Issue(s): Strange Tales #171
Published Date: Dec 73
Title: "March of the dead"
Credits:
Len Wein - Writer
Gene Colan - Penciler
Frank Giacoia - Inker

Review/plot:
So the 1971 revision to the Comic Book Authority allowed the usage of horror monsters "when handled in the classic tradition, such Frankenstein, Dracula, and other high-caliber literary works by Edgar Allan Poe, Saki, Conan Doyle, and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world" (quote found on Wikipedia). However, this didn't allow the usage of zombies, since zombies have never appeared in "high-caliber literary works". Marvel decided they wanted to use zombies anyway, but in order to keep the CCA stamp, they didn't call them zombies.

They call them zuvembies.

That is the stupidest thing i've ever heard.

Anyway, let's see what we've got here...

Brother Voodoo, who looks awesome, gets attacked by some, *ahem*, zuvembies in a graveyard and is knocked out. He wakes up to find himself in an underground AIM lab, strapped to a device that a zombie in a marching band jacket named Baron Samedi tells him will turn him into a zombie.

In addition to his ability to send his dead brother's soul out to attack people (which proves useless against the zombies this issue), Voodoo is also apparently Master of All Reptiles, and while Samedi is ranting, Voodoo has a lizard chew through a wire for him. After the machine fails, the zombies turn back into regular people and he beats the hell out of the AIM goons and lets some heavy machinery fall on Samedi.

Ok, well, the Master of All Reptiles thing certainly threw me.

I knew he repelled Damballah's snakes last issue, but i didn't realize that was because he was Master of All Reptiles (or did that contest make him Master of All Reptiles?).

Otherwise, this was kind of plain, even if it is the first time we've seen zombies in a Marvel comic. Brother Voodoo comes off as a fairly generic guy, even if his powers are weird.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - early Brother Voodoo

Chronological Placement Considerations: A footnote mentions that AIM is recently "on view" in Astonishing Tales and Marvel Team-Up.

References:

• Brother Voodoo saved a UN pathologist from some goons in Strange Tales #169.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A

baron samdi was also featured in the bond film "live and let die" which was out around the same time as this issue.