The Walking Dead: Volume 5: The Best Defence

Well, it has been a while since I last posted on The Walking Dead, but it doesn’t mean my opinion has changed. Volume 5, The Best Defense, is yet another rockin’ chapter of the story. Let me begin.

*Warning* Spoilers

[ZOMBE SURVIVAL TIPS]

Before getting into the real highlights of this chapter, I’d like to briefly mention some good basic zombie survival tips that came up in the story. For one, you should always check, double check, and even triple check new areas that you are moving into. While a cursory glance may be all thats needed to identify immediate threats, zombies, and particularly immobile zombies, may be lurking where you least expect them. In the case of this story’s characters, they were clearing large, poorly lit, prison cell blocks. You can probably declare a single well lit room clear of threats quickly and confidently, but if you are dealing with a large, dark, and unfamiliar building complex, you better do nothing short of a triple check.

[BODY ARMOR]

Another point of interest was the characters’ discovery of riot gear in the prison armory. They, as most probably would, regarded this a great find, and quickly found it to be highly effective protection against the undead. I would have to include myself amongst those that would appreciate this find, but there are some drawbacks that one should be aware of. For one, body armor offers the undead much more to grab hold of. Between the helmet, pads, straps, and everything else that comprises the armor, there is simply much more bulk that can be snagged by a zombie within reach. Second, the additional weight and heat you have to endure will slow you down and wear you out much more quickly. Without extensive training, it is…

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28 Days Later: The Aftermath

As much as I would love to announce that I had found another 28 Days film, I’m afraid I didn’t luck out quite that much. Instead, I discovered 28 Days Later: The Aftermath, a graphic novel that illustrates a number of intertwining story lines leading up to the events of the original film, highlights the day zero to 28 days later period that Jim was in his coma, and offers a little perspective on the scenario as the timeline gets closer to the start of 28 Weeks Later.

Now I have to admit that I don’t have loads of experience when it comes to the quality of graphic novels, and may be setting my standards a little too high because of the awesomeness that is The Walking Dead, but Aftermath wasn’t the greatest of reads. The artwork wasn’t particularly exceptional, the characters were pretty flat and unrealistic, and to top it off, it was kind of pricey.

However, once I got past my initial poor impression, and reread Aftermath for the sake of jotting down some notes for this post, I actually did start to get a kick out of the author’s decisions with the story, and how it tied into the movie.

*Warning* Spoilers

[SOURCE OF OUTBREAK]

For starters the rage virus is created by a guy who is damn close to fitting the mold of an old school mad scientist. He and his Cambridge colleague’s intentions are to “isolate the specific neuro-chemicals that cause anger and excessive aggression”, which at first glance sounds like a honorable enough scientific endeavor. However, their methods quickly take a nose dive off the pillar of ethical practice.

Apparently believing their rage inhibitor ready for testing on live subjects, the lead scientist’s first order of business is to broker a backroom…

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Day of the Dead 2008

I’ve just had the opportunity to screen the new Day of the Dead, and with the aid of some alcohol, it proved to be fairly entertaining. Not so much in its portrayal of a believable zombie apocalypse scenario, but in its ample helping of cheesy B movie hilarity. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed. With Ving Rhames headlining this film, I was hoping that we might see something a little closer to the caliber of the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake, but this wasn’t even remotely close. It would be fair to say that Day of the Dead 2008 was above average for a B movie, but I really couldn’t rate it much higher than that. However, if some of you out there are interested, but can’t quite decide whether to invest the time or not, I’ll let one small spoiler slip: you get to see Ving eat his own eyeball! It was hilarious, and made the whole film worth watching.

*Warning* Spoilers

[SOURCE OF THE OUTBREAK]

Moving on to an analysis of this scenario, I’d like to begin by discussing how the outbreak was initiated and spread. As we learn towards the end of the film, this scenario is the result of yet another instance of laboratory research gone all to hell. Specifically it was an attempt by a military organization to develop a biological weapon that would paralyze enemy troops. As is to be expected in this film formula, the agent mutates, quarantine is breached, and pretty soon there is an army of undead ravaging the civilian populace.

Honestly, I’m a little skeptical about the possibility of a virus mutating from one that paralyzes to one that reanimates the dead. That seems like a pretty phenomenal leap. It even lends a little credence to the…

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The Zombie Survival Guide: Part 4: On the Run

The fourth portion of The Zombie Survival Guide is titled “On the Run”, and as can be inferred from the title, it is focused on the challenge of traveling through a zombie infested world. This is a topic of vital importance that all survivors will need to be prepared for.

Before I go any further, I should warn that being well versed in Mr. Brooks’s advice does not excuse you to go wandering around the local mall, looking for that newest version of the iPod that came out before everything went to hell. It is survival advice that should only be used for those moments when you have no other choice but to travel. If you are secure, well stocked, and quietly living out of the sight of the zombie hordes, stay that way.

[ZOMBIE SURVIVAL TIPS] [TRAVEL]

“On the Run” is an interesting chapter that delivers a fairly broad, but insightful, overview of the issues that will face survivors who attempt to travel in a world ruled by the dead. Mr. Brooks covers the topics of preparation, equipment, terrain, vehicles, and alternate modes of transport that one may not have considered before.

Before he gets into specifics, the chapter lays out some general, but valuable, guidelines. One of the key concepts that Mr. Brooks emphasizes is that travelers must first establish a goal. Survivors need to determine a concrete destination, plan how to reach that destination, and avoid getting side tracked when traveling towards that end goal. In Mr. Brooks’s own words, “Every side trip, every pause in the journey, increases the odds of being found and devoured.” As he explains, travelers should not deviate from their plan for anything less than issues of life-or-death. Every action taken outside of the safety…

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28 Days Later

While laziness would be the most truthful reason behind my lengthy hiatus from posting, I am tempted blame it on my reverence and genuine fear of blaspheming the holiness that is 28 Days Later. I hesitate to declare it my favorite zombie flick of all time, but it is undoubtedly a contender. I feel no reservation with stating that it is nothing short of bloody awesome.

*Warning* Spoilers

Before I get into discussing this film, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that many purists out there may already be objecting to my calling 28 Days a zombie flick. As the story explains, the infected are not the living dead. You may also have noticed they move a wee bit faster than your average Romero zombie. However, I believe that we have no way of knowing what form the zombie apocalypse will take. Traditional belief has held that the plague will reanimate our dead, and drive them to feed on the living, but who’s to say that something similar to this scenario will not unfold? They may be fast, they may be slow, I think either alternative is possible. Hell, from a scientific perspective, a plague that drives the living to homicidal madness is probably more likely than one that reanimates the dead. Regardless, it made for a compelling story. I believe it fits within the boundaries of the genre, and it is undoubtedly relevant to the dialogue I am hoping to initiate with this blog.

[SOURCE OF OUTBREAK]

To begin, I’d like to point out that this is another outbreak initiated by a breach in security at research facility (think Resident Evil). The idea behind this scenario resonates well because it is based on a plausible series of events. Research is conducted all over the world, and…

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Fido

After almost five months of anticipation, I’ve finally had an opportunity to watch Fido, and I wasn’t disappointed. Admittedly, I don’t think its humor was quite as successful as Shaun of the Dead, but it was still pretty damn funny, and it took on the zombie genre with some fresh ideas.

*Warning* Spoilers

[SOURCE OF OUTBREAK]

The first topic of interest that I’d like to briefly mention is the origin of the zombie plague. In this scenario, Earth’s orbit has the misfortune of intersecting the path of a massive cloud of space-born radiation. The science behind this incident isn’t explained in any real detail, but I’m willing to accept that there are likely many varieties of radiation, and other energies, throughout the universe that we have yet to discover. Who knows, maybe some have the potential to turn us into mindless, flesh-craving, ghouls.

Honestly, mysterious energy from the depths of space isn’t exactly at the top of my list of concerns, but I’ll try to stay open minded. If this scenario were to actually occur, I think we’d be SOL. Sure, with enough warning, we could dig our underground, lead-lined, bunkers, and make the like the Cold War actually brought about doomsday, but is there really any chance we’d get the warning early enough? I doubt it. Personally, in the event of zombie-radiation-from-space, I think we might as well just make tinfoil hats, throw a cocktail party, and let the radiation do its work.

[ZOMBIE PHYSIOLOGY]

Aside from my doubts about the radiation-from-space scenario actually occurring, I’m also having a bit of trouble seeing how it would bring about a classic zombie apocalypse. Specifically, I am referring to the widely believed theory that zombie bites will spread the condition to the previously uninfected. If one is infected with a virus, it is easy…

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Emergency Zombie Defense Station

A couple days ago I stumbled across something that you might be interested in taking a look at, an “Emergency Zombie Defense Station”. It appears to be the equivalent of a first aid kit, or one of those glass enclosed cases you see in buildings that hold a fire extinguisher or axe, but designed to provide emergency protection against a zombie outbreak, for a short period of time.

The kit contains a compact pump-action shotgun, 10 shotgun shells, a short machete style knife, a riot shield, and basic (bare minimum) zombie combat instructions. This is obviously not a cache of supplies to carry you through the apocalypse, but it may be just what you need to escape the initial chaos of the outbreak, and plan your next move.

I found the photos of the kit posted on a number of sites, but I believe the original post is the “Emergency Zombie Defense Station” forum topic at craftster.org. The creator says he was inspired by a similar creation you can see in the “In Case of Zombies, Break Glass” post at techeblog.com. Both are pretty cool, and definitely an idea worth considering.

Check out photos of these creations here:

Emergency Zombie Defense Station:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=202668.msg2158872;topicseen

In Case of Zombies, Break Glass:
http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/in-case-of-zombies-break-glass

*UPDATE*

After a little bit of googling I found a some more examples.

Project - Zombie Preparedness Kit:
http://teamoverkill.com/blog/2007/01/23/project-zombie-preparedness-kit/

Bedside Zombie Protection:
http://teamoverkill.com/blog/2007/08/23/bedside-zombie-protection/

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Zombiesurvivalwiki.com

Ladies and gentlemen of the zombie fighting community, I must offer my apologies. I have to confess that I have been blogging away blissfully unaware that I was completely missing out on one of best online zombie resources I have seen to-date. I am of course referring to the Zombie Survival and Defense Wiki (zombiesurvivalwiki.com).

I have only just skimmed a small percentage of the material on the site, but it becomes immediately apparent that it is an exceptionally valuable resource. A quick look through the site’s main menu and you’ll see categories covering everything from science to weapons to pop-culture and a lot more.

The site also seems to have successfully garnered the support and collaborative contributions of a sizable community of zombie defense advocates. I’m looking forward to spending some more time sifting though all of their offerings and hopefully making a contribution or two of my own. My compliments to the zombiesurvivalwiki.com team, and everyone who is contributing to the site.

If you haven’t visited the site, check it out!

http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/

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Zombies in Plain English

Folks, I’m sure that most of you out there have probably already seen this, but I just wanted pass on my compliments to the creators of “Zombies in Plain English”. This short video tutorial gives a great run down of all the basic information that one should know about the zombie menace, and is pretty damn funny at the same time. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.

Here’s a link to the video at commoncraft.com. Enjoy.

http://www.commoncraft.com/zombies

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