done and enjoyable.

The writer uses a Dickens-esque writing style that at first was a bit odd for a comic book, however toward the end of the first chapter I got into the rhythm of the writing and enjoyed it.

The art starts out really good. It is in a cartoony some-what exaggerated style. However, chapters two and three are done by a different artist. While not a complete different style it a noticeable difference. Since this is a limited issue run that turned into a graphic novel they should have kept the same artist team for cohesiveness. The art has some scary and disturbing images that add to the message of the story.

Since the zombies in the book are just a metaphor for the poor and mistreated in society this book is not recommended for zombie fans looking for a blood and gore read. Instead, this book is recommended for A Christmas Carol fans looking for a different and interesting take on the story.

[Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It is a fair, even handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious and healing as laughter and good humour.”

Rounded down from 3.5 stars. The second stave kind of felt like the ghost was trying to tell Scrooge off for being a Typhoid Mary, then it morphed into trying to use the cheer and hope of Christmas as a vaccine that magically gets rid of zombies. One of those stories that I feel parallels reality after Covid—work together to stop the spread, bring cheer to each others lives, work together to find a cure, steal from the rich. I did like how the first four staves paralleled the original Christmas Carol while still introducing the zombies in a fresh way. The last stave did kind of go off the rails, which the writer would kind of have to do that in order to get rid of the zombies. The comments from the writer and illustrators at the end was interesting since you get to see their thought process in the changes and style choices they made for the adaptation.

[Ville-Markus Nevalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A zombified version of the Christmas Carol sounds fun and zany on paper, like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies or any other screwball version of a classic.

And I do have the say that this collection has some good artwork, especially in the later parts some of the spirits and/or ghosts look cool.

But. That's about it. It doesn't really add anything to the original story, even the zombies seem like an afterthought rather than the main attraction, the thing that alters anything. I would've given the story the regular, it's okay 3 stars, but alas it stumbles so much in the last steps that I can't even give that. As others have pointed out, the kinda meh story turns just stupid in the very last pages, and not even the good kind of "Let's go kill zombies and save the day" -stupid which I would've very much hoped to see.

I had hoped that this would've been a fun addition to my bookshelf, a Christmas story when other Christmas stories seem boring, but this is going to be a nope from me.

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect much going in, but actually I quite liked it. It doesn't devolve into just "Scrooge fights zombies" or whatever like a lot of the things that came out during the zombie trend, but uses the zombies as a metaphor for the horror of poverty that's already an integral part of the story. Looking at the bad reviews, it seems like either people didn't like the art (I liked it, although it is gory like all these kinds of zombie books), or they didn't like how metaphorical the plot is and wanted it to be more of a standard sci-fi zombie story. So, it's not for everyone, but I really appreciate when someone puts this level of effort into transforming an adaptation, rather than just rehashing it. I'm sure they could have phoned it in and drawn some zombies eating guts and gone home, but instead they found a story they wanted to tell that actually NEEDED both the Christmas Carol and the zombies to say what they wanted to say, and I love that.