SPOILER Magazine Almost Dead Comic Special Edition 2023

ALMOST DEAD COMIC BOOK

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Almost Dead is a post-apocalyptic horror-drama adventure about triumph, growth, and the resiliency of the human spirit. With their cinematic comic book series which depicts vicious and visceral events in a raw yet beautiful way, Galaxy has redefined the genre and nearly invented one of their own. Infusing the perilous and unexpectedly exciting journey with absolute horror and an attention to detail that’s rooted in and dedicated to realism, the creator and writers have established a nexus point between exhilaration and terror.

GALAXY Writer / Creator

RYAN BENJAMIN Artist

TYLER KIRKHAM

Cover Artist

INSIDE OUR UNIVERSE

By Galaxy

A s we e n t e r t h e s p o o k i e r h a l f o f t h e ye a r a n d g e t c l o s e r a n d c l o s e r t o t h e r e l e a s e o f my b ra n d n ew o r i g i n a l c o m i c series A L M O S T D E A D, we’ve d e c i d e d t o f o c u s t h i s ve r y s p e c i a l e d i t i o n o n t h e wo r l d o f Z o m b i e s , Z o m b i e s , and more Z o m b i e s !

W i t h i n t h e s e g o r y p a g e s , yo u ’ l l j u m p ( s c a re ) f ro m p a g e to p a g e - f l i p p i n g t h ro u g h a r t i c l e s t h a t b re a k d ow n t h e e s s e n t i a l s o f o u r s l a c k- j awe d , d e a d - eye d f r i e n d s . Fro m e s s e n t i a l g u i d e s to zo m b i e m ov i e s a n d t v, to b re a kd ow n s o f t h e d i f f e re n t t y p e s o f u n d e a d we c o m e a c ro s s , t h i s e d i t i o n o f S P O ! L E R h a s eve r y t h i n g yo u n e e d to s a t i s f y yo u r h u n g e r f o r b ra i n eating, f a n d o m !

Fro m Wa l ke r s to C raw l e r s to Ru n n e r s to B i te r s , we b r i n g yo u h i s to r y : b o t h f a c t u a l a n d f i c t i o n a l ! A l l o f i t l e a d s u p to o u r ve r y s p e c i a l a r t i c l e and interview that I did with SPO!LER f o c u s i n g o n my exc i t i n g n ew post apocalyptic horror c o m i c series A L M O S T D E A D!

Releasing this October 31st.

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Galaxy

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@ComicConRadio

“Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening”

- Galaxy

As always, your loyalty and your fandom is greatly appreciated. We look forward to hearing your thoughts as you check out our brand new original story, and this wonderful edition of SPO!LER. We hope the remainder of your 2023 is full of prosperity and health!

Hello readers, both old and new! We are excited to bring you this special ALMOST DEAD edition of SPO!LER magazine!

THE YEAR IS 2005. IPHONES HAVE YET TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD

YouTube videos have just started to go “viral”. A cannibalistic disease has infected the east coast.

Yes, you read that right. That is the setting for the upcoming frighteningly realistic post-apocalyptic comic book series Almost Dead written and created by Comic Con Radio founder and SPO!LER Magazine editor-in-chief Galaxy, along with skilled master artist Ryan Benjamin bringing Galaxy’s words to life; the comic world is about to be exposed to a brand new dark horror action story that will have you on the edge of your seat with every page!

After having an accident on her way home to visit her family, Sara Walker awakens to find that the world has changed. Now she must travel up the Eastern Seaboard, using suppressed survival skills she learned as a child, in the hope of reuniting with her loved ones during a viral pandemic that has turned

humans into monsters. Sara unites with old acquaintances and new friends along the way, and her struggle to survive will be both an unexpectedly exciting journey and an absolute horror.

Relentlessly vicious, Almost Dead isn’t a typical apocalyptic story. It adeptly weaves conspiracy with historical flashbacks and shows how perhaps everything we’ve learned in textbooks has been altered over time.

What makes this story different from others in the genre? Writer and creator Galaxy speaks to that. Other than referring to this specific brand of mindless cannibal as “Zombies”, Galaxy’s goal was to create a more realistic, scientifically accurate “zombie”. Studying diseases and illness in order to add that realism to a heightened reality was a main focus in creating a tale built out of the real world. This isn’t the dead rising from the grave: bones moving with nothing more than plot devices holding them together. The story is focused on more than that: How do the organs stay alive? What keeps the muscles moving? How does the human body actually decay when faced with a debilitating disease?

Sara does a great job manning the helm of this story. She is able to hold her own in a myriad of stressful situations - she’s the perfect vessel to carry not only the audience, but the emotional weight of a story that requires perseverance and sacrifice. As she learns more about herself, and her loved ones, she’s left to make harder and harder choices as she comes up against terrifying and near-unstoppable “zombies” as well as other humans. Can she save everyone? Or will she only be able to save herself?

The love for the zombie-genre and horror is clear and apparent in this story. With a multitude of both emotional and physical gut-wrenching scenes of violence, survival, and sacrifice, Almost Dead brings forward a spotlight on resilience, the human spirit, and general badassery. A horror story of survival with hints of mystery and history, it’s sure to grab the attention of both new and storied “zombie” fans alike.

SPO!LER: What is Almost Dead?

GALAXY: Almost Dead, is a postapocalyptic story that I wrote about seven years ago. It’s set in 2005, the story follows Sara, our protagonist. She travels to Maryland to visit family, has an accident and the rest is history. It’s not just another apocalyptic “zombie” story. It’s so much more than that. You’re gonna see a lot of historical situations and you might believe in my version of history instead of the one that’s written in our textbooks. I don’t want to ruin the story for everyone, so pick up a copy at your local comic book store and join the journey.

SPO!LER: You keep putting quotes around the word “zombie” are these zombies or something else?

GALAXY:  You can consider them “zombie” like. Our monsters are much more realistic, they’re not the dead rising, they’re Almost Dead. We have some cool and unique names for them, but you’ll find out once you start reading the comics. They’re not coming out from a grave or bones walking, like other stories. There is not any severed heads that can still see and bite and move etc. That’s more magical zombies to me. That’s the term I use for the traditional zombies. We just got so used to that narrative, and we had to accept that because almost every story writes them in that manner. How can a head that is separated from its body still have motion and be there for years ready to move? How is that possible? Where does the blood flow from, the nerves, etc. At the end of the day they are still humans or once was. Like I said we just got used to the story and we accept it. In Almost Dead, I am trying to make the monster more human, it’s a virus that makes the human part of them die, and brings out this

monster that is within all of us. It just takes this virus to make that fierce animalistic side of us come out. Takes over the mind and the mind controls the body and makes them ruthless.

SPO!LER: For readers that are new to the world of Almost Dead, how would you explain it?

GALAXY: Relentlessly vicious!

SPO!LER: Give us a rundown of what “Almost Dead” means to you?

GALAXY: It means everything to me. It’s a story that I’ve been wanting to tell for many years. And I’ve said this before in this and other interviews, I want the narrative to change a bit, I want readers to know that zombies are humans and they can feel pain and they can hurt, and they will have the same diseases and problems as a regular human like me and you do, because they are human. Virus takes over and erases the humane side of them, but at the core they are still a human being. So I’ve always wanted to share this because I love zombies I love the zombie genre and monsters and all of that, but sometimes when I read comics or look at TV shows or movies, I’m like, that’s not possible and we just have to go along

with it, I’ve been wanting to share this in a way so people can start thinking that oh it can’t be this way. Oh, we’re not just stuck with the same type of zombie. Oh OK, well they cannot live if they don’t have blood flowing through there system. Other than that, it’s a story of triumph, our wonderful protagonist Sara has to live in this crazy new world. I want to show how someone that’s been through hardship and adversity can grow to become an attorney and be very humane but also be very ruthless and feminine at the same time.

SPO!LER: Who’s your favorite character to write? Why?

GALAXY: They are all my favorite characters! Of course Sara is on top of that list, because she’s our protagonist, but all of the main set of characters that you’ll meet along the way as the story progresses. These are my favorite characters, even the monsters and the bystanders and everyone. I love them all. Every time I create a character in my story, I meet them in my mind I make them as real as possible and introduce myself to them. I picture how they are going to look and how their personality should be and if they were here would I be their

friend? So, everyone is my favorite character. Each character in the story has something relatable to me and you and everyone out there in the world. I want the readers to connect with each character to have something that they can relate. Sheathed its personality or struggles, something. You know what I’m saying. It’s very relatable and I sometimes think these are real life people just cause I put so much effort and thought when I create the characters I think of everything, their family, background, type of food they like to eat, their clothing, where they might shop, personalities, so many things going through my mind, but that’s how I create characters, so they’re all my favorite.

SPO!LER: Are you a fan of the general zombie apocalypse genre? Horror?

GALAXY: Absolutely I am. I love the zombie apocalypse genre. I love all these stories. I love every story even the magical zombies, which 95% of the zombie stories are the magical zombies. Like I explained earlier the ones that still have motion with their heads cut off or are stuck somewhere for 10 years and then when they hear a noise, they start moving again without

any nourishment, or any blood or brains that they have eaten for sustenance. They just get right up and move and can over power you. But, hey I still love all the stories they’re all fascinating in their own way and amazing in their own way. It gets me excited. It gets me thrilled. I love it.

SPO!LER: Why did you choose 2005 as the time setting for “Almost Dead”?

GALAXY: I chose 2005 because it’s the perfect time for this story. There’s technology, but not like it is today, we have access to things, but not like we do today. Smart phones are not out yet, almost half the country still uses dial-up Internet, sites like YouTube just launched that summer and started getting a bit of traction. It’s still a vulnerable time. It’s not like today where everyone is walking around with a computer in their back pocket, And a world of information at their fingertips. If an apocalypse happens right now, there’s so many advantages, from private satellites to special towers to all sorts of things that can be used and accessed right from your smart phone to battle a monster apocalypse, but in 2005 even though it’s 18 years ago, we still had this vulnerability because

of Access. Yeah, we had technology but not like today. If phone lines went down back then your Internet would go down too, since most areas the phone lines powered your Internet access as well, unlike today with cable and fiber etc. I don’t know anyone that has a phone line in their house these days. They all use their mobile phone and they use cable Internet or satellite Internet or all sorts of other high-tech things. We take what we have today for granted sometimes, what we’re using right now is beyond belief, from our wildest imagination. and yes, we did have mobile phones back then, but no smart phones with apps unless you had a blackberry, but those were mostly owned by professionals and business people with very minimal apps just to do basic things like word etc. It could not figure out anything big. it was just different times. that’s why I chose 2005: it gives the story some juiciness, and I’ve included a lot of historical situations and actual dates and facts. we even dated the calendar to the actual days when things were happening so that’s how accurate we’re trying to be with the story, to just give you that extra push of hey is this real, is this what truly happened? I want to

give you that extra edge, so your imagination goes wild.

SPO!LER: Do you think there are too many Zombie stories out there?

GALAXY: No way! There’s not enough out there. Everyone loves zombies and monsters and the apocalyptic situation of survival. There are video games based around it. there’s comics and TV shows, movies, there’s fan pages. Cosplay. There’s something about it that everyone loves. Almost Dead is a unique story, I’m not trying not reinvent the wheel, but change it a bit and give a different perspective to the beloved zombie story and genre. This is my story and it’s my take on zombies and monsters and I hope everyone enjoys it and loves it but to answer your question, there will never be enough of this genre, so if you know how to write and you have a story to tell go ahead and write about it, the more the merrier.

SPO!LER: why did you choose Sara as the main protagonist? She’s what this whole story is about.

GALAXY: I created Sara because I want to show people that you can’t judge a book by its cover and you can be feminine and you can be beautiful, but at the same time, like I said,

before you can be a badass and you never know who you’re standing next to, you never know who can actually survive a monster or ‘whatever you call it’ apocalypse, because people can do the most amazing things when they are put into certain situations and like I said, it’s a story about resilience. It’s a story about triumph. Sara is amazing, and I hope one day her character comes to life on a TV show or a movie so we can see her on the screen and her in action, but for now, pick up the comics, read it and watch her journey and connect with Sara because she’s worth connecting with. All the characters are amazing. I can’t wait for you to enjoy Almost Dead

SPO!LER: if you could speak to all the readers and fans out there, what would you say?

GALAXY: I would say, stay true to yourself, always be kind to others, work hard, have fun and play harder, read your comic books, never quit, because the next person or publisher or company that you approach might be the one that gives you the opportunity, and most of all, have a good morning, good afternoon, and good evening! I love you all!

INTERVIEW WITH NEW ‘COMIC SHOP NEWS’ OWNER, DAVE WITTING

INTERVIEW NEW ‘COMIC SHOP NEWS’ OWNER, DAVE WITTING

BY GALAXY

GALAXY:

Hello everyone! We’re here at the secret headquarters of the renowned Comic Shop News, sitting down with its new owner, Dave Witting. Welcome to the show Dave!

DAVE: Hi Galaxy! It’s a pleasure to be here.

GALAXY: Let’s dive right in. What made you want to take ownership of this iconic newspaper?

DAVE: My wife is wondering the same thing <laughs>. As you know, this is a 36-yearold, print only newspaper, solely available in comic book shops. It’s kinda crazy to take this on. That said, I’ve been reading Comic Shop News for years - it’s a big part of the industry - and when the founders announced their retirement, I didn’t want to see it go away.

GALAXY: I remember reading it as a kid too. It’s amazing that it’s been published weekly, non-stop, since 1987. This may be the longest running print publication in all of comics. What changes, if any, do you have in store?

DAVE:

Great question! For me, the core value of the

newspaper has been curation. Each month you have about one hundred or so new comics coming out. It’s easy to see everything coming out, but how do you know what’s worth adding to your pre-order list? When you read Comic Shop News each week, we’ll tell you the 20 best comic pre-orders for that week. That’s not changing. What is changing is the scope of products we cover. It used to just be comic books, now we’re covering toys, games, models etc. We’ve also refreshed the design of the newspaper and introduced a bunch of fun, new, exclusive content. I guess you could say, we’re changing Comic Shop News from being a smaller version of the Previews catalog to becoming the Wizard magazine for pre-orders. Still focused on curation of the best new stuff to preorder, but it’s a lot more fun to read.

GALAXY:

To date, Comic Shop News has just been available as a print newspaper in comic book shops. Is that changing?

DAVE: Nope. The whole purpose of the newspaper has been to get readers to support their local comic shop, and that’s not changing.

We’re also staying focused on print. The irony in that statement is I’ve spent the better part of my career in tech. I built a software agency that works on the “bleeding edge” of tech. I’m very familiar with digital - and it has its place - but there is something magical about holding a comic book in your hands. I like the throwback nature of putting out a weekly print newspaper - it’s a nice break from your screen - and we’re going to stick with that medium for now. We’ll use technology to improve our workflow, and hopefully grow our audience, but CSN is a 36-year-old print newspaper, and that is still our focus.

GALAXY:

I’ve noticed that beyond covering more products, you’re introducing a broader range of articles and talent highlights. You did a nice interview with the creator of Gargoyles, Greg Weisman. You covered the passing of famed toy designer, Mark Boudreaux, who designed the iconic Millennium Falcon toy for Kenner. It seems you’re broadening your editorial coverage as well.

DAVE: I’m glad you picked up on that, and it’s absolutely true. I’ve been collecting comics, toys and games for

over forty years. I started my career in TV Animation working for Disney, DreamWorks and Fox. I produced video games for Hasbro. Comics, toys, and animation have all been a big part of my life, and I love sharing those interests with CSN. I still go to my local comic shop every Wednesday. I’m still digging through dusty back-issue bins. I’m covering all the stuff that I think is relevant, and I am betting that more people like me love the newest Marvel movie as much as they love Roger Corman’s terrible Fantastic Four movie from the 1980s. I’m not qualified to be a newspaper Editor, but I’m still just a fanboy myself.

GALAXY:

You certainly are not afraid of deep cuts. You covered the original Heavy Metal movie, Sybil Danning comics and a brief history of the Hostess cupcake superhero ads…

DAVE: <Laughs> Someone had to.

GALAXY: From a business perspective, what are you looking to accomplish over the next six months?

DAVE: Three things.

First, we’ve got to get our new design and editorial flow locked down. We’re close. We’re getting a ton of positive feedback about the changes, but we have one more design pass to really get it dialed in. Also, it takes us around 20 hours per week to create an issue. I think we can trim that down with technology, and by being smarter with how we use our time.

Second, we need to get a handle on our printing costs. We just got whacked with a 25% cost increase for printing, and our shipping costs have tripled. We pay to have these bundles created, then we sell them to shops at (roughly) our cost to give away to customers. It’s a labor of love, and we just need to break even every month. These printing and shipping increases make it more difficult to get CSN out. Some shops can’t afford to carry Comic Shop News, and we’re trying to make it easier on them. We need to get the printing costs down to make sure all comic shops can afford to carry CSN. Lastly, we need to get the word out that Comic Shop News has totally changed. It’s much better. The newspaper originally

started as a fanzine, and then became a big checklist of just the new comics coming out. It’s not that anymore. Now it’s more like Wizard magazine for preorders. Fun to read, and filled with cool stuff you can pre-order at your local comic shop that you might have missed.

GALAXY: Before we wrap up, Dave, I saw that you ran a recent reader poll, asking which was the better newspaper? The Daily Bugle or the Daily Planet. Love it. Which one would you choose?

DAVE: (Laughs) Yeah, we got a ton of great responses to that question. Obviously, the Daily Planet has a higher level or journalistic integrity, but I’m going with the Daily Bugle. They have a stronger editorial voice and I like that Parker kid’s photographs.

GALAXY: Awesome choice. Thank you for your time today, Dave. We’re all excited to see where you take Comic Shop News!

DAVE: Thanks Galaxy and I’m looking forward to reading your book, Almost Dead. See you at the next Comic Con!

BY ROB LOCKETT

THE MOVIES

For fans of popular zombie fests such as The Walking Dead, Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland, such shows would not exist without the works of the ultimate zombie horror master George A Romero. Inspiration and Romero’s innovative DNA can be found throughout modern zombie movies and other contemporary horror films like 28 Days later, World War z and Warm Bodies. While he did not invent the zombie film (the first credited zombie movie titled White Zombie was released in 1932 and starred Bela Lugosi), he reinvented the genre into the great walking behemoth it’s known as today. Branded as the godfather of the Zombie flick, George Romero’s best works include such horror classics as Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and collaborative works such as Creepshow. Though the man did not consider himself strictly a zombie horror film director, most of his more recognised films have defined the Zombie flick subgenre. As well as adding plenty of gore and a minimalist style, Romero is renowned for what are considered now the common tropes of the Zombie film: including the lumbering gait, heavy gore factor, low budget ingenuity and cutting social commentary on provocative themes such as: social stratification, racism, and grotesque consumerism. Romero’s films time and again show

that though zombies might be a horrifying consequence, humanity is the true monster.

The list of his films and directorial contributions include:

• Night of the Living Dead (1968)

• There’s Always Vanilla (1971)

• Season of the Witch (1973)

• The Crazies (1973)

• The Amusement Park (1975)

• Martin (1977)

• Dawn of the Dead (1978)

• Knightriders (1981)

• Creepshow (1982)

• Day of the Dead (1985)

• Monkey Shines (1988)

• The Dark Half (1993)

• Bruiser (2000)

• Land of the Dead (2005)

• Diary of the Dead (2007)

• Survival of the Dead (2009)

His most notable films include the unholy trinity of the undead including his acclaimed series: Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of Dead. In addition to this, Romero has also received critical acclaim for films such as Creepshow and Martin.

WHAT INSPIRED THEM

Romero was an avid film buff, even from a very young age and displayed a deepseeded fascination for the

horror genre. Born in the Bronx, New York to European immigrants, Romero would regularly ride the subway train to rent film reels to watch in his own home

The most prominent one was the operatic film The Tales of Hoffman, a love of which Romero shared with fellow director Martin Scorcese. Romero also loved his horror films and was a collector of horror anthology books, which would later inspire his collaboration

with Stephen King on the production of Creep Show

Romero attended university in Pittsburgh at Carnegie-Mellon. After graduating, he quickly stepped into the film industry making short films and television commercials. However, it was not until his coveted production of the Night of the Living Dead that he shot to prominence.

Romero used the horror film The Night of the Living Dead as a mouth-piece for the political turbulence of the time. Taking place in the late 60s, Romero was inspired by the hippie movement to create not only a very entertaining horror masterpiece but a film that was able to subvert common horror conventions

and explore a nihilistic vision of the 1960s in the backdrop of the Vietnam conflict, race riots, civil rights movement and growing animosity towards the US government.

WHY ROMERO CHOSE ZOMBIES

Romero chose the subgenre of zombies as a way of exploring an even darker metaphor about contemporary society. For a visionary filmmaker such as Romero, the zombie serves as a vessel to explore humanity’s innate greed and materialism, as well as the inherent dangers of conformity and herd mentality. Despite modern innovations and the desire to speed up their undead, Romero’s signature movement of the slow lumbering gait was purposeful in showing the inevitability of death in an apocalyptic wasteland, and how like the zombies devour human flesh, society will ultimately eat itself in the individual pursuits of greed and self-interest.

image courtesy of Laurel Entertainment, Geraint Lewis and Wired, Adobe Stock, Ink Drop, Shutterstock, Laurel Group, Image Ten

THE FREE DOMAIN DEBACLE

Considered a masterpiece and produced on a shoestring budget of $114,000, the Night of the Living Dead is considered Romero’s best work and a film that boasted mainstream success, earning more than $200 million worldwide (when adjusted for inflation). So as one of its producers and investors, why did Romero make very little money from it? The answer lies within its marketing and distribution.

Night of the Living Dead is part of our public domain catalogue of works, which means that copies of the film are free to watch and share and not subject to the same copyright laws as say a film like Zombieland for comparison. This is why Night of the Living Dead has had countless home video releases by different production companies, as all they were required to do was obtain a copy of the film, and from that moment on, could release it freely without paying any compensation to Romero or his collaborators.

The reason why Night of the Living Dead is public domain is the fault of the film’s distributor, who failed to list the required copyright notice on the theatrical prints. This happened after the film’s title was changed from its original name Night of the Flesh Eaters. (this happens more often than people think – for instance Star Wars Return of the Jedi was originally called Revenge of the Jedi until a last minute name change.) Prints using the title: Night of the Flesh Eaters contained the copyright notice, however the new prints that were made using the title Night of the Living Dead failed to list the copyright notice.

For distribution companies and production houses this seems like a no-brainer, but sadly it cost Romero a lot of commercial recognition for his efforts.

THE UNHOLY TRINITY OF THE LIVING DEAD

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

His debut film, and a crowd favorite, Night of the Living Dead originally met mixed reviews on its release but is now considered a cult classic and a masterpiece of the Zombie subgenre. The film was made on a shoestring budget in comparison to most modern films. At the cost of $115,000, Romero and a group of university friends were the main financial contributors, along with a handful of private investors.

Night of the Living Dead was shot in Pittsburgh and the low budget dictated a lot of the location shooting, favouring abandoned buildings and a rural farmhouse as the main focus point for the setting. As with other low budget classics, Romero and the crew

were able to innovate and work around their financial limitations. Romero opted to use 35mm black and white film in order to smooth over the rougher production edges, as well as using an extraordinary amount of ham and bosco sauce to simulate the blood and entrails of the undead.

The film also took a progressive step by casting an African American lead Duane Jones, who gives a commanding performance and subverts common stereotypes of the time period, leading the desperate group of survivors before, (spoilers) becoming a victim

of the much more horrific monster lurking out in the shadows in the final act of the film.

The film lays testament to revolutionising the modernist Zombie film, shifting quite deliberately out of the gothic world of cemeteries and deep dark woods into the modern suburbanite home. It was a watershed moment in the horror film variety, and a limping gnashing testament to the horrors of the time, including the civil rights movement, the assassination of Dr Martin Luthor King jr and the Vietnam war.

A smashing success at the box office, this low budget underdog went on to make over $30million worldwide.

DAWN OF THE DEAD

While Night of the Living Dead is a solid debut, many

consider Romero’s 1978 film Dawn of the Dead as his masterpiece. His step into color heralds a new style to the visionary director’s repertoire, and the perfect canvas for his horrifyingly violent and mercilessly savage critique on the grotesqueness of American consumerism.

Taking place in the Monroeville mall in Pennysylvania, the shopping mall is a welcome refuge for a desperate band of survivors of a rising Zombie invasion but also a place of immense carnage and the stark realities of living under a capitalist illusion while undergoing a zombie apocalypse.

Dawn of the Dead rapidly establishes the setting to how a zombie infection spreads in populated areas— which are soon crawling with the undead. News broadcasts govern the television screen and illustrate arguments between academics on how to best manage the crisis.

image courtesy of Laurel Entertainment, Geraint Lewis and Wired, Adobe Stock, Ink Drop, Shutterstock, Laurel Group, Image Ten

Though at this point, modern society and civilisation as we know it has collapsed. The survivors scramble to a traffic helicopter, and flying across unpopulated areas, they witness the countryside wrought with the undead. Gamer fans of the Dead Rising series will be familiar with this dramatic opening. After only just barely surviving a stop for fuel, they find a place to collect themselves: a massive structure, a shopping mall, The grandiose Monroeville Mall, which offers a landing and safety. Their extended stay becomes the perfect setting for Romero’s graphic critique of humanity and American consumerism, showcasing the idea that man’s pursuit of its own material objects breeds a darker monster than the living dead, as each side consume indiscriminately and en masse.

Monroeville Mall was one of the first mega shopping malls of its time. Each of its individual outlets and shop fronts contain food, clothing, tools, guns—all your typical consumer or doomsday prepper could ask for. Zombies also flock to it, and despite the odd human meal, they’re not particularly hungry, but driven by their own subconscious desires. Zombies remember their consumer drive, making them less unspecified creatures and with a tiny scrap of their humanity remaining underneath all of the entrails and blood. On this note, Romero notes his overt link between consumers and zombies: humans have a need for

commercial and materialistic indulgence, mirroring the zombies’ obsessive need to eat human flesh—vices neither party necessarily needs, they just want. The band of heroes resolve to stay in the shopping mall and transform its large storage and utilities area into their simulated apartment. Towards the final act of the film they are unintentionally liberated by a biker gang that crash through the mall, allowing the mass hordes of zombies to re-enter the mall and give the humans reason to leave, though this tale ends in a bitter pastiche of consumer genocide as each opposing side diminish one another.

Overall, the film blends Romero’s signature style of blood and gore in a ubiquituous colour scheme, and takes its time (unlike the Snyder remake) to explore life inside what could be perceived as an oasis in the zombie apocalypse, only for its human survivors to discover that their material trappings ultimately inprison them. Romero is also accompanied by veteran special fx guru Tom Savini, who uses a special blend of makeup and blood formula to give the zombies a ghoulish and yet cartoonish semblance. Like Night of the Living Dead, this acclaimed entry in the Zombie subgenre still continues to inspire decades after its initial release.

DAY OF THE DEAD

The final instalment in Director George Romero’s Living Dead trilogy was not as universally beloved as its

predecessors Night of the Living Dead (1968) or Dawn of the Dead (1978), although it has gained a new cult status over the decades to become a fan favourite.

The plot of the film takes place months after their first emergence, and the zombie plague has ravaged the entire world, with only a few remaining survivors tasked with trying to stop the human race from becoming extinct. A rapidly depleting scientific research team conducts various experiments on zombies inside a large Florida bunker under an increasingly authoritarian military rule. There’s absolutely no radio contact with the outside world, and the pressure has reached boiling point: the soldiers are impatient for results that the team are struggling to provide. Tense rather than terrifying, but with a strong dark comedy undercurrent, it rests on the sardonic and world nihilistic observation that with or without zombies, the living will still rip each other apart. A fitting conclusion to a remarkably incisive and introspective series, Day of the Dead serves as a landmark in the horror genre and another showcase for Romero’s harnessing of his Zombie craft.

For all Zombie flick fans, there is no doubt the significance of Romero’s work in the genre, and should feel welcome to rewatch some of his most beloved classics, not only for the visual tropes of the time, but Romero’s biting themes and social commentary that still resonate today.

image courtesy of Laurel Entertainment, Geraint Lewis and Wired, Adobe Stock, Ink Drop, Shutterstock, Laurel Group, Image Ten

BY: CHRIS G.

HELLO THERE, FELLOW ZOMBIE FANS!

Prepare for an epic journey as we explore the world of famed creator Robert Kirkman and his masterpiece, The Walking Dead. We’ll learn the secrets behind this incredible comic, the heartpounding tale, and why Kirkman bravely delved into the thrilling and horrifying zombie genre. So gather your survival kit and prepare to devour the meaty details of this post-apocalyptic adventure!

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE WALKING DEAD

Like all great works of art, The Walking Dead (TWD) is inspired by something. Robert Kirkman was born on November 30, 1978, in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up with a love of comic books and graphic

storytelling. He loved the works of notable authors such as Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Neil Gaiman, whose pioneering contributions fuelled his ambition to build a name for himself in the comic book business.

The birth of TWD can be traced back to a conversation between Kirkman and artist Tony Moore. The two collaborators shared a passion for horror and post-apocalyptic stories, and their shared vision gave rise to the undeadinfested world that has captivated millions of fans worldwide. Kirkman envisioned a world where zombies served as a backdrop for the real focus of the story—the complex human characters and their struggle for survival.

WHAT THE WALKING DEAD IS ABOUT

TWD is set in a postapocalyptic world ravaged

by a mysterious virus that reanimates the dead and transforms them into fleshcraving zombies. However, unlike typical zombie tales that emphasize gore and violence, Kirkman chose to center the narrative around the human experience in the face of an existential threat.

The Walking Dead is, at its core, a thrilling survival story that explores the strength of the human spirit and the extent to which individuals will go to defend their loved ones and themselves. Rick Grimes, a former sheriff’s deputy who recovers from a coma to find

himself in this nightmare environment, is central to the plot. He begins on a perilous quest to reconnect with his family, forging relationships with other survivors as they deal with their own traumas and personal demons.

The brilliance of The Walking Dead lies in its profound examination of morality, ethics, and the fragility of societal structures in a world where civilization has

collapsed. The narrative raises poignant questions about what it means to be human, how we define our sense of humanity, and how our choices define us even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Unlike typical zombie stories that revel in gore and violence, The Walking Dead distinguishes

SURVIVAL AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT

itself from others by elevating its focus beyond mindless horror. Instead, the comic delves into the psychological and emotional turmoil experienced by its characters as they deal with the loss of loved ones, the constant threat of death, and the challenge of maintaining their humanity in a dehumanizing world.

At its core, The Walking Dead is a story of survival against insurmountable odds. Through a diverse cast of characters, each with their own strengths, flaws, and motivations, the comic explores the lengths to which people will go to protect those they care about and themselves. The human spirit is tested, pushed to its limits, and often rises to the occasion in the most extraordinary and unexpected ways.

Rick Grimes, the central protagonist, epitomizes this resilience. Awakening from a coma to find the world forever changed, he

embarks on a harrowing journey to reunite with his family, a quest that becomes a catalyst for selfdiscovery and leadership. Rick’s evolution from a confused and broken man to a determined and strategic leader mirrors the transformative power of survival in the face of adversity.

COMPLEX CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

As the survivors form alliances and communities, The Walking Dead skillfully delves into the complexities of human relationships. Bonds are forged amidst the shared trauma of loss and survival, but conflicts arise as differing ideologies and personalities collide. Friendships, love, loyalty, and betrayal are all tested, amplifying the emotional stakes of the story.

Image courtesy of AMC Studios, Telltale Games, Com2uS Studios, FunFlow, Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics

The comic demonstrates that the apocalypse does not erase human vulnerabilities. Rather, it amplifies them, exposing the characters’ flaws and strengths in equal measure. The camaraderie and tensions among the survivors provide a rich tapestry of interconnected storylines that keep readers engrossed and invested in the characters’ fates.

EXPLORATION OF MORALITY AND ETHICAL DEILEMMAS

One of The Walking Dead’s most compelling aspects is its exploration of moral ambiguity in a world without established societal norms. In the absence of a functioning civilization, characters are forced to confront ethical dilemmas that challenge their moral compass. The line between right and wrong becomes blurred, and choices are often a matter of survival rather than a clear distinction between good and evil.

The comic presents readers with thought-provoking scenarios that question what it means to be human in such dire circumstances. The characters are not immune to their darkest impulses, but their choices also exemplify moments of selflessness and compassion. The ambiguity in their decisions reflects the complexity of the human condition and underscores the fragility of societal structures.

WHY THE ZOMBIE GENRE?

The zombie genre has a long and storied history in pop

culture, dating back to early 20th-century literature and cinema. From George A. Romero’s seminal “Night of the Living Dead” to modernday blockbusters like “World War Z,” zombies have been a constant presence in horror and speculative fiction. When Robert Kirkman decided to delve into the zombie genre with The Walking Dead, he was well aware of the genre’s established tropes and clichés. However, he approached it with a fresh perspective that breathed new life into the undead.

Kirkman’s decision to explore the zombie genre was not motivated solely by a love of horror or a desire to cash in on the genre’s popularity. Instead, he saw the potential in zombies as a narrative tool to tell a deeper and more meaningful story about the human condition. He recognized that at its core, the zombie apocalypse serves as a backdrop, a canvas on which to paint a compelling exploration of human relationships, emotions, and moral dilemmas.

The idea for The Walking Dead was sparked during a conversation between Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who both shared a passion for horror and postapocalyptic tales. Together, they envisioned a world where zombies served as the backdrop, while the real focus was on the human characters and their struggle for survival.

One of the most significant departures from traditional

zombie stories in The Walking Dead is the focus on character development. While most zombie narratives center on the terror of the undead and the struggle for survival, Kirkman took a different approach. The zombies themselves were not the primary antagonists; instead, they represented a relentless and everpresent threat that forced the characters to confront their fears and make difficult choices.

In the world of The Walking Dead, the apocalypse became a crucible, forging the characters into their true selves. The constant danger and uncertainty stripped away the façades they may have worn in their pre-apocalyptic lives. This unfiltered examination of human emotions and behavior elevated the series beyond mere horror, giving it a profound and relatable core.

Through the lens of the zombie apocalypse, Kirkman explored themes of family, love, loyalty, betrayal, grief, and resilience. The characters’ responses to the crisis revealed their strengths and weaknesses, their capacity for compassion or cruelty, and their will to survive. The dire circumstances brought out the best and worst in humanity, showcasing both the depths of depravity and the heights of heroism.

Moreover, the constant threat of death and loss in The Walking Dead added a layer of intensity to the interpersonal dynamics. As characters formed bonds and navigated complex relationships, their connections felt more poignant and real. The knowledge that any character, no matter how beloved, could meet a gruesome end at any moment created a sense of suspense and emotional investment for the audience.

Kirkman’s approach to zombies as a backdrop for human drama also allowed for social commentary and philosophical exploration. The struggle for resources, the formation of communities, and the ethical dilemmas faced by the characters in their daily survival all served as allegorical representations of real-world issues. The themes of isolation, distrust, and the breakdown of societal norms mirrored the anxieties of the modern world, making The Walking Dead a resonant and thought-provoking narrative.

In conclusion, while the zombie genre has a long history in popular culture, Robert Kirkman’s approach to zombies in The Walking Dead was nothing short of revolutionary. By using the undead apocalypse as a backdrop, Kirkman deftly turned the focus on human relationships, emotions, and moral complexities. The series became a platform for exploring the essence of humanity, the strength of the

human spirit, and the lengths to which people will go to survive and protect those they care about. In doing so, Kirkman breathed new life into the zombie genre, leaving an indelible mark on the world of storytelling and popular culture.

HOW DID THE WALKING DEAD TV SERIES DIFFER FROM THE COMIC?

The Walking Dead TV series, which premiered in October 2010, closely followed the source material of Robert Kirkman’s comic series in its early seasons. However, as the show progressed, some notable differences emerged between the two mediums. These differences can be attributed to various factors, including creative decisions, character adaptations, budget constraints, and the desire to surprise viewers who were familiar with the comic. Below are some of the key divergences between The Walking Dead TV series and the original comic:

• Character Development and Fates: While many characters in the TV series retain their comic book counterparts, some undergo significant changes in terms of personality and development. Daryl Dixon, a fan-favorite character played by Norman Reedus, for example, does not appear in the comic. On the other hand, some

characters introduced early in the TV show, like Carol Peletier, have completely different story arcs compared to their comic counterparts.

• Deaths and Survival: The TV series often deviates from the comic in terms of character deaths and survival. Some characters who meet their demise in the comic are allowed to live longer on the show, while others who survive in the comic are killed off on the TV series. These differences keep the audience on their toes, as they cannot rely on prior knowledge from the comic to predict character outcomes on the show.

• New Characters and Storylines: The TV series introduces original characters and storylines that do not exist in the comic. The most notable example is the character of Daryl Dixon, who became a central figure on the show despite having no comic book counterpart. Additionally, new communities, such as the TV-exclusive “The Scavengers,” are introduced, providing fresh narratives for the viewers.

• Pacing and Story Arcs: The pacing of the TV series is different from the comic, as it often takes its time exploring story arcs and character development.

Image courtesy of AMC Studios, Telltale Games, Com2uS Studios, FunFlow, Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics

This allows the show to delve deeper into the emotional aspects of survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Conversely, the comic’s episodic nature demands more rapid plot progression, sometimes leading to different outcomes or abbreviated storylines.

• Tone and Themes: While both the comic and the TV show explore similar themes of survival, morality, and human nature, the TV series occasionally emphasizes different aspects and character interactions. The shift from a black-and-white visual medium to a live-action format also impacts the portrayal of certain scenes and events, adding a distinct tone to the TV adaptation.

• The Timing of Events: Some events in the TV series occur at different times than in the comic, creating a unique narrative experience for viewers. For example, the deaths of certain major characters are altered, leading to significant shifts in the show’s direction compared to the comic’s trajectory.

• Censorship and Practical Constraints: The TV series faces certain constraints, such as broadcast standards and practical effects, which can limit the portrayal of violence and gore compared to the comic. As a result, some scenes and plotlines

may be toned down or modified to suit the medium’s limitations.

Overall, The Walking Dead TV series successfully adapted Robert Kirkman’s comic into a visually compelling and emotionally resonant show. While it diverged from the source material in many ways, these differences allowed the TV series to stand on its own and surprise both fans of the comic and new viewers alike. The show’s success is a testament to the enduring popularity of the zombie genre and the talented team of writers, actors, and crew members who brought Kirkman’s post-apocalyptic world to life on the small screen.

KIRKMAN’S EXPERIENCE

Creating a successful comic series is no small feat, and Kirkman’s journey with The Walking Dead has been one of perseverance and creative brilliance. The series made its debut in

October 2003 under Image Comics, with Kirkman as the writer and Tony Moore as the artist for the initial six issues.

However, it was the collaboration with artist Charlie Adlard, who took over from issue #7, that solidified the iconic blackand-white visual style that became synonymous with The Walking Dead. Adlard’s gritty artwork added a distinct atmosphere to the series, heightening the sense of despair and hopelessness in a world overrun by zombies.

The Walking Dead’s success lies not only in its engrossing storyline, but also in Kirkman’s

commitment to maintaining consistency and exploring new territory. He managed to keep the story fresh and unpredictable, constantly introducing new characters, and confronting readers with unexpected twists and turns. This organic evolution kept fans hooked and contributed to the comic’s longevity.

In conclusion, Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is a masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of the zombie genre. By using the undead apocalypse as a backdrop, Kirkman skillfully crafted a narrative that delved into the depths of human emotions, exploring the essence of survival, morality, and the bonds that connect us as a species.

The Walking Dead’s impact extended beyond the pages of the comic, influencing a successful television series, video games, and various merchandise. Kirkman’s vision, combined with the artistic talents of Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, solidified The Walking Dead as a cultural phenomenon.

So, let’s raise our comic books [or any decaying or half eaten zombified limbs] high and toast to Robert Kirkman’s legacy! His creation has redefined the zombie genre and enriched the world of storytelling in ways we could never have imagined. Here’s to The Walking Dead, an undying masterpiece that continues to inspire and thrill comic book fans around the globe!

BY SUSHANT ALEXANDER

“DEAR GIRLS, WE LIKE YOU FOR YOUR BRAINS, NOT YOUR BODY. SINCERELY, ZOMBIES.”

IZOMBIE is a reflection of the times we live in. A life that overflows with consumption. Or is it greed? Brought to life on screen by the protagonist’s insane appetite for human brains.

According to the series creator, Rob Thomas to Entertainment Weekly, “I felt like if all of America was watching iZombie, our nation would be healed by now. [Laughs] Unfortunately, doing our share, that didn’t happen. But that was really what I was going for: the lessening of eternal strife in America. I don’t think we accomplished it, sadly. The world as we know it is driven by consumerism, pandemics, war and poverty. None of this is going to go away anytime soon.”

-ANONYMOUS

George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead

From the Dawn of the Dead, the Zombie universe have been associated with consumerism of the extreme kind. Mindless consumption has taken

its shape and size in bold new narratives. It is often quoted that there was a time when people found solace in religion, then, it was art and now it’s shopping. Buying or rather, consuming things people want or not. Definitely, not what they need.

It’s possible for humans and zombies to co-exist. Not at war. But at peace. That is, after the war. A war that will bring peace and make sense.

Many humans will die, they will turn into martyrs. Showing the probable survivors, the dangers of excesses. The boredom that stems from the fact that there is no real ambition or dreams to go after. And the belief system that is rooted in and only in consumption.

The mindless things extend to our relationships

as well. It is how we regard and respect our relationships. In this day and age, it must be about disregard and disrespect. Horror movies have a certain quality to attract the audience with fantasy while mirroring society’s fears and concerns. The fantasy parts make the uncomfortable and challenging parts palatable and commands enjoyment from the audience through the fear and anxietyinducing media.

“WHEN THERE IS NO ROOM IN HELL, THE DEAD WILL WALK THE EARTH.”

The survival of every character with the perfect setting for a future the character deserves make iZombie unique. It points us to the direction of authentic horror narratives. Probably, why horror is trending.

The horror genre allows society to work out the differences between “Us” and “Them”. We define ourselves, our identities, by defining the “other”, what we are “not”. In the case of horror movies, the monster in the story is the “Other”. “I know who I am because I am not that monster”. (Hall, 1996, p.6) (Horror & Society, Heather Fiveson – COM 550A: Media and Culture, Prof. Nava Dushi, Lynn University)

As our protagonist gorges on the brains, the memories that manifest as images is a reflection of the times we live in. The imageries play a vital role in our lives. Today, it’s all about the image (appearance) and nothing to do with character. It’s times like these when zombies are the cure. It’s not about the Zombie apocalypse. It’s a happy ending.

BY MATTHEW TIMPANELLI

GREETINGS, FELLOW AFICIONADOS

of the grotesque. Step into the haunting corridors of the cinematic realm, where the ghoulish figures that have captured our imaginations for generations, dance with shadows as they project into popular culture. Prepare to defend yourself as we unearth what composes, or perhaps, decomposes these relentless fiends, the zombies. The decaying, yet formidable reanimated corpses that have broken through the silver screen for almost a century since the release of “White Zombie” in 1932. While zombies and their closest relatives may have had much earlier beginnings that date back to biblical times when Ezekiel, Isaiah, and many other writers told various stories of the dead coming back to life, it wasn’t until 1968 when George A. Romero created “The Night of the Living Dead” where the phenomenon of zombie fandom began to take hold.

1: THE MODERN ZOMBIE

Inspired by the 1954 novel “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson, Romero’s cult classic portrayed these ungodly creatures as a slow lumbering collection of bones and flesh that will stop at nothing to terrorize the Pennsylvania farmhouse, where the main characters take refuge. Their expired bodies still seek sustenance from those who are among the living by feeding on their juicy flesh. This morbid affliction is contagious, as Karen mutates into a zombie herself, in this groundbreaking apocalyptic motion picture. The plot explains that these monsters may have been the result of the dead coming in contact with radiation, a theme that seems to inspire many of our end of times narratives. Romero’s version of a zombie has surely traumatized our entire world as the controversial film infected our nightmares and has transformed into our most common depiction.

2: SCIENTIFIC ABOMINATIONS

Before zombies were popularized there were stories of the undead like Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” that while technically not a zombie, still possess all the qualities of their sluggish brethren. Experimentation has often led to the creation of these horrible leviathans where an ambitious scientist attempts to bring someone back from the afterlife or in the case of Frankenstein, attempts to create life by taking pieces of the dead and combining them together to make a superior species. While our flat-topped friend may not have the insatiable hunger to feed on the living, many of his characteristics match our modern view of a zombie and has certainly inspired other scientific

atrocities in cinema and while some may debate the difference between a living dead and zombie genres, I wouldn’t recommend that you ask the undead how they identify. They probably wouldn’t give you any more than a grunt or a growl.

3: CONTAMINATED ZOMBIES

Related to the scientific category, are the films that imagine a world where humanity contracts a virus that takes over the body and turns them into a super-powered threat to

the earth. These parasitic entities are commonly hive minded and communicate with each other through ESP, as they take arms against all that is pure in an all out war of survival of the fittest. These types of monstrosities tend to break out of their sloth-like compatriots tendencies, as they possess different abilities as they adapt to their environment in an attempt to be the superior race. We can find these types of zombies in video game-inspired movies like “Resident Evil” and “The Last of Us”. Whether it be a fungus or a viral agent, it makes little difference when all your neighbors start seeing you as a 3-corpse meal.

4: PARANORMAL ZOMBIES

The origin of the term Zombie may be from a Haitian myth, where voodoo practitioners used deadly neurotoxins in small doses to induce zombielike ailments and cause paralysis or a coma. Movies like–Wes Craven’s “The Serpent and the Rainbow” in 1988–have used this real world example to haunt audiences by bringing zombies one step closer to home as they learn about the history of this dark

recollection of zombiepowder prescribers. These types of brutes are often puppets controlled by their creators who have taken hold of their souls before they are passed into their final resting place. The threat of these cursed entities lies with their undying need to appease their masters, making them impossible to stop without breaking the hex that could free their spirit. These zombies differ from our modern interpretation of the classic zombie, because of their ability to perform non-mundane tasks and often possess the intelligence of their puppeteer.

No matter how we define them, they creep closer to our subconscious, frightening us with their horrifying tales of perversion. Don’t bother hiding, because much like their haunting tendencies, their popularity seems to find us wherever we are. The zombie contagion has spread and cultish followers have formed a frightening number of diehard hordes. Zombies aren’t going away anytime soon and they may even come knocking down your door. Dear reader, my advice to the living is to cherish your every moment because someday soon we may be surrounded without escape from this ever-growing corporal corruption.

BY TYSON D. POWELL

WHAT MAKES ZOMBIES SO SCARY? MASS CONGREGATION

Big cities and towns have always been some of the go to settings for zombie related media and for good reason. The entire idea of zombies in the modern day is to compare them to people having zero thought and following a hive mind, so to speak, as they shuffle about their mindless days cannibalizing each other. And that’s especially true in larger cities where all people do is mill about, moving from one destination to the next in very large crowds, doing their daily routines to survive. We’ve seen zombie movies in malls, large cities where the zombies pile on top of each other to find their next meal of brains, and even across entire countries. So imagine the terror when those giant masses of zombies leave the cities and rove about the countryside.

That’s the world that Robert Kirkman presents with The Walking Dead

After the first volume of the comic and the first season of the TV show,

TWD abandons the city of Atlanta in favor of the backroads and boonies of the state, where there is nothing but trees, dirt roads and spatterings of civilizations for miles and miles and it is glorious. It’s unique in the way that it managed to capture and captivate audiences for several years, not only because of its human drama, but because of the terror and fear that the zombies are able to elicit through these unfamiliar settings. Of all of the iconic places that Robert Kirkman could have set his stellar zombie series, why did he choose Georgia and how did the state’s own history and topography contribute to that decision?

Outside of a few major cities, Georgia mostly consists of forests, grassy plains and swampsperfect places to stake claims for tiny towns and farmsteads, as was the style of its colonial period. This kind of geography works well for both survivors and the zombies

themselves, with the survivors always having some new place to move to with the hopes that large crowd of zombies that seems to pop up every five episodes or so, doesn’t find or can’t penetrate the walls of the great fortifications that they build, like the Prison or Alexandria.

With approximately 10.91 million residents, Georgia’s heaviest population centers tend to be Atlanta and its greater area with pockets

of people in places like Savannah or Augusta, both of which are two to three hours away from the capital by car. This leaves a lot of space for both humans and the undead to occupy without encountering each other for potentially months at a time, which explains why so many characters in the franchise have been able to set up outposts, farms and entire communities without the threat of zombies for a good long while.

The disparate nature of the state allows for the character drama to shine through, not only because of the crushing distance that there is between peoples own survival mentalities, but also because of how even the appearance of a single zombie can herald the

appearance of the horde. It could also cause a sudden and unexpected death that continues to tear at the emotional stability of the group at a terrible time. But one of the few upsides to come from this, is the preparedness of certain groups the farther away from the city they are, at least up until the zombies also begin to fan out. The further away from Atlanta one gets, the more likely one is to encounter stores and supermarkets with hunting gear like what the Dixon brothers fancy. Because there’s very little hunting and fishing to be done in the urban areas, the outskirts of the city make great places to hole up for survival purposes in the long run because of the abundance of animals and farm space.

Filmed primarily in Senoia, Georgia’s Raleigh Studios (formerly Riverwood Studios), the town itself and other surrounding cities, The Walking Dead has done its part to put the state on the map as a prime location for many productions since its start in 2010. Prominent film and TV projects like Fried Green Tomatoes, The Fighting Temptations, and Pet Sematary II had been filmed there for years and the town itself is often dressed up to resemble the streets of New York and Chicago, but with The Walking Dead being explicitly stated as taking place in Georgia, there’s a degree of identity that is earned back by the state being able to portray itself in a reasonably accurate manner.

Areas such as Senoia’s Main Street, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, and even Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia, have all been utilized in some form or another throughout the TV show. Main Street has served as the home of many outdoor scenes and the town of Senoia itself has portrayed The Governor’s town of Woodbury and the walled city of Alexandria, which was set in Virginia. The real city of Woodbury, Georgia is located twenty four miles south of Senoia, but is still well represented by its neighboring town with its wide roads and quaint, home-like feel, despite the sinister nature of The Governor’s rule. The Cobb Center is used in the place of the real life CDC building for its exterior shots with the interiors being filmed in the Georgia World Congress Center. Because the CDC building is the home to many actual viruses, diseases and various secrets, it’s not likely to have anything actually filmed there, but it was important enough to the story to be represented by a place with just enough space to make it seem legitimate. Driftwood Beach was used to portray the community of Oceanside, Virginia in the show. While there is no

real life counterpart to the community, it did its job in acting as one of the many coastal towns of the state itself!

Many of the shows iconic locations are still standing and are either part of the many Walking Dead tours or are private residences like Hershel’s Farm. The farm is yet another location that runs near the town of Senoia and is owned by a local family, so there is very little chance of being able to peruse the location at ones own pace. The Prison that was featured in season 2 was actually a set made in Raleigh Studios, likely because it also would have been difficult to film in an actual prison without having to relocate its residents. Rick and Lori’s house in season one is yet another home located in Atlanta in a suburb called Grant Park and had been bought in 2017, likely also not happy with the amount of fanfare their home might

get. And one of the last locations not filmed in Senoia might be the Atlanta Mission, which acted as the filming location for the iconic hospital scenes in the first episode of the show. The Mission has been a homeless shelter since its inception and still stands as one of the best that the city has to offer. There are always a few common questions that people have when it comes to zombie media; what caused the zombie apocalypse and will there ever be a cure?

Unfortunately in The Walking Dead, both of

these questions remain fully unanswered. While the comics never visit Atlanta’s Center for Disease Control, the TV show does take its time to address what might seem to be a plot hole in regards to the efforts that some scientists might have been making when the apocalypse

started. Despite how much hope the characters have in the beginning when they try to find answers or a cure at the CDC, they end up coming away with nothing other than the knowledge that they just have to survive and later on, they learn that they’re all infected.

Ghosts and hauntings are quite common in Georgia, though the filming locations in The Walking Dead don’t have much to

report in that regard, but the larger state itself has a bevy of ghosts, ghouls and ghastly happenings to sell it as one of the most haunted places in the US. Near Grant Park lies Oakland Cemetery, home to the unmarked graves of many Confederate Soldiers, some of whom people have claimed to see wandering in the darkest hours of the night. The Ellis Hotel is another which saw the fiery deaths of 119 people despite being sold as “fireproof” in its planning. Some claim to still smell the smoke and hear the screams of the deceased and the unfortunate incident itself caused more places to exacerbated ordinances and codes to enforce fire safety in their buildings.

However, none of these minor hauntings compare to the sheer amount of specters and wraiths that occupy the entire city of Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah is one of the main destinations of both The Walking Dead video game by Telltale and the filming location for Season

8 of Fear the Walking Dead. Savannah’s ghost history is long and dates as far back as the founding of the city by James Edward Oglethorpe in 1733. While Oglethorpe himself was anti-slavery, he didn’t remain in the colony and soon after slaves started being sold there from South Carolina. The ghosts of slaves and their masters are fairly common sights in the city, and River Street might be one of the most prominent locations for them as it’s potentially double haunted. Built on top of Yamacraw tribal lands and furnished with

the blood of slaves building the docks, River Street and the greater Savannah area are prime for sights of ghosts, the sounds of shackles and the haunting cries of the dead.

During the American Revolution, there was a Siege on Savannah in 1779 which killed 240 people, leaving the spirits of many Revolutionary soldiers to haunt the battlegrounds and cemeteries that dot the area. The mass amount of deaths don’t end there,

however, as both plague and fire would go on to claim more lives over the course of the following decades. In 1796, not long after the war, a fire broke out in the city, 229 homes and other buildings were destroyed and, shockingly, only six people died as a result of the firefighting

efforts. Another great flame would come years later in 1820, resulting in 500 buildings being burned.

Almost as if the spirits from both the dock slaves and the Yamacraw saw that

they had not done enough, an outbreak of Yellow Fever spread throughout the city in the same month as the 1820 fire. Approximately 660 people lost their lives to the disease during this first epidemic, but

it certainly wouldn’t end there. Both 1854 and 1876 saw repeats in outbreaks of Yellow Fever with body counts of 1,040 and 1,066 respectively. Thematically, it makes sense that The Walking Dead would make Savannah one of the first places to suffer a complete overtaking by the dead in

their world. Historically, the populations of the city don’t fare well when it comes to disease spreading throughout their home.

While The Walking Dead never makes its way to or mentions Lake Lanier in any capacity, one would be remiss to never hear of any of the tales of terror and fear that surround its murky waters. During the 1800s, the late Reconstruction Era, the town of Oscarville

was founded by working class black citizens. They thrived in the area and had a wonderful community until 1957 when the Army Corps of Engineers sought to increase the output of water to neighboring cities. They forced the original residents out and flooded the town over a number of years, not removing any of the structures and displacing graveyards. Since then, the supposedly cursed lake has resulted in the deaths of nearly 700 people and while that’s not a grand number, it is still fairly large and ominous considering Lake Lanier is tiny in comparison to other lakes and if there’s only one curse this writer believes in; it is definitely this one.

BY GRAVEYARD

WHAT IT’S ABOUT? THE SHOW AND THE VIDEO GAME

The Last of Us takes place in an alternate America, a fictionalized version of our present. 20 years ago there was an outbreak, which at that time, was from an unknown source. The world quickly collapsed, and the small number of survivors huddled together in ‘Quarantine Zones’. These, over time, became authoritarian hellscapes. The federal forces that were to keep the survivors safe, eventually became corrupted by their own power and lack of national leadership. They devolved into city states under martial law, where everyday citizens have to work for ration cards, which also function as currency. Outside these quarantine zones, the true face of the outbreak and its lasting effects are on display. Creatures roam the neighborhoods, homes, and cities of this new American wasteland, aggressively territorial to any normal humans who wander too close. Nowhere in the video games or tv show are the creatures called zombies, but they share many of the same mannerisms and are known as the infected. These infected are people who were exposed to a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. This fungus is most notable in the real world by its ability to create zombies by infecting the brains of insects. The insects are

then directed by the fungus to stray from the hive mind of the colony and venture to places that the insect would not normally go. The fungus is a parasite and drives the insect to find places that are best for the fungus to grow and spread its spores. In the game, the fungus mutated to be able to control the minds of people. This is only exposed to the player over time, as your character explores and find flyers, letters, and newspaper articles strewn throughout the game world. Over the course of the game, the collapse of the country and how it was possible become a bit clearer. In the show, it explains the collapse through flashback sequences that show the world’s supply of grain was infected by a mutated version of the fungus that was able to affect humans. Since this happened in one of the world’s busiest grain mills, it infected nearly every consumer product using these grains. By the time the fungus was detected, it had already been distributed all over the globe, and was already in homes. The story, for all intents and purposes, is the same in the game and the TV show. Joel, a hardened smuggler who braves the wasteland to find supplies to trade within the Quarantine zones, is asked to transport a young girl across the country. It soon becomes apparent that this young girl, Ellie, holds what may be the

cure to the fungus, having been infected, but has not turned. Joel then builds a parental relationship with the young girl as they travel across the wasteland to deliver her to a group that may be able to use her gift to cure the world.

WHAT KIND OF ZOMBIE IS IT?

The infected of The Last of Us are more of a combination of voodoo and modern day zombies. In old movies and lore, plants or other natural items are able to control the mind of an individual if ingested. From that point on, they become the modern pop culture definition of zombies. There are several different varieties of infected that exist in The Last of Us. Runners are the first stage of being infected and are similar to the modern version of fast zombies. The next stage are the Stalkers. Stalkers are more akin to the idea of smart zombies. They stopped the immediate need of spreading the fungus as fast as possible and opted for a more planned attack and became more predator-like. The third stage are Clickers. Clickers have become blind and must find their prey by making clicking noises, hence the name, and and hunt more like a bat with echolocation.

The fourth stage are the Bloaters. Bloaters are slow moving and more like tanks, They are harder to take down and are akin to

style and appearance to Nemesis from Resident Evil. Shamblers are a type of Bloater but were in a wet environment during the progression of stages. Their mouths are frozen in an open maw and therefore must spray the spores to spread the infection as biting is no longer an option. Finally, a cluster of the infected can form together into a hodgepodge of fungus and human parts. This is known as the Rat King, which is very Lovecraftian in its appearance. These stages do not necessarily go in order, and the larger and more dangerous versions are much rarer.

Overall, the Infected in The Last of Us takes very real inspiration from a parasitic fungus and also pays homage to the different types of zombies that have existed in lore, traditions, movies and other media. It asks us what can happen if a seemingly harmless fungus from our world mutates and humans become the next target. In typical zombie fashion, the infected are driven to bite uninfected people, but not to eat, but rather to grow and spread their spores. You can be infected from a single bite and there is no known cure.

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE STORY

The original idea for the story that would become The Last of Us was from a school project that Writer/

Director Neil Druckmann participated in. The contest was to create and pitch a video game idea to horror director and zombie enthusiast George A. Romero. That idea was a mix of the protagonist partnership of the game ‘Ico’ with the zombie apocalypse that Romero was famous for. It included a grizzled cop that was protecting a young girl, but due to his heart condition, the focus would shift to the young girl. The idea was ultimately not chosen, but Neil held onto the idea. He attempted to make it into a comic series, but that too was turned down. Eventually landing at Naughty Dog studios, he pitched the idea as a game concept. The team at Naughty Dog took the idea and with Neil’s direction, created the basis for The Last of Us.

The original idea for the Cordyceps fungus was used after the team watched a BBC documentary about the effects on insects, and wondered what would happen if this ever mutated to work on humans. This mixed with the history of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and the paranoia and human barbarity that can happen when survival is at stake filled out the rest. Mix that with a healthy dose of Cormac McCarthy in his books and films ‘The Road’ and ‘No Country for Old Men’ and you have the inspiration and recipe to bring The Last of Us to life.

IT’S INITIAL RESPONSE AND IT’S RESURGENCE WITH THE TV SHOW

The Last of Us was a smash hit when it was released on the PS3 in 2013, selling millions of copies, and getting spectacular review scores across the board. It eventually was released again on the PS4 in 2014 as a remastered version, and even a complete remake as ‘The Last of Us Part 1’ in 2022. The only dark spot was that there was

some (minor) complaints about the sexuality of Ellie’s character with the release of the add-on DLC ‘Left Behind’.

This would become a louder complaint when ‘The Last of Us Part 2’ released in 2020. This would not hurt its sales and review scores however, with the game meeting or exceeding the achievements of the original. The sequel was so successful, in fact, that the rumors of a third entry in the list are at a fever pitch.

The popularity of the franchise eventually led to a TV series on HBO, which was also successful and popular among fans. Opening up the audience to people that may not have played the games, it has become one of the highest rated and beloved franchises in HBOs catalog. Which is saying a lot, considering what cards they currently hold in their pocket. With a second season of the show on its way, and rumors of a third entry in the game series, it is a good time to be a fan of ‘The Last of Us’.

BY TYSON D. POWELL

FOR OVER NINETY YEARS,

the monsters we know and love as munchers, the walking dead, or ZOMBIES have captivated audiences on the big and small screens, leaving nothing but fear and terror in their wake. While the undead have been popular horror monsters for almost as long as cinema has existed, their history and rules can often be lost or vary from film to film or show to show. There’s so many different interpretations and ideas of what zombies can be, but their essence is almost always captured by a few notable elements, so one has to ask, what is a zombie and where did they come from?

The word “zombie” has origins in Haitian and Caribbean vodun culture, used originally as controlled husks by shaman or witch doctors to perform mindless tasks and general slave labor. In much the same way the enslaved peoples of Africa were used by their masters, after the Haitian

Revolution (1971-1804), the free practitioners of these rituals were influenced by their horrible pasts and operated on the same fears of being put back in chains by placing them on others and their spirits. These zombies would never reach their eternal paradises and forever be tethered to their desiccated human bodies for the sole purpose of doing the bidding of evil men.

While the film White Zombie, (starring Bela Lugosi) is regarded as being the first movie to bring the idea of the undead to the public, it’s negative critical reception and closeness to the original myths of zombiemaking may have turned off general audiences, while inspiring other movie makers looking to perfect the interesting, albeit poorly implemented, concept. Released in 1932, White Zombie followed a character named Madeline Short and her fiance, Neil, as they decide to

get married in Haiti. They soon fall into a plot by Lugosi’s villainous “Murder” Legendre, a white Haitian voodoo master, who compels Madeline into becoming his thrall and plans to control the rest of his town. This movie established the ritual of becoming a zombie to be similar to becoming a vampire, only replacing a bite on the neck with a potion and burial. This was borne out of similar

Caribbean rituals of control and compulsion through substances like their coupe poudre, the powder that induces a death like state, and extract of the jimsonweed plant to keep victims in a constant state of delirium.

Unfortunately, this movie and its 1943 sequel made little to no cultural impact outside of the former becoming the namesake of one very influential industrial metal band. It

wasn’t until George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968 that the hunger for zombie films truly began in earnest. Influenced by Caribbean mythology and brimming with social commentary of the time, the film changed zombie fiction from that moment on, replacing the spells and magic with ideas rooted in the realm of science fiction. No longer were victims under a sort of hypnosis to be

commanded, instead the bodies of the dead either began rising from their graves or were resurrected upon being killed by other means. Night of the Living Dead was unlike anything most movie audiences had ever seen, bringing a level of violence to screens that likely would have never seen the light of day at the height of the Hays Code,

the set of guidelines that the film industry imposed on itself to limit distasteful elements in cinema. Not only did this open up the kind of graphic content filmmakers could put in their movies, it also improved the methods of storytelling and themes that some stories could have. Romero’s 1985 film, Day of the Dead, explored the collapse of American society and the last vestiges of the military trying to keep a sense of order, even going so far as to conduct experiments on zombies to help them regain sentience or at least make them compliant enough to be commanded (a concept that 2006’s Fido

would expand on with an integrated society that had zombies at the lowest part of the social totem pole). Day of the Dead definitely took heavy influence from the aforementioned Caribbean/West African mythos of zombies as things to be controlled and gets the audience to cheer on the zombies as they break loose of their chains and oppression. Romero would even go on to update his own sentiments further with 2005’s Land of the Dead, being a spiritual remake of Day, criticizing aspects of maintaining capitalism in a crumbled country and the abuse of zombies for sport, an allegory for middle class

Image courtesy of Dying Light game, Warner Bros, Interactive Studios, Getty Images and Los Angeles Times, Tarman image courtesy of Return of the Living Dead film and Orion Pictures

people under the thumb of rich elites.

This signaled a turning point for most media, showing that they didn’t have to be constrained in their visions and that there were avenues for a new age of horror filmmaking where the good guys didn’t always win and that there were audiences that could handle gruesome and terrifying scenes. Not only was Night successful in America, but across the rest of the world as well, with Lucio Fulci directing an Italian “sequel” to Romero’s movie titled Zombi 2, as Night was renamed upon release in Italy. This would show the worldwide appeal of zombie cinema and other directors wanting to place their own stamp on the creatures in their early years. Romero himself would go on to make official sequels in the form of Dawn of the Dead (1978) and the aforementioned Day of the Dead (1985) before the zombie craze began to wane in the 80s due to a proliferation of low budget zombie movies and slashers shooting ahead in popularity. While the undead had the odd successes in the unrelated Return of the Living Dead franchise, zombies wouldn’t flourish in the spotlight until they gained a renewed interest thanks to Capcom’s Resident Evil video games.

While there had undoubtedly been games about zombies that came before it, such as Zombie Zombie (ZX Spectrum, 1984), Resident Evil (1995) was one of the first to capture the visceral and horrifying nature of zombies, by placing players in control of their own survival against a horde of the undead and other various monsters. It was a tense experience that was made worse due to the settings tight spaces and corridors and durable enemies. The sequels continued to innovate by showing how its T-Virus could mutate to create monsters like the Lickers and Nemesis, an absolute unit of a creature that attacks with tentacles and a rocket launcher. Resident Evil was so popular that it began the new zombie craze of the 90s and lasted well into the 2000s.

Outside of video games, Japan and Korea both have an intense love for the zombie genre with both

releasing a multitude of very popular zombie movies and shows. Japan in particular has a long history of zombie movies with Battle Girl: Living Dead in Tokyo Bay being heavily considered their first, releasing in 1991. Since then, they’ve created a number of interesting zombie films spanning a wide variety of genres and styles such as Takashi Miike’s The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001), a musical with zombies, and recently Shin’ichiro Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead (2017), a film that effectively contained

three films in one and can only be seen to be believed. Korea, while being fairly new to the genre, has built a large following of fans dedicated to the walking dead and new ways to tell great character driven stories around zombie uprisings. Many articles have been written about how influential it’s been, but Sang-ho Yeon’s Train to Busan fused messages of class division and family to create one of the most well loved zombie films ever,

kickstarting the era of zombies in South Korea. Il Cho’s #Alive (2020) made small use of social media in an age where many people chose to make livings within the confines of their homes, and showed how they could brave the outside world to choose life with others over solitude. And tv shows like Kingdom and All of Us Are Dead showed that they could make compelling zombie fiction on the small screen like The Walking Dead and Z-Nation had been doing for years.

If Night of the Living Dead and Resident Evil inspired two periods of love for zombie fiction, it would definitely be the genre’s uniqueness and willingness to experiment that would cause other creatives to branch out and create their own wonderful worlds of the living dead, breaking the mold with new and innovative projects. While not specifically zombies, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later explores the collapse of British society and the bubbling rage of the new millennium with its Rage virus. These infected humans have a small measure of continued higher brain function with the ability to sprint and hunt through sound. This added an entirely new layer to the fear that zombies were able to create as, in the past, they were mostly seen as shambling husks that used their numbers and luck to overwhelm survivors versus their movement speed.

Every genre has its parody equivalent and Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (2004) brought forth the idea that even movies about a near apocalypse can be absolute gutbusters.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Capcom, Sony, The Stone Quarry, Netflix

Building off of a love for the zombie movie genre, the film has exploded in popularity and routinely makes lists for being one of the best zombie movies ever made for its clever wit, references to other movies and a very heartfelt story about friendship and family. It was so highly regarded that it even got a co-sign from George A. Romero himself (leading to Wright and Simon Pegg getting cameos as zombies in Land of the Dead a year later). Shaun of the Dead would go on to influence movies like Warm Bodies and Zombieland, both having much lighter tones while maintaining the gore and heart of a good zombie film. Another part of the zeitgeist where zombies have maintained a clear popularity is in the world of comic books. As a visual medium that lacks some of

the restraints and confines of live action movies, zombie comics are able to portray the undead in a far more grisly and inhuman light, turning them into far more horrific creatures than even the best make up artist can conceive of. Straight out of the Gate, Image Comics published Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard’s The Walking Dead and it was a massive hit of a comic that checked every box for what made a piece of zombie fiction worth reading - amazing visual style, awesome character

moments that showed the best and worst of humanity, and absolute terror because of the zombies. The Walking Dead did everything right with its pacing, allowing its many characters to grow and showing how people could possibly live for years in a zombie apocalypse, something that not too many other bits of media have been able to capture.

The drama wrapped in a bow of the undead showed how much story could be mined from the subject and the danger that slow moving zombies could pose in a world where fast zombies had begun to

overtake them in popular media.

Even superheroes weren’t able to escape the craze of zombies, in multiple ways, with both Marvel and DC having published books with zombies in them on

multiple occasions. The first Marvel Zombies by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips was written a year prior to The Walking Dead’s release and served a grim vision into what a universe infested with zombies that still maintained their superpowers could look like. It was dark and full of stomach churning

moments of violence and gore that would only be outmatched by a few of its own sequels. DC would try their hand with their Blackest Night event comic, which saw a horde of dead DC superheroes resurrected by power rings similar to The Green Lanterns, but controlled by a god of Death called Nekron. The event was great, but would be thoroughly outdone years later by Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine’s DCeased, where the world was infected by a digitized

version of The Anti-Life Equation, causing people to mutilate themselves and spread death where they could.

While zombies are an American touchstone, their reach has definitely spread far and wide, encompassing the entire world and giving them a passion for the undead like we do here. Whether it’s on the big screen or small, in novels or comics, zombies are everywhere, infecting those who get bitten with a love for them. They are incredibly scary - whether they move fast, slow or force you to grasp what it means to be human and survive. No matter how many times the zombie genre has died or been killed, it will always come back. It will rise from its grave to sink it’s teeth into new generations of horror fans for time to come.

BY GRAVEYARD

1. GEORGE A ROMERO

The undisputed godfather and founder of the modern zombie film. Although Romero never utters the word ‘zombie’ in the film, and famously did not use the term to describe the creatures, (he preferred the term ‘ghouls’) the ‘Night of the Living Dead’ has become the template for all zombie movies that followed. The original 1968 film spawned many sequels, both authorized and not. Romero himself added another 5 films to the franchise. Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead are the official canon timeline, but many other narrative branches have broken off the Romero tree.

Because of a minor distribution accident, the ‘Night of the Living Dead’ film was left in the public domain. The film was originally titled ‘Night of the Flesh Eaters’, and the copyright was printed on that negative. When the name was later changed, the distributor did not add the copyright to the new negative, and because of the copyright laws of the time, left the door open for anyone to use the title and content of the film for their own purposes.

This led to several offshoots and remakes. Some of these held the blessing of Romero, and others would head to the courtroom to battle over the Dead legacy. Ultimately the courts allowed the projects to move forward, and we got the ‘Return of the

Living Dead’ series (a classic in its own right, and also responsible for the BRAINS trope) and several remakes and reimaginings of differing quality.

Although Romero would ultimately lose the court battle for the rights to his first Dead film, the fandom overall won out, and the zombie genre exploded as a result. Romero, who sadly passed away in 2017, has a legacy that will continue as long as the zombie movie shambles on.

2. ROBERT KIRKMAN

After the zombie wave broke in the mid to late 80s, the zombie genre hit a bit of a lull. It continued to be popular among die-hard horror fans, but not many new or interesting visions emerged for over a decade.

Enter Robert Kirkman, who in 2003 started writing what was to become ‘The Walking Dead’. He pitched it to Image comics as having an ‘aliens from another planet’ origin story, but he had no intention of following through with that, and instead kept it as a pure apocalyptic zombie story, centering on human tragedy and redefining who ‘The Walking Dead’ was referring to - The Zombies, or those that survived.

The comic exploded in popularity and propelled him to superstar status. He even famously became the fifth partner at Image comics, the only nonfounding member to be

included. This popularity opened up an opportunity to create a television series which ultimately ran for 11 seasons, and several spinoffs that are still going today; most recently with Dead City, which premiered just this year. This resurgence brought the zombie genre back into the mainstream, and has only started to lose steam recently, although it has far from lost its power.

3. GREG NICOTERO

If Kirkman was responsible for writing the screenplay for the zombie resurgence of the last 2 decades, then Nicotero would undoubtedly be its visual artist. He began his career under the tutelage of the great Tom Savini on Romero’s ‘Day of the Dead’ in 1985. He bloomed into one of the most in demand and seasoned FX artists out there. So when ‘The Walking Dead’ was looking for a visual effects master to add that zombie makeup to the soon to be phenomenon, they recruited Greg Nicotero. His zombie and makeup effects added that mix of fantasy and realism that was the perfect compliment to the human drama of people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. He soon outgrew his visual effects role and became a more active participant in the direction of the show by becoming an executive producer, director, and actor in the series and its spinoffs.

The zombie genre is still stumbling on, and Greg Nicotero will be at the helm for the foreseeable future.

4. ZACK SNYDER

Although more famous today for his superhero epics and blockbuster hits and misses, Zack Snyder began his career by remaking the classic ‘Dawn of the Dead’. Penned by the great James Gunn early in his career, this film would break out of the cash-grab remake mold to make something refreshing and interesting in the genre. Riding on the rising zombie wave that was just starting in 2004, ‘Dawn of the Dead’ surprised fans and critics alike with its realism and genuine human moments.

image courtesy of pxfuel, imdb.com, Nicotero image by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic, Wikimedia Commons, Comic-con international, Tim P Whitby for BFI//Getty Images, TCM, Netflix productions, The Korea Herald, Wondercon 2012, AMC Studios, Daniel Bernal and ArtStation,

Although Romero was not technically involved in the project, a nod was given to the original 1978 cast, who all had cameos.

He would not return to the zombie genre until 2021 with his zombie heist film ‘Army of the Dead’. Often labeled as a spiritual successor to his ‘Dawn of the Dead’ remake, the film helped prove that the zombie genre still has teeth even in the increasing streaming-only world that surrounds us.

5. DANNY BOYLE

Would you open a cage containing monkeys being shown violent images and movies? Danny Boyle answered that question for us. 28 Days Later came out in 2002, and those monkeys are infected with a disease called Rage. This departs from the traditional definition of a zombie as this is more of an infection causing people to revert to their more primal and violent selves. In the movie, the audience forgoes seeing much of the first 28 days of the zombie outbreak as we join Jim, a bike courier waking up from a coma to seeing England 28 days after the Rage virus outbreak. What helps make this movie unique from many other zombie movies is that the audience is introduced

to the idea of “fast” zombies. All previous zombie movies show zombies as being slow moving, shuffling beings that if they did not initially surprise you, would only be dangerous to someone with their sheer numbers.

Just like in other zombie movies, Rage can be transmitted via bodily fluids such as in a bite, or even a single drop of blood falling into an eye. This movie was met with praise from the critics and audiences. A follow-up movie 28 Weeks Later came out in 2007. It does not carry over characters from the first movie, but is a continuation expanding on how widespread the Rage virus has become with all of the United Kingdom becoming a quarantine zone. Boyle did not return to direct this installment due to scheduling differences, but he stayed on as an Executive Producer. A third film has been stuck in development hell for over a decade, but many people have expressed interest in coming back in another sequel. Whether it be 28 Months Later, or as

Boyle has been on record stating, 28 Years Later, we can only wait to see how the story continues in this hopeful franchise.

6. VICTOR HALPERIN

Before George A Romero introduced the world to the idea of zombies being flesh eaters, zombies were supernatural beings created by ritual spellcraft, or a curse inflicted by another human being. Bring in Victor Halperin with his movie White Zombie, starring Bela Lugosi. White Zombie introduced voodoo into the

mainstream. Zombies were created by a curse, starting with being hypnotized and ending in indentured servitude, but none of them came back from the dead hungry for flesh.

By today’s standards, these zombies may be tame, but they have their own classic place in the annals of horror. Imagine being mind controlled by someone else, unable to think for yourself or control your own actions. This has been part of voodoo for hundreds of years and is still considered by many to be rooted in real cases caused by hypnosis or mind altering drugs similar to a truth serum.

Halperin’s follow up Revolt of the Zombies is considered to be a loose sequel and was critically panned. However, with the success of the original, this was the form zombies would take until Night of the Living Dead White Zombie is considered a cult classic at this point in time, with Rob Zombie naming his band after it and even legally changing his last name to Zombie as an homage to his love of this movie. After Romero, the original voodoo zombies were changed but there were still writers and directors interested in the “original’’ zombie and can be seen in later films such as Fulci’s Zombi where zombies were caused by a voodoo curse. Even the great Wes Craven wrote a zombie movie called ‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’ that harkened back to those voodoo spells and ceremonies, causing Bill Pullman’s character to lose control of himself and becoming a classic Halperin zombie.

7. YEON SANG-HO

It is always interesting to see how other cultures take on a classic horror genre. While America has made remakes of many popular Japanese horror movies with varying success, Yeon Sang-ho took the idea of zombies and really made it his own. Train to Busan is a wild and gory ride to the end of that line. Sang-ho took the idea of zombies and put them on a high speed train. This brings the horror of zombies to the confined space of rail cabins and creates many tense moments and jump scares.

Train to Busan was the first Korean film to break the audience record of over 10 million viewers in one year. In the same year, Sang-ho created an animated prequel to Train to Busan, going over the origins of the zombie outbreak in South Korea called Seoul Station. In 2020, a sequel came out with Train to Busan Presents Peninsula. To say that Sung-ho revitalized interest in zombies is an understatement. While he continues to work on his zombie franchise, America is dipping its hand back into remakes with Last Train to New York which is being helmed with the help of horror master James Wan.

8. PAUL W.S. ANDERSON

People may have varying opinions on video game movies as a whole. Some may not like them due to the movies veering too much away from the source material. The

image courtesy of pxfuel, imdb.com, Nicotero image by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic, Wikimedia Commons, Comic-con international, Tim P Whitby for BFI//Getty Images, TCM, Netflix productions, The Korea Herald, Wondercon 2012, AMC Studios, Daniel Bernal and ArtStation, Freepik

Resident Evil videogames put modern horror in the forefront of videogames and helped sell systems such as the PlayStation 1 and the Nintendo Gamecube with the exclusives that came from the Resident Evil Series. Whether you like them or hate them, the movies in the Resident Evil franchise are big contenders that have pulled in major studio money.

Paul W.S. Anderson was the mind needed to bring the beloved horror franchise to the big screen with his Resident Evil vision. The first one created a new character, Alice, that did not appear in the games. He cast Milla Jovovich, his soon-to-be wife in that role, and that character remained the main character in all 6 films. The first movie pulled in many elements found in the games, with the introduction to Umbrella and the T-Virus. It blends in a good amount of action with plenty of jump scares and zombie horror. Anderson wrote all six of these movies and directed 4 of them.

The Resident Evil franchise started with the Umbrella corporation experimenting with a deadly pathogen named the T-Virus. Turning into a zombie was caused by the character being bitten, then getting terminally diseased, and ultimately changing. Just like the

games, the T-virus did not only affect humans, but Umbrella was also testing in animals as we see in Cerberus, or the “zombie dogs”. Also just like in the games, the virus mutates and so do the zombies. We get a variety of enemies created from these mutations, including the Tyrant, and eventually Nemesis which is the weaponization of the T-virus by Umbrella, as it continues to be more interested in money than actually saving humanity. As with many horror movies, eventually all series seem to turn to action and Anderson continues that trend with Resident Evil becoming more action heavy and less about zombies, whether that be for the better or worse was ultimately decided by the box office. He helped create the new standard of what a video game movie should be with healthy elements of horror mixed in.

9. TOM SAVINI [ IF GREG NICOTERO IS ON THE LIST, THEN SO SHOULD TOM SAVINI]

Not everyone in the zombie genre is a writer or director. Sometimes it takes a makeup/effect artist to really change the game when it comes to zombies. That individual

is the one and only Tom Savini. When George Romero created his sequel to Night of the Living Dead, he brought on Tom Savini to do the special effects for what would be called Dawn of the Dead. He brought in top notch gore and realism to the zombie genre. From this movie, he became a name that anyone looking to do body horror called on. Savini was nominated for a Saturn award for his work on Dawn of the Dead. He later won the Saturn award for his work on Romero’s next zombie movie, Day of the Dead. With his work and frequent collaboration with George Romero, he pushed the boundaries of special effects and makeup. He became the go-to-guy for many movies throughout the 80s. He even famously played a biker in the original Dawn of the Dead, who would later be seen in Romero’s Land of the Dead. He even directed the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead. Unfortunately, the world was not yet ready for a colorized and modernized retelling of the classic tale and it did not perform well. Time has been kinder however, as it has now reached cult classic status. The zombie genre would not be the same if not for the talented and disgusting mind of Tom Savini.

image courtesy of pxfuel, imdb.com, Nicotero image by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic, Wikimedia Commons, Comic-con international, Tim P Whitby for BFI//Getty Images, TCM, Netflix productions, The Korea Herald, Wondercon 2012, AMC Studios, Daniel Bernal and ArtStation, Freepik

BY TOM TORMEY

STAN “THE MAN” LEE WILL FOREVER BE

synonymous with superheroes. Either directly or indirectly, Stan inspired countless writers and creators to explore their craft. His passing on November 12, 2018 at the age of 95 left a perpetual void in the comic book industry that will never be filled. His indelible impact upon the industry extends far beyond capes and cowls. Stan Lee also made an impact on the horror comic scene as early as 1954. Stan brought the world of the undead to comic books in a short story that predates the Comics Code Authority’s ban on zombies in one of Atlas Comics’ (the precursor to Marvel) anthology series. In 1954, Stan Lee introduced us to the world of the Walking Dead.

By 1954, the landscape of the comic book industry was remarkably different from its 1940s counterpart. The Golden Age of Comics, brought to life by the world’s first superhero - Superman, was all but dead. A warweary world turned its eyes away from heroes clad in red, white and blue tights, and fully embraced genres such as romance, westerns and horror. Despite his Super Soldier Serum, even Captain America wasn’t immune to the post-war industry shift. By 1950, the Star Spangled Man with a Plan’s books fully embraced the horror genre, renamed into Captain America’s Weird Tales

Issue 75 in 1950 marked Cap’s last Golden Age book and he wasn’t even in it, replaced by horrid creatures of the night. Horror was all the rage. Despite (or in spite of) the objections of mothers across the nation, and the damning claims made in Fredric Wertham’s

Seduction of the Innocent, horror meant big business for publishers, and readers couldn’t get enough. It is into this world that a 32-year old Stan Lee introduced comic book readers to the “Walking Dead” in the pages of 1954’s Menace #9.

A pioneer in many ways, Stan was not the first to mention zombies or the walking dead. The word zombie originates in West Africa and, according to the collected essays in “Race, Oppression and the Zombie,” zombies are

Image courtesy of Wallpaper Tip, user Vanja Arsova, Marvel Comics and Pxfuel

created by voudou sorcerers called bokors. Haitians believed that zombies were reanimated corpses brought back to be used as a labor force. The concept of a flesh-feasting. cranium craving zombie was yet to be established in popular culture. In 954 Richard Mattheson published “I Am Legend.” The story has become synonymous with zombie culture, often credited as being the first fictional piece to depict a zombie apocalypse despite the primary antagonist referred to as “vampires” throughout the story. Mattheson’s vampires shared more in common with modern zombies than they

did with folklore vampires. We were a few years away from 1968’s George A. Romero’s seminal film Night of the Living Dead, which despite not actually using the word zombie, defined the genre as we know it today. In the realm of comics, 1963’s Black Smurf (Purple Smurfs in the US) comic book was the first to depict a zompocalypse style outbreak.

In 1954, the Comic Book Authority and its code, a strict list of rules put in place to make comic books more appealing to parents and retailers, went into effect. Zombies were no longer allowed in comic books. According to the Comics Code “Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture, shall not be used.” Of course, Stan is no slouch and would find ways to stick it to the Authority. By the 1970s Marvel would circumvent these rules by willfully misspelling the word “zombie” into “zuvembie,” publishing magazines, which were immune to the Comics Code rules, featuring zombies and famously copyrighting the word zombie for over twenty years. By the early 1970s, with a loosening of the restrictions enacted by the Comics Code, Stan even reintroduced the world to Simon Garth in 1973’s Tales of the Zombie. Garth had debuted in the pages of 1953’s Menace #5.

Pre-Code and Pre-Marvel (Marvel was printed under the name Atlas at the time) Menace #9 gives its readers several truly disturbing tales, featuring vampires and werewolves. The final story in this anthology book is “The Walking Dead.” A zombie emerges from its grave for unknown reasons and immediately begins to consume all living things in its

Image courtesy of Wallpaper Tip, user Vanja Arsova, Marvel Comics and Pxfuel

path, from owls to snakes, to satiate its insatiable hunger. Our zombie antagonist, unlike the modern zombie, is fully capable of articulate speech. Our zombie comes across the home of an elderly man, whose dog promptly attacks and is just as quickly dispatched with a snap of the neck. After taking several shotgun blasts to the neck and remaining unyielding in its approach, our zombie accosts the man in his house. The zombie questions him as to whether or not he’s alone in his home. The man says that his wife is just through that door. Our zombie, ever mindful of his manners, proclaims, “Ladies first,” as he sets upon his quest to consume her. Once through the door, the man slams it behind the zombie, informing him that she is indeed in the room but had recently passed. The room is a crematorium. Talk about bad luck for our zombie friend. He just happened to pick the one house on the block that also has a crematorium. Maybe every house had a crematorium back then, the 50s were weird. The man sets about igniting the flames and as our zombie begs for his life, and presumably the man’s deceased spouse, is consumed by the flames in a two-for-one cremation special. The man is safe. The zombie is dead... or is he? No, he’s definitely dead. Several decades later, Stan must’ve had a complete change of heart when it came

to zombies. In 2015, Stan Lee was interviewed by a Seattle based magazine in which he stated that, “I have a funny feeling about Zombies. I figure that whole concept is wrong. Because I think If anyone was dead and came back to life, he’d be so happy he’s living again he wouldn’t want to kill anyone—he’d want to party!”

Zombie stories, like Stan Lee’s The Walking Dead, have their place within pop culture often serving as an outlet to express the fears and anxieties of its writer and readership. The page prior to the beginning of The Walking Dead has a quarter page inhouse advertisement giving its readers tips for warding off polio. Some of the tips include: Don’t mix with new groups. Don’t get chilled (stay warm). Don’t get overtired. Do keep clean. Although the origin of the zombie is never discussed within this short story nor are the capabilities of spreading the zombie virus, (with fears of contracting polio a very concern) make stories like this even more relevant.

Pre-Code horror was a thing of beauty but unfortunately nothing beautiful lasts. The Comics Code Authority instituted rules that either banned or prohibited: scenes of excessive violence, brutal torture and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, the gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated. No comic magazine shall use the words “horror” or “terror” in its title.”

The weight of the Comics Code Authority forced several publishers to shutter their doors permanently while other publishers, writers and artists were forced to find more clever and more devious ways to integrate horror into their books. The Code loosened in the 1970s and by the 1980s and 90s the Comics Code was all but a thing of the past. Few books still carried the stamp of approval and those that didn’t sold equally as well, if not better.

Stan Lee continued to influence creators, both in and out of the comic industry, for decades. Robert Kirkman, creator of Invincible and the Walking Dead, is among those inspired by Lee.

Kirkman was approached by Marvel about bringing the Walking Dead to the House of ideas, but with the ability to own, manage and profit from his own creation, compounded by a negative experience, while working at Marvel kept Kirkman away. Throughout his life, like a zombie reaching up from the grave, Stan continued to push past what was considered acceptable by society’s standards. It was that desire to push boundaries that will forever endear Stan in our hearts. Stan Lee even expressed interest in appearing as a zombie on Kirkman’s television adaptation of The Walking Dead but unfortunately never appeared on the show. Stan’s impact and memory, like the zombie genre, live on.

Image courtesy of Wallpaper Tip, user Vanja Arsova, Marvel Comics and Pxfuel

BY ROB LOCKETT

ZOMBIE ANATOMY

If you find yourself in the middle of a horrifying zombie apocalypse (perhaps you are waking out of a coma), here’s a few tips on zombie anatomy and basic survival tips that will see you move from merely surviving to thriving. My first bit of advice is- look for an underground bunker. There has got to be some cosy ones built by doomsday preppers with heavy stocks of canned goods, water purification systems, hydroponics, probably a good wine cellar, dvd players, etc. that are far enough underground that the walking undead can’t even smell you, let alone be able to dig, and then it’s a lovely little place for you

to put your feet up and weather the zombie apocalypse quite comfortably… sorry, I digress. In case you haven’t found a good bunker or a decent place to hole up above ground that isn’t a farm (Looking at you Walking Dead Season 2), here’s some good suggestions… In our analysis, we are trying to stick with the traditional Romerolike zombies, and not the fast-paced sprinting dead you may see in the Snyder version, or the T1000s of Zombieland. For a bit of pseudoscientific food for thought, we will tackle some aspects of your decomposing undead such as the brain, body and deal out a few handy pointers.

THE BRAIN OPTICS

HEART MUSCULAR SYSTEM DIGESTVE SYSTEM

HANDS LEGS FEET

THE BRAIN

The main rule here is: “Kill the brain, kill the ghoul:”. First iterated by the Survival Command centre in Night of the Living Dead, this logic has been part of zombie lore ever since. And similar advice can be found in Dawn of the Dead, or Shaun of the Dead, where a television news reporter calmly advises people to do the same thing, reiterating to our humble viewer to either shoot the brain or strike a heavy blow to the skull. Failure to do so, will just see a waste of ammunition and energy, as the undead can still weather a hail of bullets and other blows to their body and continue to come lurching at you, teeth bared with wide appetites. And like they advise in Zombieland, make sure you double tap. Don’t worry about conserving bullets or energy, strike twice if you’re not sure.

The zombie brain is a little different to that of the living- in that certain parts of their brain have either been made numb or neutralised completely. For example- the entire frontal lobe or cerebrum

is non-functional (see image above). This contains components that are essential to a human being, such as reasoning, planning, memories and sensory integration. These are all in addition to conscious thought, which is severely lacking in the undead.

The more urgent part of the zombie is the brainstem, which controls muscle coordination of the heart, lungs and most vital organs. One shot to this area and it’s quickly game-over man for your hulking adversary. So, it needs to be said, that a simple frontal lobe popshot will not necessarily take out your drooling zombie, unless it takes out more urgent parts of the brain. So, be sure to aim small, take a deep breath and kill the brain to kill the ghoul.

THE BODY OF A ZOMBIE

If the pseudoscience behind the zombification of the dead was matched with practical science, zombies would not last an entire summer and would quickly decompose or be devoured by all manner of

insects and maggots (in fact, they would probably make good compost), but ignoring that simple premise, let’s look at how their bodies function:

OPTICS

The optic nerve loosely attached still allows them some eyesight, though this has been met with varying degrees of success in terms of vision. Their eyes look to exhibit various stages of myopia and take on a yellowish tinge to them. Sometimes they can detect humans at a distance, other times they can’t see even a blade being stabbed into their skull.

RESPIRATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

Their collapsing lungs and slow respiration rate create a distinct groaning sound, with some even able to produce a few distinct words such as ‘braaaiiinsss’.

The blackened undead heart is unable to pump blood, and often resembles a dark grey lump of tissue.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

Skeletal and threadbare muscle systems appear open to the surface of the skin; these have developed powerful muscles capable of propelling them forward at sloth-like speeds, only for a last-minute rush as they near their victim. However, due to rigor mortis, their muscles have stiffened after death and hindered their movement, making it difficult to walk for the majority of the time.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Their digestive system is barely intact and completely useless, without enzymes, acids or any means to break down food, which is a strong indication of their complete hunger 24/7. Basically, however, much of the average zombie below the neck is a grotesque mess of intestines, loose bone structures on top of a few indistinguishable sticks resembling legs. Despite the cruciality of the brain, much of the zombie anatomy is irrelevant at this point in time.

A FEW POINTERS

At the risk of sounding like Columbus in Zombieland, here are a few pointers to get you through:

1. Please find an underground bunker (see my opening rant)

2. If this isn’t available, try to find secure shelter preferably with large concrete walls and solid gates.

3. Do not go lone wolf, there is strength in numbers, even if it’s having someone guard you at your most vulnerable.

4. Try to get proficient with firearms.

5. If there are no guns or ammunition around, go to your nearest pawnbroker and get a katana (they all have them)

6. Stockpile food and drinking water- it will save risking your life on a shopping run.

7. Build defences around you. And no not the metaphorical

barriers, but real physical ones: walls, barbed wire, perhaps a moat…

8. Try to make the most of it – after all there are no mortgage repayments in the world of the undead.

9. Get plenty of rest – fighting off zombie hordes can produce heavy fatigue.

10. Be wary of the greatest threat – other humans- yes this may contradict rule 3 but be selective about how you pick your friends. The man in the clown mask that juggles chainsaws for fun is probably not your best choice for a round of charades.

Well, that wraps it up for our rough guide to Man Vs Zombie. We hope this have been of benefit if you find yourself staring death in its gnarling, raspy ‘braaiiinnns’ gurgling face. Did I mention the benefits of underground accommodation?, perhaps a hobbit hole complete with its own library…

THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS

Publisher: Random House Worlds | Writer: Max Brooks | Artist: Ibraim Roberson

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

From the Stone Age to the information age, the undead have threatened to engulf the human race. They’re coming. They’re hungry. This is the graphic novel the fans demanded: major zombie attacks from the dawn of humanity. On the African savannas, against the legions of ancient Rome, on the high seas with Francis Drake . . . every civilization has faced them. Here are the grisly and heroic stories–complete with eye-popping artwork that pulsates with the hideous faces of the undead. Scripted by the world’s leading zombie authority, Max Brooks, Recorded Attacks reveals how other eras and cultures have dealt with–and survived– the ancient viral plague. By immersing ourselves in past horror, we may yet prevail over the coming outbreak in our time.

REVIEW

This promotional tie-in comic, designed to supplement the Zombie

Survival Guide book in which these short stories appear in an appendix, is superbly written and skillfully drawn. Max Brooks, son of legendary comedian, writer and director Mel Brooks, is a master of modern zombie fiction. The Zombie Survival Guide combines fictional accounts of zombie attacks as well as guidance on how to survive future attacks. If you enjoyed the Zombie Survival Guide or its follow-up World War Z, you’re going to thoroughly enjoy this comic book. Brooks masterfully weaves geo-political topics, history and fiction into a bloodsoaked tapestry that George A. Romero would be proud of. Each fictionalized historical account of zombie outbreaks and events is worthy of its own stand alone comic. It’s a shame the concept was never developed beyond this promotional piece. A proper anthology series in any medium based on this property would have made major bank for Brooks. Brooks’ vision of zombies throughout time could hold its own against Marvel Zombies or the

Walking Dead. Roberson’s black and white art exists in perfect balance with Brooks’ writing. Like the writing itself, the art is perfect in its balance of absurdity and reality. Recorded Attacks takes us through several short stories ranging chronologically from the earliest man to modern day Los Angeles. Each story, although written and illustrated by the same fantastic duo, has their own unique feel. From the aforementioned caveman story presented sans dialogue to the truly heartbreaking, infuriating tale set in mid-1800s St. Lucia, each account is presented in a clear, concise and entertaining manner. Despite a lack of any clear protagonist, a common element with all Brooks’ zombie literature to date, the presence of a terrifying undead antagonist is the one unifying element in each anthology story. Brook’s zombie stories, including Recorded Attacks, are a must read for any fan of apocalyptic horror.

9.5/10 VERDICT

Images courtesy of gbhl.com, Ibraim Roberson, kobo, DC Comics

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #1

Publisher: DC Comics | Writer: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis | Artist: Howard Porter Colorist: Hi Fi

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Those meddling kids—Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their dog, Scooby-Doo—get more ghostdebunking than they bargained for when faced with a fundamental change in their world. The apocalypse has happened. Old rules about logic no longer apply. The creatures of the night are among us, and the crew of the Magical Mystery Machine has to fight to survive— because in the apocalyptic badlands of the near-future, the horrors are real!

REVIEW

Reboots and reimaginings of our beloved childhood intellectual properties can be extremely tedious especially as creators endeavor to relate to modern audiences and, in doing so, lose to the heart and soul of what made the property memorable in the first place. Scooby Doo and Mystery Incorporated are no strangers to reimaginings. There are dozens of animated series and films, as well as live action outings that each put their own unique spin on our favorite anthropomorphic great dane and his band of meddling friends. Scooby Apocalypse is the most adult rendition of the characters we’ve ever seen. Jim Lee had a heavy hand in this series and it is evident in the character designs for the gang. Scooby isn’t just a loveable canine with an uncanny ability of speech but the product of a science experiment gone awry performed by Doctor Velma Dinkley and saved by Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, a dog whisperer of sorts hired to maintain Scooby and the other canine science

experiments. Fred and Daphne are a pair of down on their luck mystery tv show cameraman and star, respectively who, through Velma, are drawn into a mystery that might just end the world as we know it. While a drastic departure from the cartoons of yesteryear, Scooby Apocalypse maintains, at its core, a deep understanding of what made this quintet of characters so internationally popular for decades. Best of all, like the cartoons themselves, this comic series is full of intrigue, character and wit. If you’re into reboots of classic characters and apocalyptic fiction, you’re going to love this series.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A mysterious techno-virus has been released on Earth, infecting 600 million people and turning them instantly into violent, monstrous engines of destruction. The heroes of the DCU are caught completely unprepared for a pandemic of this magnitude and struggle to save their loved ones first... but what happens to the World’’s Greatest Heroes if the world ends?

DCEASED #1

REVIEW

Zombie fiction works best when it’s a reflection of the time in which it is created and of its audience. DCeased overtly ties the end of life on earth via a techno virus that turns its host in a flesh eating denizen of the dead to social media. It is Darkseid’s insatiable desire to rewrite the universe by his design using the anti-life equation mixed with Cyborg’s technology that unleashes the end times upon our planet. While the art isn’t necessarily something I was blown away by, due to its inconsistency throughout the issue, the story itself is presented well and its pacing is on point. Cyborg joking at the expense of Darkseid made me smile and then watching as Vic’s tongue is removed for his insolence was unsettling. This book marked the beginning of a Marvel Zombieesque venture for the Distinguished Competition that branched off into wild, violent and uncharted territory for our favorite DC characters. The final splash page was surprising and disturbing, letting the readers

know that just about anything can and will happen in this universe. I enjoy a good zombie series and, although the DCeased series of stories hit needlessly convoluted spots along the way, this book and its subsequent issues and tie-in series is a must read for fans of DC and horror.

8.0/10 VERDICT

Publisher: DC Comics | Writer: Tom Taylor | Artist: Stefano Gaudiano, Trevor Hairsine and James Harren | Colorist: Rain Beredo

Image courtesy of DC Comics, Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES

Publisher: Marvel Comics | Writer: W. Maxwell Prince | Artist: Steffano Raffaele Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Years after an incurable zombie virus ravaged the world, a small colony of survivors is protected by the Marvel U’s few remaining heroes, including Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Falcon. But when their last chance at salvation arrives, will they be willing to sacrifice their own humanity in the process? From the twisted minds of Ice Cream man writer W. Maxwell Prince and Stefano Raffaele (Generations: Hawkeye) comes the next macabre obsession for fans of The Walking Dead and The Road!

REVIEW

Let’s just be clear, the title of this issue isn’t a typo. This story is about Marvel’s original zombie, Simon Garth and I am a sucker for Simon stories. Although I question the logic of why superheroes surrounded by tens of thousands of zombies would still wear their masks and cowls in public I can absolutely suspend disbelief and logic in a book like this. This stand 9.5/10

alone issue has everything a horror fan could want and more. When I say “more” I mean a giant robot tyrannosaurus rex. Zombie hoards? Check. Marvel superheroes? Check. Robot dinosaurs? Check. Do we honestly need anything more? The art on this book perfectly encapsulated the tone of the book which you would think would be grim and somber but instead is cheery and hopeful. Simon Garth walks a thin line between hero and monster. He is technically a zombie but lacks the insatiable hunger present in the undead. He lacks the ability to speak but maintains his cognitive abilities. Simon makes a human friend by standing up to, and stopping a group of zombies from consuming the young boy who in turn presents Simon as a hero to the resistance group led by Daredevil. Simon sees the same bloodlust in their eyes that he sees in the zombie horde, blurring the line between hero and villain. Both the zombies and the humans kill but in the zombies case, it is an uncontrollable

desire versus the human need to eliminate and control. It’s a clever take on the concept that evokes the first piece of apocalyptic literature, I Am Legend. For a while, especially after multiple seasons of The Walking Dead, I heard about “zombie fatigue.” I don’t subscribe to the notion of fatigue in any genre. Zombie literature, like superhero stories, need inventive writers and artists to push the envelope and put their own spin on the concept. This issue does exactly that. This is a gem of a story that doesn’t get talked about enough. This issue should get a perfect score but it had one of the bait and switch covers that truly vex me; showcasing Thor’s hammer, Cap’s shield and Iron Man’s helmet only to see that none of these characters or items appear in this story. Simon Garth and a well developed and delivered plot elevate this book’s score tremendously.

GEORGE A. ROMERO’S EMPIRE OF THE DEAD #1

Publisher: Marvel Comics | Writer: George A. Romero | Artist: Alex Maleev Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Welcome to New York City years after the undead plague has erupted. but just because Manhattan has been quarantined, don’t think that everyone inside is safe! Not only do flesh-eaters roam within Manhattan, but there’s another ancient predator about to take a bite out of the Big Apple!

REVIEW

The world of the Living Dead as we know it wouldn’t exist without the master of the macabre George A. Romero. This series combined everything you’ve come to expect

from Romero plus so much more. The socio-economic themes present in every Romero outing is present here as well. Like the Big Daddy character from the Land of the Living Dead movie, the zombies in Empire of the Dead are showcasing skills such as sweeping and playing chess. Whether these skills are reflexes brought on by post-undead memories or signs of intelligence is yet to be determined in the first outing. Considering its release date of 2014, three years prior to Romero’s passing, it’s fair to say spoilers are allowed so I’m without guilt when I mention that vampires are an important part of Empire of the Dead. Two undead creatures for the price of one! Xavier aka X is introduced in this issue and presented as a zombie with a semblance of morality and intelligence. Maleev’s art is solid from start to finish. I loved his work on Daredevil which combined photo and digital art. This issue pays homage to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead while putting its own unique

spin on it. I’m always interested in zombie stories that put their own mark on the zombie genre, which is an especially difficult endeavor as Romero is the granddaddy of it all. Empire of the Dead was split into three five issue acts. If you’re a fan of Romero you’re absolutely going to want to sink your teeth into this series.

8.5/10 VERDICT

Images courtesy of Marvel Comics and Boom Studios

28 DAYS LATER: THE AFTERMATH

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Bridging the gap between the initial outbreak of the Rage virus, and the events of the film 28 Days Later, 28 Days Later: The Aftermath tells the story of one of the last bands of un-infected humans in London, desperately trying to survive in the midst of the Rage virus. Will their salvation come in the form of a rescue, or an over-zealous American army determined to eliminate anything left alive? Like the breakout Halo graphic novel, this full-length novel is told in four interlocking stories by horror maestro Steve Niles.

REVIEW

28 Days Later was a fantastic film that reinvented zombies for modern cinema. The concept of a rage inducing, human made virus is absolutely genius. The film was damn near perfect with a less-thanstellar cinematic follow up, 28 Weeks Later. TheAftermath is set in the world prior to the films. The art style

it was engineered to do the exact opposite of what it ended up doing. Steve Niles gives us three amazing stand-alone stories with a fourth that masterfully ties them all together. I don’t usually give much thought to prequels or origin stories, as they are bound by continuity, but I’m making a rare exception for The Aftermath due to it largely being independent of the films and its characters serving only to give context to the outbreak and virus itself. Violent, thought provoking and compelling. varies through the four stages and each is appropriately grimey and dark, fitting perfectly in line with the tone of the stories. Steve Niles does a remarkable job bridging the gap between the creation of the rage virus and the complete lockdown of London. One of the common elements of most zombie stories is never truly revealing where the outbreak comes from. I don’t need an origin story for the zombie apocalypse. I’m interested in how one survives the apocalypse, not necessarily where it came from. The origin of the rage virus is intriguing especially considering

Publisher: Fox Atomic Comics | Writer: Steve Niles | Artist: Dennis Calero, Nat Jones Diego Olmos and Ken Branch | Colorist: Dennis Calero

CROSSED #0

Publisher: Avatar Comics | Writer: Garth Ennis | Artist: Jacen Burrows | Colorist: Juanmar

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Garth Ennis has pulled out all the stops to write the most twisted book of his career, Crossed! Through ten heart-stopping chapters, Crossed is his horrifically visceral exploration of the pure evil that humans are truly capable of indulging. This gut-wrenching vision is brought to vivid - and more than a little disturbing - life by his partner-incrime, Jacen Burrows. Imagine, for a moment, the worst crimes against humanity. Picture the cruelest affronts to decency. Conjure your darkest nightmares - and then realize it could all be so much worse.

When civilization crumbles in one terrifying moment, when people are gleefully breaking into unthinkable acts of violence all around you, when everyone you love has died screaming in agony - What do you do? There is no help. There is no hope. There is no escape. There are only the Crossed.

REVIEW

Crossed was a fun series written by Garth Ennis for the first ten issues before turning the reins over to David Lapham for Crossed: Family Values, the second series. Apocalyptic in nature, featuring something akin to zombies but not quite, Crossed is fast paced, intriguing and entertaining. Crossed flew under the radar for a lot of fans and, despite that, spawned sequels, several tie-in series and webtoons. The Crossed aren’t your typical zombie lot, they are infected that seem to embody the absolute worst traits in humans. They murder, engage in cannibalism, mutilate themselves, can wield weapons

and are capable of speech. I love zombie fiction, I’m fascinated by the concept of survival in a world turned upside down, and Crossed delivers but I’ve always found Garth Ennis’ level of violence to be absurd to the point where it’s no longer scary and borders on comical. I do applaud Ennis for not delving too deep into the origins of the outbreak, as if any explanation would be plausible or memorable. What stands out in this story is the speed in which the world breaks into pieces. Ennis does a remarkable job thrusting us into a chaotic and catastrophic world starting in a diner and quickly expanding to the world beyond. Garth Ennis is a polarizing writer for whom I find great difficulty in relating to and enjoying. I can however see the appeal of a book like Crossed; especially as a fan of the 28 Days Later films and comics. If you enjoyed Preacher, you’re absolutely going to love this.

7.5/10 VERDICT

Images courtesy of Jacen Burrows, Avatar Press, Mike Wolfer, Christian Zanter and Marvel Comics

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1

Publisher: Marvel Comics | Writer: Cullen Bunn | Artist: Ramon Rosanas Colorist: Ramon Rosanas

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Deadpool awakes from a food coma to find? THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE HAS OCCURRED! Can the Merc with the Mouth avoid becoming the Merc in their Mouths? Writer of the DEADPOOL KILLOGY Cullen Bunn brings us to one of Deadpool’s darkest tales ever and not just because it’s in black & white (and red)!

REVIEW

Easily one of the most entertaining and funny zombie books I’ve ever read. Night of the Living Deadpool is

designed like the movie Pleasantville, largely presented in black and white with splashes of color. Cullen Bunn is arguably the most prolific Deadpool writer. This four issue series delivers on the zombie madness promised in the title and, like all great zombie books, puts an interesting spin on zombie lore. I especially like the idea of  zombies articulating their longing for death or their confession that they can’t control their hunger. Although this is a review of the first issue, the remaining three are equally as entertaining. I’ll fight the urge to spoil the entirety of the series but I will say that Deadpool is able to save the world in the most Deadpool way possible, leaving readers to question if the world was better off not being saved. Night of the Living Deadpool delivers in just about every conceivable way. The horror is horrific. The humor is hysterical. The art is impeccable. The story starts out in a 28 Days Later/The Walking Dead manner with Deadpool awaking from a coma …a food coma. The great thing about Deadpool is that no matter how absurd the storyline

is, Good Ol’ Wade fits in perfectly every single time. Night of the Living Deadpool, despite its on the nose title, is uniquely clever and worthy of display on the shelves of horror and superhero fans alike.

9.5/10

human who isn’t dreaming.

human who isn’t dreaming.

OH, ZIGGY?

Mmhmmm. and you have awithguardian you.

WHAT GAVE IT AWAY? IT WAS THE COFFEE, RIGHT? SPEAKING OF, HOW IS YOUR DREAMLAND COFFEE?

Your presence is overpowering.

SO I’VE BEEN TOLD. SO... ABOUT THAT COFFEE?

And what do I call you?

HEH. EASY. ’

ARIEL! BUT NOT LIKE THE FISH!

”Lion of God” Hebrew, correct.

NO.

YOU HAVE GREAT TASTE IN MUSIC.

WHY YA GOTTA DO THIS TO ME, MAN?

ALMOST DEAD COMIC BOOK EVERYWHERE

E R Y WHER E O C T O BE R 31, 20 2 3

GALAXY Writer / Creator

BENJAMIN Artist

KIRKHAM Cover Artist

JOHN LIVESAY Inks

@AlmostDeadComics

Almost Dead is a post-apocalyptic horror- drama adventure about triumph, growth, and the resiliency of the human spirit. With their cinematic comic book series which depicts vicious and visceral events in a raw yet beautiful way, Galaxy has redefined the genre and nearly invented one of their own. Infusing the perilous and unexpectedly exciting journey with absolute horror and an attention to detail that’s rooted in and dedicated to realism, the creator and writers have established a nexus point between exhilaration and terror.

RYAN

TYLER