As this issue opens, Jocasta and Machine Man teleport into the universe of Earth-2149, better known as the Zombieverse, in order to obtain a sample of uninfected human blood from that particular reality, in an effort to create some sort of defense against the proliferation of the virus on their own Earth-616, the mainstream Marvel Universe. Upon arrival, the duo confront, and dispatch, several zombified versions of well-known Marvel heroes and villains and trace the few remaining human life signs Jocasta is able to locate to the headquarters of the now-zombified Kingpin, who seems to have gained a great amount of power on this desolate Earth. Jocasta and Machine Man discover that the Kingpin's base also houses a laboratory, in which humans are cloned using the technology of Black Bolt and the Inhumans, to feed the undead populace of the Earth. . .

     When I first read that there was going to be a third Marvel Zombies mini-series several months ago, I was somewhat apprehensive, due to two main factors: First, the original Marvel Zombies team of Robert Kirkman and Sean Philips had stated in interviews that they had no intention of continuing the Zombies' story after the second series ended, any time within the immediate future, at least. Second, there was the concern that yet another series would have little, if any, new ground to cover and was going to be nothing more than a mediocre addition to a story that had run its course. Thankfully, I was completely wrong.

     Marvel Zombies 3, so far, has proven itself to be an excellent addition to the franchise, and has even added to the entire Zombieverse mythos an atmostphere and feeling all its own. The events of this series take place after the first Marvel Zombies series, but before the second, within the forty years that separated the two, and gives interesting insight into what exactly was going on during that timeframe. The addition of two robot protagonists give the story a new twist; while a big part of the drama with human characters in the preceeding volumes would be the risk of infection, the use of androids allows for more interesting, and intense, fight sequences that were, for the most part, lacking in previous stories. Fred Van Lente proves more than capable of taking the reins of the Zombieverse from Kirkman, giving this third installment, while still maintaining the dark humor the series is known for, more of a lean towards the "horror" aspect of the entire Marvel Zombies notion. Kev Walker's illustrations compliment Van Lente's writing; from zombies to the foreboding backdrop of Earth-2149 to crafting Machine Man's facial expression's so clearly that text, in some cases, is not even needed to convey what the character is saying or thinking (which is quite a feat, given the character's large, expressionless red eyes), Walker provides an excellent visual interpretation of the Zombieverse.

     For anyone who believed that the Zombies had run their course, and that a third series simply was not needed, Marvel Zombies 3 has been an excellent read so far, succeeding in returning to a fan-favorite genre, while adding several new and refreshing aspects to the premise at the same time.