Tales of the Zombie is a 1973 comic book series published by Marvel Comics. First appearing in issue #5 of the 1970s horror-anthology comic book Menace, the titular Zombie was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett. Proving popular, the character was quickly spun-off into the larger magazine-format comic, with Roy Thomas and Steve Gerber writing the series.
The titular Zombie was once Simon Garth, a highly successful businessman and well known public figure, who was also a ruthless person who treated his employees poorly. After firing his gardener after years of mistreatment, however, his luck would run out, as his gardener would snap and stab him to death.
Not satisfied with this quick death, and wanting him to suffer, the gardener would go to a nearby Voodoo cult and force them to transform the corpse into a mindless zombie under his command. This would end up being his undoing, as when the gardener tried to force the zombie to kill his daughter, there was enough of Garth left in it to prevent it from doing so, killing the gardener instead.
Now Garth wanders around, shambling under the control of whoever comes across the Amulet of Damballah.
The first issue was published March 4, 1973. The series lasted for 10 issues, plus a single annual, which acted as the final issue, and was published June 10, 1975.
Tales of the Zombie provides examples of:
- And I Must Scream: Whoever has the Amulets of Damballah can control Simon without him being able to do anything about it.
- Artifact Domination: The Amulet of Damballah allows the wielder to control the titular Zombie, Simon Garth.
- Bad Boss: Simon was notorious for treating his employees ruthlessly.
- Fate Worse than Death: Simon's gardener Gyps decides that simply killing him isn't revenge enough, so he has him turned into a zombie he can bend to his will.
- Fighting from the Inside: When commanded to kill his own daughter, there is just enough of Simon left in the Zombie to resist.
- Healing Factor: The Zombie can sustain physical damage as any other person, but he can magically regenerate from these injuries if given enough time.
- Hollywood Voodoo: This is prevalent in the series, and is how Simon Garth is raised from the dead.
- Human Sacrifice: Simon is kidnapped and killed as part of a ritual to turn him into an obedient zombie slave.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Simon's gardener Gyps kills him by stabbing him with a pair of garden shears.
- In Love with the Mark: The Voodoo cult's priestess Layla recognizes Garth as her employer, with whom she is in love. Although she attempts to let him escape, she fails, and is forced to mystically transform his corpse into a zombie.
- Offing the Offspring: Gyps tries to command Simon to kill his own daughter,
- The Kid with the Remote Control: While 23, Simon's daughter Donna gains possession of one of the Amulets of Damballah, allowing her to control the corpse of her father.
- The Needless: Being dead, the Zombie has no need to eat, sleep or breath.
- The Undead: As indicated by his name, Simon Garth's a zombie reanimated using voodoo magic, meaning he doesn't infect others if he were to bite them.
- Voodoo Zombie: Simon Garth was cursed by a voodoo cult to shamble under the control of whoever came across the Amulet of Damballah.
- Weak to Magic: Simon Garth is vulnerable to voodoo, as it is voodoo which animates him in the first place.
- Workaholic: Simon Garth was this in life.
