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THE ZOMBIE

Real Name: Simon William Garth

Identity/Class: Human zombie

Occupation: Servant of those who wield the Amulets of Damballah;
former president and founder of Garwood Industries, maker of Garth Manor coffee

Legal Status: Citizen of the U.S.A., legally dead

Group Membership: Howling Commandos (Living Mummy/N'Kantu, Man-Thing/Ted Sallis, Frankenstein's Monster), Legion of Monsters (Living Mummy/N'Kantu, Frankenstein's Monster, Satana, Werewolf/Jack Russell)

Former controllers: Black Talon (Samuel Barone), Phillip Bliss, Calypso, Donna Garth, Glory Grant, Gene Griggs, Gyps, Dora Katz, Lilith (Daughter of Dracula), Myrna Lukaikas, Fred Miller, Mister Six, Papa Shorty, Gideon Starr, Harvey Stoller; presumably S.H.I.E.L.D.

Affiliations: Phillip Bliss, Calypso, Anton Cartier, Damballah, Deadpool ("Headpool") of Earth-2149, Kathy, Hannibal King, Layla, Moira Mason, Midnight Sons (Hellstorm, Jennifer Kale, Man-Thing/Ted Sallis, Morbius, Werewolf), Papa Doc, Papa Shorty, Sagbata (possibly, see comments), S.H.I.E.L.D. (Phil Coulson, Maria Hill, Melinda May, Jeremiah Warrick, others), Spider-Man;
formerly Hackman, Brian Stockwood (former business partner)

Enemies: Andre, A.R.M.O.R. (Alternate Reality Monitoring and Operational Response), Calypso, Captain Mexica of Earth-1519, Dormammu, Glory Grant, Gene Griggs, Gyps, Hackman, Hellspawn, Katanya, Dora Katz, Lilith (Dracula), Myrna Lukaikas, Teddy Masterson, Mindless Ones, Fred Miller, Mister Six, Narcisse, Papa Nebo, Ramon, Richard Ricard, Robert, Shotgun (J.R. Walker), Lucien Sinclair, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Gideon Starr, Harvey Stoller, a pair of hunting dogs (deceased), unidentified mugger and bargoers

Known Relatives: Donna Garth (daughter), Bruce Mason (son-in-law, see Donna's comments), Miranda Garth (ex-wife)

Aliases: Formerly the Coffee King of New Orleans

Place of Birth: Birmingham, Alabama

Base of Operations: Mobile;
buried in New Orleans, Louisiana

First Appearance: Menace#5 (July, 1953);
(retold) Tales of the Zombie#1 (August, 1973)

Powers/Abilities: As a zombie, Garth possesses certain supernatural abilities derived from the loa (voodoo spirits). Unlike most zombies, for some reason (perhaps due to the spell of Layla) his spirit never fully left his body at death. He was aware of his surroundings; when no one held the Amulet of Damballah, he was free to act on his own. The person holding the Amulet of Damballah controls his actions, but has at times he has been able to exhibit his human persona and take control of his own actions. He has even spoken on occasion.
However, his spirit may have passed on after he was laid to rest by Papa Doc.

The Zombie possesses enhanced strength (he can lift 1200 lbs.), can quickly regenerate from even extensive injuries, does not need to breathe or eat, and cannot feel physical pain. The use of a devil-doll or voodoo doll has been shown to be able to cause him incapacitating agony. There is no evidence that Simon Garth had to consume human flesh to maintain his existence as a zombie.

The Zombie cannot smell, taste, or feel. He can see and hear, but these are magical senses, rather than a function of his nervous system.

During his human lifetime, Garth was fiercely driven and a control freak, though he possessed a violent temper.

Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: White
Hair: Black

Distinguishing Features: The Zombie's skin is yellowish, coarse, brittle, and in a state of decay.

 

 

 

 

 

History:

(Tales of the Zombie#9 (fb) - BTS) - Simon Garth was a hero in an unspecified war.

(Tales of the Zombie#9 (fb)) - Simon married Miranda.

(Tales of the Zombie#1 (fb)) - <25 years before the main story> - Simon Garth and Brian Stockwood became business partners, eventually forming Garwood Industries, the largest coffee distributor in the South via Garth Manor Coffee.

(Tales of the Zombie#9 (fb)) - Simon's intense desire to succeed financially led to strife at home.

(Tales of the Zombie#2 (fb) - BTS) - Simon Garth was longtime friends with Anton Cartier in Haiti.

(Tales of the Zombie#9 (fb)) - <10-12 years before#1> - After many public displays of violence, Miranda walked out on Simon Garth. They had a quiet divorce.

(Tales of the Zombie#2 (fb)) - Simon Garth brought his daughter, Donna, to Haiti, where he had his agent, Hackman, explain how they paid musicians to play along the field workers, as it markedly improved their productivity.

(Tales of the Zombie#1 (fb)) - After forbidding Donna from hanging out with one of her friends (a hippie!), Garth chastised his gardener Gyps for his slow work, telling him to sharpen his shears. His day at work consisted of him berating his partner and staff for a reluctance to increase production as the workers were already overextended. He returned home to find Gyps harassing Donna after catching her skinny-dipping; Garth savagely attacked Gyps, beating him, firing him, and throwing him off the grounds. However, a few hours later, as Garth left for a dinner party, Gyps ambushed him, smashing a bottle over his head and taking him out into the bayou where a "red sect" of voodoo practitioners planned a human sacrifice. The priestess of the ritual was Layla, Garth's secretary, who had fallen in love with, and she promised him that he would not die by her hand.

(Tales of the Zombie#1) - Layla pretended to be performing the sacrifice, but then suddenly cut Garth's restraints, allowing him to flee into the swamp. However, Gyps caught up to him and slew him with his shears (which he had indeed sharpened). Feeling cheated nonetheless with Garth's quick death, Gyps threatened to kill Layla unless she performed the ritual to transform Garth into a zombie. Upon digging out of his fresh grave, Garth went on a rampage, until one of the cultists threw one of the Amulets of Damballah around the Zombie's neck, giving its twin to Gyps, allowing him to control Garth.

(Menace#5/Tales of the Zombie#1/2) - Gyps sent Garth into town to steal some money for him. He killed and began robbing a man, but was caught in the act by a policeman. Rather than risk captured, the Zombie fled back to Gyps who whipped him for his failure until realizing the whipping bothered Garth in the least. Gyps then sent the Zombie to scare Donna Garth, intending to pretend to rescue her, hoping to earn her favor. The Zombie approached Donna, but upon seeing her he managed to throw off Gyps control, returning to his shack and killing his former master before returning to his bayou grave.

(Tales of the Zombie#1/6) - A few weeks after Simon Garth's disappearance, Detective Sam Jagger called in Donna Garth to confirm the identity of the dead Gyps. She confirmed this, after which she convinced Jagger to give her the amulet they had found at Gyps' shack (as she sensed some connection to her father). As she concentrated on the amulet, the Zombie emerged from his grave, killing a pair of hunting dogs that attacked him and driving off their abusive master. Later, as Donna headed home, Gene Griggs, a heroin addict, stole her purse. Griggs was annoyed with the three dollars he found in her purse, but kept the amulet, hoping he could sell it. Unaware that the Zombie was heading towards him, Griggs then killed a couple walking down the street to rob them, but the wife tore open his pocket as she tried to fight him off. The amulet fell to the ground, leaving the Zombie free from his control, and the Zombie grabbed his gun and forced Griggs to shoot himself in the head.

(Dracula Lives#2/5) - The Zombie was present in downtown New Orleans, nearly encountering Dracula.

(Tales of the Zombie#2) - The Zombie attacked a pair of grave robbers, Rafe and Mitch, who had been sent by Mr. Six to steal a magic ring from the corpse of Joseph Travers. The Zombie killed Mitch, but Rafe escaped. Sensing a connection to Haiti, the Zombie stowed away on a ship, on which Donna was also traveling. In Haiti he made his way to the Port-au-Prince home of his old friend Anton Cartier.

(Tales of the Zombie#2/9) - Cartier brought the Zombie to a cavern in the forest miles from his home to keep him hidden while he sought a means to return to normal. However, as soon as Cartier left he wandered out into woods, encountering Donna who had been transformed into a monstrous Spider-Thing by the treatment of Dr. Richard Ricard. The Spider-Thing attacked the Zombie, but her bites and venom did her no harm, and after exhausting herself she returned to normal form, passing out. The Zombie wandered back to its cavern before she revived.

(Tales of the Zombie#3) - Wandering out from his cavern, the Zombie was attacked by and slew a large constrictor. Vaguely remember his prior need to eat, he consumed the snake's flesh. He was later drawn to a voodoo ceremony, where the priestess Katanya had condemned and mutilated Moira Mason for disrupting the events by filming them. When Moira's husband Bruce agreed to become Katanya's zombie in exchange for restoring Moira, the zombie intervened to prevent Bruce from sharing his fate. The Zombie fought off the cultists and then, sensing her wishes, quickly killed Moira to end her torment.

(Tales of the Zombie#4) - The Zombie fought Katanya and her cultist, who wished vengeance for the theft of their victim. Katanya used a "devil-doll" to cause him to collapse to the ground, and her cultists cast the Zombie off of a cliff. He sank to the ocean floor, remaining inert until the other Amulet of Damballah was found by Phillip Bliss, who jokingly used it to call up a Zombie, little realizing that his call would be answered, as the Zombie began its trek across the ocean floor towards him.

(Tales of the Zombie#4/8) - A week later, the Zombie climbed onto the docks of New Orleans and confronted Phillip Bliss. Though initially terrified, Bliss soon realized the power he now wielded, and he directed the Zombie to wreak havoc in a courtroom, seeing this as enabling him to gain vengeance on the lawyers who had ruined Bliss' life.

(Tales of the Zombie#5) - Phillip Bliss attempted to grant the Zombie peace by digging a grave for him outside New Orleans. Shortly thereafter, Bliss' Amulet of Damballah was abducted by agents of Mr. Six; during the struggle, Bliss tried to summon the Zombie for help. The Zombie answered the call, but could only follow the mystic trail to the Amulet-- though he DID stop off at his old office and rampage through it briefly. Following the call of the Amulet, the Zombie ran into Robert, the chauffeur of Mr. Six, who was fleeing from a blood ritual conducted by Papa Shorty. The Zombie followed the orders of Shorty, who held the Amulet, to kill Robert, who Shorty then transformed into a zombie as well. Shorty then forced the two zombies to fight, and Garth quickly overpowered Robert and hurled him into a fire. When Phillip Bliss and his allies, Steve Bergen and Gene Gretsch, arrived in an effort to rescue the Zombie, Shorty commanded him to kill them. After the Zombie slew Phillip Bliss, Shorty became so amused that he dropped the Amulet; freed from his control, the Zombie took his vengeance on Shorty, killing him.

(Tales of the Zombie#6) - Back in the swamp, the Zombie attempted to return to his original grave, but was drawn to a ritual being conducted by Layla. The Zombie attacked the ritualists, but Layla proved capable of controlling him. Promising to bring him a final death, Layla led the Zombie through the bayou, but she became lost. When they came across the cabin of Eric Masterson, Layla asked for directions, but was instead thrown in with his monstrous son, Teddy. The Zombie went after Eric, who released Teddy to attack the Zombie. However, the brutish creature exhausted itself in a futile attempt to harm the Zombie, while Layla killed Eric when he tried to hide from the Zombie in the same room he had thrown her. Layla led the Zombie back into the bayou.

(Tales of the Zombie#7) - When Layla fell and knocked herself out on a log, the Zombie wandered off, observing from a distance the mystery of the deceased Brian Collier and his relatives, many of whom fell before a plot of Collier's lawyer, Jerome Ralston. The Zombie then intervened, killing Ralston and his partner-in-crime, Collier's grandson, Jason.

(Tales of the Zombie#8 (fb) - BTS) - Firefighter Fred Miller found the Amulet within the remains of Papa Shorty's oum'phor (temple).

(Tales of the Zombie#8) - Layla brought the Zombie to her grandfather, Papa Doc/Doc Kabel, in hopes that he could help her lay Garth to rest. He performed a ceremony and then gave her a gris-gris (a type of magical charm) that she could use to end the Zombie's curse. However, when she returned, he had wandered off again. He followed the call of Fred Miller, who was using the Amulet as a gag during a swinger's party. The Zombie burst into his house, but Miller soon realized he could use the Amulet to control the Zombie. Miller then used the Zombie to assault and terrify his neighbor, Ray Jordan, who had been complaining about the noise at his parties. One of Miller's friends, Harvey Stoller, used the Zombie to frighten to death his boss, Louis Garrison. Another of Miller's friends, Dora, sent the Zombie to assault a "snooty secretary who lords it over her typing pool at Garwood." Following the orders, the Zombie entered her apartment and smashed the woman in the head. Only afterwards did he realize that the secretary was Layla, who had been mortally wounded by the punch. In a daze, Layla pulled the Amulet of Damballah off of the Zombie, freeing him from Miller's control. His mind again his own, the Zombie traveled back down to Miller's car and slew everyone in it.

(Tales of the Zombie#9) - The dying Layla took the gris-gris and had the Zombie carry her back to Papa Doc. There she sacrificed her remaining life force, allowing Papa Doc to perform a ritual that returned Simon Garth to life for 24 hours. He first informed the police about the red sect voodoo cult that had attempted to perform a ritual sacrifice on him, leading to the deaths or arrests of most of its members. Returning to Garth manor, he learned from Anton Cartier that Donna was getting married to Bruce Mason that day. He attended the wedding, where he was reunited with his former wife, Miranda. He arranged the sellout his half of Garwood, using it as a trust for Donna and Miranda, as well as for Teddy Masterson, administered jointly by Joan Masterson and Anton Cartier. From Garwood he went to Cafe Six, where he confronted and killed Mister Six and his assistant André. Fleeing the police, Garth returned to his manor, where he briefly made his peace with Miranda, before turning back into the Zombie.
The police had pursued Garth back to his manor, but the Zombie easily fought his way past them and made his way to Papa Doc's shack, where he grabbed the gris-gris, effectively ending his curse. Papa Doc and Anton Cartier buried Garth.

(Bizarre Adventures#33) - The Amulet of Damballah came into possession of Gideon Starr, who ran an occult shop in New York. Starr plotted with Myrna Lukaikas to cause the death of her ailing husband, Frank; Myrna seemingly met and purchased the Amulet, then engaged in a ritual, during which time Starr posed as the Zombie and burst through the ground. As they had intended, Frank had a heart attack and died, but then Myrna poisoned Gideon so they she would not have to share her husband's wealth with him. However, the real Amulet, which Gideon had used, had actually drawn the Zombie to New York, and he followed the call of the Amulet to the Lukaikas house.
However, as Gideon had used a real Amulet and a fake Amulet in the plot and Myrna held only the fake Amulet, she could not control the Zombie, who threw her into the fireplace. The Zombie grabbed the second Amulet and tried to use it to will himself into final death, but found the effort to be futile. He took both Amulets and wandered off.

 

 

 

(Daredevil Annual#9) - Calypso summoned Papa Doc to the grave of Simon Garth, where she killed him. Drinking his blood and taking his Talisman of Damballah, she performed a ritual which raised the Zombie once more. After having the creature demonstrate its strength for her, she then resurrected Hellspawn, and commanded the Zombie to kill the "e;Redman," as a way of testing his ability against her enemy Daredevil. The two creatures fought briefly before Hellspawn escaped. Furious at her follower's failure to protect her during the melee, Calypso then attacked the Zombie, at which point it somehow realized that she had captured the spirit of Papa Doc in an ornament called the Pot-De-Tete. The Zombie crushed the pot, releasing Doc's soul, then turned around and mindlessly walked away in search of "The Redman."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Spider-Man Annual '97 (fb) - BTS) - In The Caribbean, an elderly woman possessed by the spirit of Calypso gave a vacationing Glory Grant one of the Talismans of Damballah, knowing of her strong mixed feelings of Spider-Man, another one of Calypso's enemies.

(Spider-Man Annual '97) - Arriving in New York by walking across the ocean floor, the Zombie climbed onto a pier, where two mafia men were preparing to kill a third by sinking him with concrete. The Zombie killed the two, then knocked the third into the water as well. He made his way to the apartment of Glory Grant, where Spider-Man found him standing on the fire escape outside. Attacking the creature, the two were knocked inside Grant's home, where the government special agent known as Shotgun was questioning Grant on her dealings while on vacation. Shotgun proceeded to shoot the Zombie in the gut, and then fought with Spider-Man. Grant then shot the Zombie as well, and it escaped.

Later on, while scuba diving for a dropped stash of illegal drugs, Shotgun and Grant once again encountered the Zombie, who attempted to attack Grant, only to be pinned to the side of a sunken ship by Shotgun. At this point, Calypso's spirit fully possessed Grant, and she knocked Shotgun unconscious. She then took the Zombie and Ramon, Grant's cousin whom she put under a spell to act like a zombie, to her real body's grave. Once the body was dug up, the Zombie attempted to take the Talisman of Damballah from Grant/Calypso, only to have Ramon attack him. After the Zombie knocked him out, Spider-Man arrived on the scene, and kept the Zombie occupied while Calypso returned her spirit to her true body and escaped. Grant, now in full capacity of her mind, used the Talisman to command the Zombie to stop, and upon handing it to him, he lumbered away.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#20 - BTS) - Lilith gained possession of one of the Talismans, and began to use the Zombie to gather victims for her.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#20) - The Zombie attacked a group of homeless youths, in particular one boy whom Lilith desired to be brought to her. Lilith then sent Simon to Times Square to stage a rampage to draw in Spider-Man. Catching him, the Zombie brought Spider-Man back to Lilith's lair, where she used him as a test to prove Hannibal King's loyalty to her. King instead ripped the Talisman from her throat and commanded the Zombie to free Spider-Man. The three of them fought off Lilith and her vampire horde until Lilith escaped. King then returned to New Orleans and returned both Talismans and the Zombie to Simon's daughter Donna, who promised to bury him.

 

 

 

 

 

(Strange Tales IV#1/3) - Donna Garth sent the Zombie to attack Papa Nebo and Narcisse, two men who attacked and killed her best friend, Angelina Beliard. The Zombie killed Nebo, and dragged Narcisse to Angelina's tomb, locking him inside alive, with the zombified Angelina.

(Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing#1/2) - The Zombie was found in the wreckage after a swamp gas explosion destroyed a city block. He was taken to Gerber Hospital, where -- after searching for the morgue attendant Kathy -- he wandered out and killed a mugger (saving his female attacker). In the Rabbit's Hole bar, he found a punk woman who wanted him to make her his corpse bride; when he refused to kill her, she and her friends attacked him. He stood there as they badly beat him until a cop stopped them.
    The Zombie was taken back to the morgue where he was apparently kissed by a female corpse/zombie, and they broke out of the morgue and dug themselves a shallow grave in the wilderness.

(Marvel Zombies 4#1 (fb) - BTS) - When the zombie plague from Earth-2149 broke out on Earth-616 interdimensional defense agency A.R.M.O.R. caught Simon Garth for study and kept him in the Hollow.

(Marvel Zombies 4#1 (fb) ) - Garth's containment tube got broken when Morbius of Earth-2149 infected the personnel at the Hollow. Attack by the zombified Captain Mexica Garth couldn't satisfy the attacker's hunger because he was a zombie as well. Captain Mexica threw up and moved on. The decapitated head of Earth-2149's Deadpool ("Headpool") called Garth over to his containment tube and talked Garth into busting him out. Garth took "Headpool" to A.R.M.O.R.'s teleporters and they escaped the quarantine, but "Headpool's" coordination were incorrect and they landed at the bottom of the Caribbean ocean. Attacked by Piranha and his Men-Fish Garth was saved from them by "Headpool", who bit their way through them, infecting them with the zombie plague.

(Marvel Zombies 4#1) - Compelled by the Amulet of Damballah Simon Garth arrived with "Headpool" at the shore of the Caribbean island nation Taino and went to Black Talon's drug operation. Black Talon forced Garth to reveal to him who "Headpool" was and where they came from before ordering Garth to hand over "Headpool". From that moment on Garth walked among Black Talon's zombie servants with "Headpool" at the end of a spear.

(Marvel Zombies 4#2) - Simon Garth silently stood next to the birdcage Black Talon kept "Headpool" in while "Headpool" tried to convince Garth to break him out again.

   While the Midnight Sons (Hellstorm, Jennifer Kale, Man-Thing, Morbius, Werewolf) fought Black Talon, Hood and the Night Shift two of Talon's cronies tried to steal "Headpool". One of them was bitten by "Headpool" and turned into a zombie, who attacked his partner immediately. Uncaring for their misfortune Garth took the cage with "Headpool" inside and left the scene.

(Marvel Zombies 4#3 (fb) - BTS) - Garth moved away from Talon's plantation and removed "Headpool" from the birdcage.

(Marvel Zombies 4#3) - 20 kilometers west from Talon's plantation Garth shambled into a village with "Headpool" under his arm. Garth grabbed a screaming woman at her arm while "Headpool" prattled on. Garth moved on with "Headpool" when a cloud containing blood and gore infected by the zombie plague, which had been mutated by Morbius' vaccine, rained down on the village and dissolved the woman, whose arm Garth was still holding, in front of him. Man-Thing followed them. Moving on Zombie and "Headpool" encountered Roxxon Blackridge super-security members the Wicked Brigade (Ogre, Razor-Wire and Lightning Fist). They asked the two zombies if they needed medical attention before they were infected themselves by the zombie plague cloud.

(Marvel Zombies 4#4) - Garth put "Headpool" on a boat sending him out to the sea. Garth then returned with "Headpool's" mask in hand to Black Talon's plantation where Jennifer Kale and Black Talon used his body as vessel to contain the zombie virus cloud. Because the Midnight Sons believed Garth had torched "Headpool" they considered him the sole carrier of the extradimensional zombie plague. Morbius decided to imprison Garth again because destroying him would release the zombie plague again.

(Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth#2 (fb) ) - "Headpool" remembered his stay on Taino like he and Garth hung out at the beach having drinks and later Garth helped him fake his death by sending him out to the sea.

(Daredevil III#32 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Simon Garth joined the Legion of Monsters.

(Daredevil III#32 (fb) ) - Garth joined them in numerous attempts to breach the stronghold of Darkhold user Lucien Sinclair in Stone Hills, Kentucky, but his guardians were too strong.

(Daredevil III#32) - During another attempt locals attacked the Legion of Monsters and Garth joined Werewolf and Frankenstein's Monster to protect their allies Satana and Living Mummy from the bigots. Daredevil, who was looking for Werewolf to get information on the Darkhold, got attacked by Garth, who didn't know he was actually on their side. After Daredevil explained himself he got shot while aiding the monsters against the locals.

(Daredevil III#33) - Garth stood by while Satana and Jack Russell saved Daredevil's life and then forced them to share information on the Darkhold with him. Ultimately Daredevil succeeded invade Sinclair's stronghold and capture him. Garth and the others watched Daredevil leave, not knowing he had stolen a few Darkhold pages.

(S.H.I.E.L.D. III#6 (fb) - BTS) - Phil Coulson put together a team of supernatural beings lacking brain power to go up against Dormammu. The team included Simon Garth, Living Mummy, Man-Thing and Frankenstein's Monster. Maria Hill referred to them as the all-new Howling Commandos. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ESPers planted a simple suggestion in their brains to hold the line and show no mercy.

(S.H.I.E.L.D. III#6) - The all-new Howling Commandos protected a portal to the Dark Dimension from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents infected with Dormammu's magical mindless plague.

   When Dormammu was defeated by Absorbing Man, serving S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Black Dechantment artifact got destroyed, the artifact's destruction caused a backlash that pulled the Howling Commandos to the Dark Dimension where they kept pummeling Dormammu.

(S.H.I.E.L.D. III#6 - BTS) - Warrick worked on recreating the portal to retrieve the Howling Commandos from the Dark Dimension.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett;
revamped by Roy Thomas, Steve Gerber, John Buscema and Tom Palmer.

Bizarre Adventures#33 was published nearly eight years after the story in Tales of the Zombie#9. Daredevil Annual#9 makes it appear as if the Zombie had been at rest since the events of Tales of the Zombie#9. If it occurred prior to him being put to rest (as stated in the OHotMU Deluxe Edition#20), it would most likely occur between issues Tales of the Zombie#5 and 6. It's also possible that the story takes place very early in his chronology, but the truth about the Zombie was not known to the general public until Tales of the Zombie#9, and his existence was publicly known in Bizarre Adventures#33. Also, I can't really explain how the Amulet would have made it to New York and back, especially since the Amulet's chronology can be traced pretty much directly from ToZ#1 to #9. However, it is certainly possible that the Amulet was taken by someone, given to Gideon Starr, and then ended up exactly where it had been. If that's the case, I would put it between the stories in#1, meaning after the death of Gyps, but before his body was found by Det. Jagger. One of the cultists could have found the Amulet, given it and the information behind Garth to Starr. After recovering the Amulet, the Zombie felt compelled to return the Amulet to Gyps' corpse.
Otherwise, it would appear that under unspecified circumstances, he was revived and returned to true death again after #9. Still, if I wrote the story, I'd consider making the story occur AFTER Daredevil Annual#9, which is totally doable.

The first true zombie as we know them in the modern era was created in Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#17/2 by the African/Voodoo god Sagbata (aka Baron Samedi), using the magic of Chthon. Presumably that same magic is/was involved with all subsequent zombies as well. The Amulet/Talisman of Damballah presumably allows control of the Zombie, but would not appear to have been involved in his creation.

Many zombies and other forms of the undead have been seen chronologically well before the creation of zombies by Sagbata. These zombie-like creatures did not derive power from Sagbata, but from other sources of magic, though it could be that Chthon is the common connection.

    Daredevil I#113 revealed that the shack that provided the setting for the Zombie story in Tales of the Zombie#6 was the shack in which Ted Sallis did his research.
--John McDonagh

    The cover for Tales of the Zombie#7 was apparently used as the basis for the poster for the movie "Virgin Among the Living Dead," by Jesus Franco:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00008974O/ref=dp_image_0/002-2583416-3669649?ie=UTF8&n=130&s=dvd

At the end of Ka-Zar the Savage#34 (October, 1984) there is a back-up story that has Ka-Zar going to the Land of Cancelled Heroes. There is a ton of cameos from chacters whose books were cancelled including the Zombie.
--Paradox Factor

Thanks to Jean-Marc Lofficier, Madison Carter, and Snood for the images.

Profile by Snood, Prime Eternal, and Madison Carter. Marvel Zombies 4 to S.H.I.E.L.D. update by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Simon Garth, the Zombie, should not be confused with:


Amulets of Damballah

Also known as the Talisman of Damballah and the Amulets of Control, they were a pair of medallions, presumably given power by the true Voodoo God Damballah. One was placed around the Zombie's neck by Layla, allowing whoever held its match to control the Zombie. Under normal circumstances, Garth was unable to resist whoever held the Amulet, and he could not remove the Amulet around his neck, or the other Amulet from its holder. On one occasion Garth proved capable of resisting the Amulet; this was when Gyps tried to force him to assault his daughter, Donna. Garth also had the ability to TRY to take the Amulet from its holder (Glory Grant).

After Gyps died, the Amulet was taken by Detective Sam Jagger, who gave it to Donna Garth. It was stolen from Donna by Gene Griggs, who dropped it and was killed by the Zombie. From there it was found by Phillip Bliss, until was stolen by agents of Mr. Six, who gave it to Papa Shorty, who was killed by the Zombie after he dropped the Amulet. It was found by Fred Miller next to Shorty's corpse, and he and his friends, including Harvey Stoller and Dora, used it, until Layla tore the Amulet from the Zombie's neck, freeing him from its control.

The Amulet was next seen in the hands of Gideon Starr and Myrna Lukaikas (unless that story was just out of chronology...and I prefer that it were out of chronology), after which the Zombie obtained both Amulets. Calypso controlled the Zombie without the Amulet via the captured spirit of Papa Doc, and the Amulet was next seen around the Zombie's neck again, with its match in the possession of an old woman in the Caribbean in the possession of Calypso, who gave it to Glory Grant, who eventually gave it to the Zombie himself. One of the Amulets came into the possession of Lilith, Daughter of Dracula, and from there Donna Garth obtained it. It was last seen in Donna's possession.

--Tales of the Zombie#1 (Tales of the Zombie#1, Menace#5/Tales of the Zombie#1/2, Tales of the Zombie#1/6, Dracula Lives#2/5, Tales of the Zombie#2, Tales of the Zombie#2/9, Tales of the Zombie#3, Tales of the Zombie#4, Tales of the Zombie#4/8, Tales of the Zombie#5, Tales of the Zombie#6, Tales of the Zombie#7, [Tales of the Zombie#8 (fb)], Tales of the Zombie#8, Tales of the Zombie#9, Bizarre Adventures#33, Daredevil Annual#9/2, Spider-Man Annual '97, Spider-Man Unlimited I#20, Strange Tales IV#1/3, Marvel Zombies 4#1, [#2], #3-4, Daredevil III#32-33, S.H.I.E.L.D. III#6


Miranda Garth

Simon's ex-wife, she was the only child of one of New Orleans' oldest families. They had a daughter, Donna, but eventually his placement of his career over her, and their public and violent confrontations led her to leave him. After a quiet divorce, 10-12 years went by without even a Christmas card. Miranda next saw Simon at Donna's wedding; she was impressed with how he had changed, as he actually cared about Donna and her happiness over his own opinions. The two made peace with each other, and might have even started anew, but Simon reverted back into Zombie form. Though he did everything possible to hide this from Miranda, she learned the truth when Det. Sam Jagger called out to the Zombie.

--Tales of the Zombie#1, (seen)#9 (9(fb), [1 - BTS], 9

 

 


Images taken from:
OHOTMU#14, p32 (main image)
Tales of the Zombie#3, p1 (gods crave flesh)
Tales of the Zombie#1, p5, pan1 (pre-transformation)
Curse of the Weird (reprinting Menace#5), p1, pan1 (reprint panel)
Menace#5, "Zombie story", p1, pan1 (original panel)
Tales of the Zombie#1 (cover)
Tales of the Zombie#9, p28, pan5 (Simon Garth head shot)
Daredevil Annual#9, story 3, p53, pan1 (controlled by Calypso)
Peter Parker: Spider-Man '97, p35, pan4 (taking amulet)
Spider-Man Unlimited I#20, p2, pan1 (grrawrr)
Strange Tales IV#1, story 3, p53, pan8 (welcome back)
Bizarre Adventures#33, p5, pan2 (Amulet of Damballah)
Tales of the Zombie#9, p28, pan2 (Miranda Woods)
Marvel Zombies 4#4, p20, pan1 (vessel for zombie plague from Earth-2149)


Appearances:
Menace#5 (July, 1953) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Bill Everett (artist)
Tales of the Zombie#1 (August, 1973) - Story 1: Steve Gerber (writer), John Buscema (layouts), Tom Palmer (finished art), Roy Thomas (co-plot/editor)
   Story 6: Steve Gerber (writer), John Buscema (layouts), Syd Shores (finished art), Roy Thomas (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#2 (October, 1973) - Story 1 & 9: Steve Gerber (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist), Roy Thomas (editor)
Dracula Lives#2 (1973) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Gene Colan (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks)
Tales of the Zombie#3 (January, 1974) - Story 1: Steve Gerber (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist), Roy Thomas (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#4 (March, 1974) - Story 1 & 8: Steve Gerber (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist), Roy Thomas (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#5 (May, 1974) - Story 1: Steve Gerber (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist), Roy Thomas (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#6 (July, 1974) - Story 1: Steve Gerber (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist), Roy Thomas (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#7 (September, 1974) - Story 1: Steve Gerber & Doug Moench (writers), Pablo Marcos & Alfredo Alcala (artists), Tony Isabella (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#8 (November, 1974) - Story 1: Steve Gerber (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist), Tony Isabella (editor)
Tales of the Zombie#9 (January, 1975) - Story 1: Tony Isabella (writer), Virgilio Redondo (pencils), Alfredo Alcala (inks), Dave Kraft & Don McGregor (editors)
   Story 2: Tony Isabella & Chris Claremont (writers), Yong Montano (pencils), Alfredo Alcala (inks), Dave Kraft & Don McGregor (editors)
   Story 3: Tony Isabella (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Dave Kraft & Don McGregor (editors)
Bizarre Adventures#33 (December, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Dave Simons (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil Annual#9 (July 1993) - Story 3: Glenn Herdling (writer), Scott McDaniel (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Spider-Man '97 Annual (1997) - Glenn Herdling (writer), Shawn McManus (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Spider-Man Unlimited I#20 (May 1998) - Christopher Golden (writer), Joe Bennett (pencils), Joe Pimentel (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Strange Tales IV#1 (September 1998) - Story 3: Glenn Herdling (writer), Mark Pajarillo (pencils), Jonathan Sibal (inks), Glenn Greenberg (editor)
Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing#1/2 (May, 2007) - Ted McKeever (story & art), Nicole Boose (assistant editor), Ralph Macchio (consulting editor), John Barber (editor)
Marvel Zombies 4#1-4 (June-September, 2009) - Fred Van Lente (writer), Kev Walker (artist), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth#2 (October, 2009) - Victor Gischler (writer), Bong Dazo (pencils), Jose Pimentel (inks), Axel Alonso (editor)
Daredevil III#32 (December, 2013) - Mark Waid (writer), Chris Samnee (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Daredevil III#33 (January, 2014) - Mark Waid (writer), Chris Samnee & Jason Copeland (artists), Stephen Wacker (editor)
S.H.I.E.L.D. III#6 (July, 2015) - Mark Waid (writer), Paul Renaud (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)


First Posted: 10/18/2004
Last updated: 12/23/2017

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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