Japanese pop metal group Babymetal are teaming up with Marvel on a variant cover for Marvel Zombies: War Zone #1, created by Phil Noto. The cover, which features the band stoically running from undead versions of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk, is limited to 3500 copies, each retailing for $35, and is available to pre-order now for a release on October 2.
In a statement (courtesy of Bloody Disgusting), the band said, “We are truly honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Marvel, a beloved around the world for so many years. Gracing a comic book cover alongside Marvel’s characters is the best surprise we could have asked for. We hope our fans are as excited as we are!”
The cover marks Babymetal’s second foray into comics, following the graphic novel Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal, released by Z2 Comics in 2018. It comes a year after their collaboration with Poppy, “From Me to U”, was used in the trailer for the animated Marvel Zombies series, and coincides with their current World Tour for their fifth album, Metal Forth: you can check out the remaining dates here.
Regular copies of the first issue of Marvel Zombies: War Zone are available now from comic book stores. The five-part series, by writer Tom Waltz and artist Jaime Infante, follows the Punisher, and other small potato heroes in New York, after big teams like the Avengers fall victim to a zombie virus.
The Marvel Zombies line kicked off with the eponymous series by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips in 2005, and has spawned multiple comics, as well as the Disney+ series, since then. A second season of the show is also currently in the works.
As well as Babymetal’s website, the cover will be available to order from Japan’s A!Smart store on Monday, September 7.
