Archive for January, 2012
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For those of you who are visiting us from Southern Maryland Comic Con I want to extend a hearty welcome and thanks for visiting us. We had a blast at this convention and we hope you did too. For those who like small conventions, this was the one for you. The dealers room was packed with all kinds of comics for your inner geek at good prices. We were joined by our friends Paul Petyo and Jess Weiss at Octopus Tree House on this one and man did they crush it. If you haven’t been to their site to check out Jess and Paul’s work, you have to give that link a click. His Star Wars stuff is hilarious.
But look at me prattle. You guys want to see pictures, and pictures I shall provide. Check out some of the cos players from the convention below.
Zelda and Link enjoying time away from Ganondorf.
Ellis is enjoying the zombies that don't bite for once while the Blues Brothers lay down some sole. And of course the cold hearted Poison Ivy leafs her mark. (oh I kill myself!)
Even "Tim McGeek" from NCIS enjoys some zombie goodness.
I didn't even know what Vocaloids were until Martin's daughter told me.
Little Joker and Momma Harley stealing the show.
If you want to see more pics from this convention including our table and our friends from Octopus Tree House, visit our pages at Facebook, or Google +. Don’t forget you can also follow my milling abouts on Twitter or Google + as well.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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Another segment I will be doing a monthly installment of will be on zombie movies. I plan on diving into classics, and visiting some of the remakes for comparison. Hopefully we will be uncovering the movies that were made but never made it. I have found some of those my favorite because they have this cool Indy feel. But maybe thats because sometimes I feel like being an obnoxious prick who thinks it was better before you started liking it too.
So for this month’s movie I decided to review Dawn of the Dead by George A. Romero. No not that remake they did in 2004. I’m talking the 1978 version with the bad special effects and even worse hair cuts.
This movie had all the flair of the 70’s, embracing pop culture of the time and tearing through it with a hoard of roaming undead. It’s kind of like this time capsule that we should open every once in a while just to remind us of what once was. To think that in that story line those characters will never progress into 80’s hair bands, rock ballads, or Gucci style fashion is oddly both satisfying and horrific in itself. I found myself watching this film and marveling at the names of the stores and the fashions of the time. I took solace in the brands that were still around (like BP) and wondering what happened to the others that aren’t (what the hell was FOXMORE?).
But besides sitting in awe over a movie that takes place a decade before I was born, some truths rang though that follow until this day. We still have not learned from the warnings that were practically shouted at us from progressive film makers like Romero. The first 25 minutes of the movie are riddled with examples of corruption, racism, and violence of man against his fellow man. A sort of foreshadowing of the horrors that we will be exposed to if we don’t learn from our past mistakes. The scene Mr. Romero was painting for us over 34 years ago still rings horrifically true in this day and age. I can still see some sleazy news director posting old and outdated information even if that information may kill someone just to get the last of the ratings in the final days. I see examples every day of people who get angry at a group of people with different color skins because of a false generalization they make about the people as a whole. And their jokes of violence don’t bring me laughter, only sadness.
picture taken from http://billwardwriter.com/dawn-of-the-dead-movie-review/
The theme of consumerism in this movie as well is one that is sung among many people who have concerns with the over spending in our day and time. Just this past Christmas season we even had people arrested for dressing as zombies and running through a mall as part of a protest of Black Friday. The analogy of people shopping like zombies, just buying because that’s what they are told to do by big businesses, has been used over and over again ever since this movie has been made. In the movie itself it is theorized that they are attracted to the mall because it’s familiar to them. I wonder where I would haunt if I were a mindless zombie?I would like to point out a few things that this movie can teach the zombie enthusiast about survival in the end days.
Lesson 1. Don’t give an idiot a gun. – Steven, or Flyboy as he’s commonly called, was at first a trigger happy dofus when it came down to guns. His ignorance showed first when he first tried to gun down a zombie attacking Peter while Peter was directly in the line of fire (at the helicopter refuelling station). Then he tried to gun down another zombie while traveling in the back halls of the mall, while only managing to make the bullets dangerously ricochet off the pipes. He also shows his ignorance on how guns work as he reloads a revolver with one bullet and tries to fire each blank chamber instead of advancing the cylinder to the proper position before firing. If he had done this it wouldn’t have been such a close call. Later in the movie he is taught how to shoot and take care of his guns but man his blunders could have been deadly.
Lesson 2. Set Priorities. – When looting the mall it was decided to go to the department store first. Later the mall was reviled to have a gun shop (is that even legal in a mall now?) and a grocery store. Either one of these 2 places would have been a better choice to loot first rather than trying to get some lighter fluid for the lighters. This may have even saved Rodgers life by having them better prepared for the zombies roaming outside. Get your priorities strait.
Lesson 3. Let everyone in on the plan. – If Rodger and Peter had told Steve what the first expedition plan was he probably would not have put himself in as much danger and it is for sure that the Harry Cristina zombie would not have made his way up to Francene, putting her in danger without a gun.
Lesson 4. Proper planning does a lot of good. – I was so happy when I saw the scenes where they were planning the fortifications for the mall. How many people would think to wall up the entrance to their hide out so that if people come they wouldn’t recognise that they lived there? Stroke of genius I say. Parking the trucks in front of the entrances, although did not go so well for Rodger, was a smart way to stem the flow of zombies so it would be easier to lock the doors. Plus it served as extra protection from other outside attackers. If they would have needed to, they could have used those parked trucks as a relatively safe escape plan.
Rodger Zombie. Picture taken from http://www.milehighcinema.com/2012/01/19/screening-oriental-theater-presents-george-romeros-dawn-of-the-dead/
Some other things I wanted to point out before we were finished. My award for funniest zombie in this movie goes to the fat zombie. The scene where the shirtless fat zombie was rubbing his body against the glass door made me laugh out loud. Scariest zombie has to go to Zombie Rodger. They did a great job on his make up. Best zombie acting job goes to the Steven zombie. The way Steven dragged his bum leg around was great. And finally the most awesome zombie kill would have to be when Peter lifted a zombie over his head and threw him off the second story. And funniest death will go the the death where the raider tries to get his blood pressure taken and gets trapped in the machine as the zombies descend on him. Dumb Ass.
One last point to talk about. I know this is old hat, but did anyone else see how much this movie influenced the first Dead Rising video game? Everything from the helicopter entrance, to using everything around you as a weapon (throwing the fence at a zombie), and even when the raiders threw pies in the zombies faces and used seltzer water on them. I realize that Romero has influenced many other zombie movies and video games but this one was so blatantly obvious this post would feel naked without me saying something.
We could go on for hours about this movie, but alas I must move on. Maybe we can revisit this subject at another time. But until then please feel free to discuss below. I’m always welcoming people’s opinions on the blog and looking for suggestions so please email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. And to hear more from me, follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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In the news of the last week, there were some interesting stories on zombies, even if I did have to dig a bit to pull them out.
First and foremost I would like to announce that the epic Star Wars RPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, took no more than 2 months to jump the shark. Well not really but I’ve always wanted to use that term. It was announced in a recent patch update that players will now be able to face the Rakghouls. Now if your like my cousin, you might know exactly what this obscure reference is, and be able to tell me exactly when if first appeared, what they are and what characters have encountered them. He would also be able to tell me their sleeping patterns and mating rituals, I tell you he’s a little scary when it comes to this stuff. But if your a little more like me and only a normal fan of Star Wars (read watched the movies quite a few times but still can’t repeat lines word for word) then you may need to do some research on these fascinating creatures.
picture taken from http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rakghoul
According to Wookieepedia, the Rakghouls are mutants transformed by the talisman of the Sith Lord Karness Muur. The talisman gave the Sith Lord the power to control these mutants as well but he found that it was ineffective on force sensitive beings as well as a few alien life forms. So in addtion to the talisman he gave his creatures a poison in their saliva that would allow thier bites to transform their victims into Rakghouls as well.
I wish I had come across this earlier when I was doing my blog on the Korriban Sith Zombies as I would have covered these guys too. But the long and the short of it is you will now get to fight zombies in SWTOR. Some may argue that these are ghouls not zombies but seriously, their bite turns you into them, they come from a magic talisman, and they live only to feed their hunger for flesh. These are zombies. In a loose sense of the term at least. I’m calling it a win for zombie fans anyway. Original Source http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-zombies/
Next I have news that has been released about the much anticipated Resident Evil 6. Fans of the series have probably already found the trailer released for the game last week. I have seen the trailer on YouTube… and well take a look.
The big hub bub about this is hard core fans of the series are a little up in arms about this game being too actiony. Yes I just made that word up. Complaints about the game are that it look like it will rely too heavily on fighting the zombies instead solving the puzzle or what not. Fans of the early games reminisce about a time when resources were limited and the game scared you with it’s dark levels and hidden surprises. Resident Evil 6 looks like it’s going back to darker levels, but not pitch-black-with-just-a-flashlight-and-fresh-set-of-drawers dark.
It shows signs of the original zombies, but much like RE5 is throwing in some zombies with advanced mutations like tentacles that try to suck you up. The trailer also shows some running and sliding scenes as well as some kick ass fight scenes. This too has fans in an out rage. Concern that this game is turning too far in the action direction has been resonating on message boards.
My personal thoughts about this are that the Resident Evil guys are allowed to experiment a bit. Keep up your complaining. It gives developers an idea of what you want. But at the same time be a bit open to the creativity of the designers. Maybe it will be a sweet game. Maybe it will suck. But the developers will have at least tried it and if you don’t like it, RE7 will go back a bit further to the roots. But keep in mind as well that the original RE games were made when the system’s resources were a bit constraining. In order to make games with as much detail as these had, they had to limit things like resources and the special effects and seriously sweet graphics you see in the trailer. Now that we have better systems to use, it should be expected for the games to evolve and be more action packed to take advantage of the better graphics processing and faster memory speeds.
I should also say that I have never finished a Resident Evil game. These games to me have been intense to the point that I want to throw my controller across the room and stomp on it. Now that RE6 will allow you to do more and be a bit creative with survival strategy, maybe I’ll be able to get past the first 2 levels. Original source, http://www.computerandvideogames.com/332878/resident-evil-6-return-to-form-or-gears-with-zombies-pt-2/
If you have heard of the zombie flick entitled “The Dead” and have seen the movie, consider yourself lucky. Up until now it has only appeared in minor runs in the US, at film festivals, and in other countries. But happy days for all zombie fans, another film is becoming available for all to enjoy as it hits DVD and Blue ray just in time for Valentines day. Release date it Feb 14th, and this has me excited. Many reviews for this movie are positive, and I’ve read a not so positive “review” (see the source). This looks like it’s going to be filled with the things many zombie movie fans will enjoy. Action, Zombies, and more action. Taking place in Africa, the place many people believe the zombie outbreaks will start, this film boasts beautiful locations and what I hope to be some good examples of surviving a zombie outbreak in the desert. The trailer can be seen in the source link. Original source, http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/zombies-in-africa-feature-film-the-dead-heading-to-dvd-blu-ray-2-14-new-release-trailer
My next bit of news has me trilled to death. I am trying to get a small group of people together to do a 5k zombie run called Run for Your Lives (featured a few months ago). Problem is I’m not so much a runner as that asthmatic couch potato. So I need to get in shape and learn how to run effectively. Well as it turns out, there’s an app for that. Zombies, Run! is a fitness training app that utilizes my one motivation to get into shape. Zombies. As you run you get chased by zombies. Pick up items along your run and when you get home, distribute them as you see fit to best prepare for the zombie attacks. It has training for every runner from couch potato on up. For $12 you can pre-order the first season, and according the the source a second season is already in the works. Yes I will shell out the $12. Then I’ll review it for a future blog for you guys.
Original source, http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/02/play/on-your-marks
If you come across any news worthy tid bits for stories in these weekly segments, please email them to me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You will get source credit and fame! You should also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. If you want more from me feel free to join me on Twitter and Google +!
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Oh yea baby! It’s that time of year again! But really when does convention season end anymore? It seems that there are comic book conventions year round now in various places in the US, and there are new conventions being made every year. Comic book conventions are great for fans because you can find your favorite books for cheaper prices than you could at the local store. You also have a better chance at locating that last issue you need to complete your collection. Some of the best and most celebrated comic conventions feature top artists and writers in the field from the largest and most glamorized publishers. It’s a great way to meet your favorite artiest, tell him thank you for his/her hard work, and get an autograph or two. Even bigger conventions have embraced other forms of comic book related media like movies, video games, music, and so on. Really when you break it down a comic book convention should be a celebration of everything that makes the comic book industry great.
As if you needed another reason to go to conventions... look at that Ash Ketchem, he's totally pimp!
With so many choices on conventions which ones do you go to? You can’t possibly go to all the conventions as money and time usually won’t allow. Not to mention the fact that many conventions are bound to be on the same weekend. Well This year there are 4 conventions you defiantly don’t want to miss. Of course those happen to be the conventions Grim Crew is going to. What a coincidence!
January 29 – Southern Maryland Comic Con
Hosted at the Waldorf Elks Lodge (2210 Old Washington Road, Waldorf, MD). This is a one day only convention with a variety of local artists. Of course there will also be a costume contest, and door prizes given away. Grim Crew will be there hocking their wears including all 6 issues of Dead Future and the Dead Future Anthology. Grim Crew will also be selling copies of Extraordinary #1 and Stitchwork. On the family friendly side Tummelvision will be selling Kidthulhu issue infinity. And on both sides of the table you will be able to pick up art prints of your favorite comics, as well as sweet merchandise from our the Grim Furry Tales line. Buy our stuff, get it signed, and meet the group that put’s it all together. Passes are only $5 making this a great deal for your Sunday afternoon.
March 24th-25th – Annapolis Comic Con
A little closer to home for us, we enjoyed the impressive turn out last year considering it was only it’s 1st year. This year they doubled the days and the fun! With offering more attractions like games, tournaments, and more special events this is promising to be one of the better small local conventions you can go to. Tickets are $10 per day or $15 for 2. You can also get a 2 day VIP Pass with the benefits of early entry, gift bags, exclusive comics, and priority panel seating all for $45.
September 8th and 9th – Baltimore Comic Con
Take some time to save up your money, your going to need it for the next one. The largest comic book convention in Maryland is back and this will be our 3rd year attending (and before you argue Otakon is bigger, Otakon is an anime convention, not a comic book convention). Every year we have a blast at this one and it’s always treated us very well. Most of the pictures you see on our Facebook page were taken from this convention last year so you can see how much fun we were having. Every year we try to do something special for this convention and this year will be no different. More on that closer to the convention. Hosted at the conveniently located Baltimore Convention Center, you will be close to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and some of the best nightlife the area has to offer. More of our artists try to make it to this one, so if your looking to get something signed, don’t miss this event! The website still shows last year’s event information if your looking for an idea of what to expect for this year. Rumor has it that Stan Lee will be attending this year as well, so make sure you stop by our booth before getting in the massive line for him.
September 21st – 23rd – Intervention Con
This is another local start up convention that has been picking up steam year after year. Last year this convention was ridiculous with panels, live role playing, a board game room, video game room, and dealer room you have to see. Not just for comics this event was about the internet in general, so if you have a friend that’s not into comics, but loves such and such blog, bring them along. This smaller convention has a lot of heart and all the con goers really have a great time and enjoy themselves. And if you don’t believe me that they have something for everyone, last year they even had a burlesque show. Help us take over the Hilton Hotel this year at 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Early registration is just $30 for the entire weekend so don’t wait. You can even book a room at the hotel for easy access to the convention. Special rates through the Intervention Con website are offering $114 a night, so grab a few friends, share a room and join us!
That’s our convention schedule for 2012. If you have any questions or want to suggest a con, or whatever, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com, or just simply comment below. You can also get our convention updates and more zombie goodeness at our Facebook and Google + pages. If you want more by me, you can follow me on Twitter and Google +!
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Lets face it, in the final days, fighting zombies is going to be inevitable. And sometimes you want to take them out, all quiet like. My first rule when it comes to choosing weapons is to remember that blades never need reloading.
But sometimes you don’t have a sword at your disposal and you have to improvise a little bit. That’s why I’m doing a segment on melee weapons. Sometimes it will be about conventional weapons like swords or machetes, and sometimes it will be about improvised weapons, like that 2×4 that just happened to be laying around. Today I want to talk about the shovel.
Yes that’s right the shovel. This multi purpose tool can not only help you with your future gardening projects at your safe house, but can be an effective zombie killing machine. If used correctly.
As there are many diffrent kinds of shovels out there, so let me clarify as to which ones could help you. You want a spade shovel. The kind with the pointy scoop. The flat scoop is great for doggy duty, or shoveling snow, but we are talking about taking zombie heads off here people. The spade is designed to effectively dig through the earth and even chop up roots. This leads to it being better able to sever a spinal cord, or ramming it through a zed’s cranial cavity. As opposed to a flat shovel who’s only use would be to slam a zombie in the face, the spade can effectively be used to inflict more damage to your opponent.
As far as the spade goes, lets discuss two types you want to look into.
Picture of a Drain Spade taken from http://www.northlandconstruction.com/product/drain-spade-02148/
First you have your standard garden spade. This spade is great for keeping your opponents at bay due to it’s length. If you couldn’t effectively ram the spade between the shoulder blades of your stumbling foe at the distance advantage it gives you, you can use the handle portion to kick out a zed’s legs from under neath him. Then take that business end of the spade right through the jugular while your foe is down to finish him off. This technique is guaranteed to work 90% of the time if we are dealing with slow zombies and assuming they can not learn combat behavior (I made that number up but you get my point). The problem with this type of spade is that unless you find a fully metal one, you are looking at a potential for the shaft of the spade to break after a few uses. It’s not designed for combat, but it will do in a pinch.
- Picture of a Special Forces Shovel taken from http://www.coldsteel.com/spshovel.html
The second type of spade I wanted to discuss was actually designed for combat. Entrenching shovels have been around since the Roman Legion and Julius Cesar. The Romans would dig a trench around their sleeping area each night, if there was no established camp, to build a rampart and protect them from would be attackers. This would also be a good strategy to use if you have to camp in the open during the zombie attacks.Since then, these shovels have undergone many design changes. The US Army uses a collapsible shovel for it’s entrenching needs. But our needs are more for the killing kind and not so much the digging kind. So I suggest something like the Special Forces Shovel offered by Cold Steal. This implement can dig and be used for gardening, trenching, and burying just like a normal shovel (abet with a tad more difficulty due to shortness of the handle), but is far more superior for attacking with. Imagine the maneuverability and lightness of a combat knife, but with more power behind it and more killing potential.
There are several things that make this weapon a weapon of choice. First, the edges of the shovel are sharpened down like axes or knives. This way it can be swung like an ax. You can chop wood with this baby, or a zed’s head, depending on the task at hand. Second the short handle allows premium maneuverability. It also allows the flexibility to be used in tight spaces (just grip closer to the head), or out in the open where it’s full potential can be released. Third it’s devastating if thrown. With some training this weapon can be thrown like a knife with double the effectiveness (see the video below). Finally it is portable. Unlike it’s long handled cousin, this shovel can be attached to your belt or backpack using a specially designed sheath. I defiantly would recommend the sheath as otherwise the potential for self injury is increased.
Did you see that! If this thing can take out cinder blocks and watermelons, imagine what it could do to a zombie skull! And did you see how deep the shovel was embedded after throwing it? Looks like I have found a new item for my bug out bag and a new favorite melee weapon.
Please feel free to add your two cents into this. I encourage discussion as the only way we can guarantee survival is to discuss plans and strengthen each other! So please comment below, or you can email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. Please also feel free to Like us on Facebook, or add us to your circles on Google +! You can also follow yours truly on Twitter and Google +!
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
There is a ton of news this week on zombies so I’m just going to hop into it.Researchers believe there is a perfectly good and scientific explanation to the zombie problem in Haiti. Wait, you did know there was a zombie problem in Haiti right? Me neither. But apparently people are popping up left and right that are identified as zombies. For those of you who are not familiar with the Vodun religion, zombies are people who’s conciseness has been taken from their bodies by a bòkò, who is like what some people call a witch doctor. Basically he is believed to have the power to work with curses and blessings and can be hired to curse people or help you in your endeavors.
The bòkò will store the victim’s conciseness in a jar usually, and this leaves the victim easily controlled and usually used as free labor on plantations. The zombie doesn’t have to be dead for the bòkò to do this, so this is particularly horrific to think about actually. These are the first zombies and the predecessor to the zombie we know and love today.Back to my original point, researchers believe they have found an alternate (and better?) explanation compared to Wade Davis’s highly publicised findings of tertodotoxin. Three case studies of reported zombies have come out in an effort to find the cause of the zombies. The case studies have found nothing more than various explanations to these “zombies” including mental illnesses, mistaken identity, brain damage, epilepsy and learning disabilities.What I found interesting was the fact that two of the three cases were mistaken identity. But where does that leave the third? The families had reported that all of the people they thought had fallen victim to the bòkò had died and had been buried. So if only two of them weren’t the people who died, then does that leave the third to be someone who was dead and buried? No explanation was given to the third person’s sudden reappearance, and it isn’t even explained who was and was not mistakenly identified in the posts I read. If you guys find out more, let me know! Sources for this article are Alex Knapp for Forbes, and vaughanbell from Mind Hacks. The Mind Hacks article in particular has links to the case studies so please check it out.
The bòkò will store the victim’s conciseness in a jar usually, and this leaves the victim easily controlled and usually used as free labor on plantations. The zombie doesn’t have to be dead for the bòkò to do this, so this is particularly horrific to think about actually. These are the first zombies and the predecessor to the zombie we know and love today.Back to my original point, researchers believe they have found an alternate (and better?) explanation compared to Wade Davis’s highly publicised findings of tertodotoxin. Three case studies of reported zombies have come out in an effort to find the cause of the zombies. The case studies have found nothing more than various explanations to these “zombies” including mental illnesses, mistaken identity, brain damage, epilepsy and learning disabilities.What I found interesting was the fact that two of the three cases were mistaken identity. But where does that leave the third? The families had reported that all of the people they thought had fallen victim to the bòkò had died and had been buried. So if only two of them weren’t the people who died, then does that leave the third to be someone who was dead and buried? No explanation was given to the third person’s sudden reappearance, and it isn’t even explained who was and was not mistakenly identified in the posts I read. If you guys find out more, let me know! Sources for this article are Alex Knapp for Forbes, and vaughanbell from Mind Hacks. The Mind Hacks article in particular has links to the case studies so please check it out.
Image taken from http://www.amazon.com/Aim-Head-Anthology-Zombie-Poetry/dp/1935904477/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326740905&sr=8-1
If you are like me, you like poetry. At one point I even formed a poetry club. It didn’t last long but I enjoyed it while it lasted. So you can imagine my delight when I read about “Aim for the Head.” “Aim for the Head” is a collection of poetry by over 50 artists all about zombies. Upon reading the excerpts included in my source article I have found that these artists have met the zombie condition with surprisingly thoughtful and thought provoking prose. Published by Write Bloody Publishing and edited by Rob Sturma, “Aim for the Head” is available on Amazon.com. Source for this article is from William Grimes of the New York Times.
In gaming news we have a new game for the iPhone! Zombie Wonderland 2 is a Castle Crashers kind of game with the janitor twist of having to clean up the mess you make of your zombie nemesis. While many may enjoy this game, critizisem in the source article is given as to the limitations of game play as the small screen of the phone makes it difficult to handle all of the mechanics of the game at once. On my awesome Sony Ericson with a slide out game pad, this might not be such a problem, but that’s what you get for being an uppity iPhone user. Too bad for me this game is not out for Android OS yet, so I’m going to have to wait to feel superior to you for now. Original source Steven Totilo from Kotaku.com.
This zombie wont stand a chance! Student's playing Humans vs. Zombies. Taken from http://nerfguns.net/articles/humans-vs-zombies/
And now for a game all us geeks can use a little bit more of. In a week long event the students of N.C. State University will turn their campus into a war zone. In the most epic game a tag/nerf ever players will be using every corner of the campus to play a 24/7 game where zombies will try to tag humans to turn them to the undead, while the humans will try to run/hide/nurf their way to safety for the entire week. Participation is $5 per entry and proceeds of the entries will go to Stop Child Trafficking Now, a not for profit organization. Source JOSH SHAFFER from Newsobserver.com.
And last but certainly not least, if you are already upset about Brad Pitt’s zombie movie “World War Z,” be prepared to be even more upset. Reportedly there is talk about turning the movie from a not so similar movie about is book’s namesake, to a not so similar trilogy of it’s book’s namesake. Nothing has been confirmed yet but with talk of a franchise, it looks like Pitt is trying to milk the zombie cow for all she will give him. I’m not complaining again. If they do turn it into a trillogy, they may be able to play off of more events from the book, making this not a complete waste of the name, and making it more tollorable to fans of the Max Books’ best seller. But only time will tell. Source Marc Malkin from eonline.com.
And that is that for your weekly zombie update! For more zombie goodness and to keep track of our updates you can follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. And you can always follow me on Twitter, and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince.
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Every month I hope to put out a new survival blog not only to keep myself up to date with the latest and greatest information and plans, but also to keep you informed so you can make smart decisions when planning your dooms day runs.This month I wanted to talk about survival in arctic environments. Some people plan on taking that vacation to the caribian that they always wanted when the zeds attack. I know many more that are looking to head north to the coldest part of the earth.There is sound reasoning as to spending the last of days in the tundras of the north. Zombies are not warm blooded. They have no internal heat source. So if it freezes outside, so do the zombies. This makes smashing in their brains with a pick ax much easier. Also there is a much lower population density the farther up north you go. This means that there is less likely of a chance you will meet a zombie.
However, unless you are accustomed to living in the unforgivingly cold and harsh environment, it can be a challenge just to survive the winter months, let alone the zombies. With modern conviences living in these parts of the world is accomplished with rather more comfort than there used to be, but comfort comes with the price of intense labor and dangerous conditions. Not to mention that some of these comforts will disappear once the landscape south of the frost line becomes infested with the undead.
Some good news, if you are lucky enough to get to the more advanced places like southern Alaska and parts of Russia, you may be able to find a town well armed and stocked. They will also probably have electricity. However that may be a craps shoot. It is already difficult to keep up the maintenance necessary for the electricity some of these places already have during the winter months when snow and freezing rain love to accumulate on the power lines. Add zombies to this mix and it may become impossible to maintain the power grid.
Image of Northern Lights found at http://www.wildwoodbushcraft.com/courses/survival/winter_arctic_expedition.htm
Without electricity to keep you warm, you will have to rely on other sources of heat. Gas and oil work well as long as you can keep the pipelines open and running for your supplies, so these facilities will be the number one priority as far as making sure they are secure and running. Of course good old fashioned fires work as well, just not as efficiently. You won’t have a lack of wood to keep your fires going but constantly searching for more wood may become a time consuming and energy zapping task.
To keep up with this it is also recommended that you constantly hunt for food. Food will be scarce during the long winter months as many of the mammals will be hibernating for the winter, making them harder to locate. Plant life will also be hard to come by so looking for those berries as nourishment will be difficult as well. Many people try ice fishing for their substance, and assuming you have cleared the area of zombies and keep good lookouts, this may be one way of doing it. If however you get too many people in the same area, over hunting and over fishing may make food supplies short. If you are going to be staying in one area, my suggestion is to set up a green house as soon as possible. It may be possible to keep the green house warm enough to allow plants to grow all year long. My other suggestion is to avoid large gatherings of people. Smaller groups may help prevent over using the resources available and spreading the groups out ensures that there will be plenty to go around.
Thankfully a few months out of the year the weather will be nice enough to thaw out the tundras and allow plant and animal life back into the area. Although these times may seem like a nice reprieve from the winter conditions, this time should be handled with extra caution. Zombies that may have frozen over in the winter months may dethaw during the spring and summer months, causing a higher chance of attack rate. Extra guard should be put up, and if possible zombie hunting should be done while the tempeture is still cold enough to freeze zombies in their tracks to limit the number of attacks. Utilize this time also for extra hunting as the animals will be more plentiful. You can smoke the meat and prepare jerky out of it that will last you long into the winter months.
Arctic survival is possible, much more so than with many other types of climates, but you must be prepared. Packing correctly will make your life much more comfortable as well as easier to survive. Stock up on cold rated clothing including thermal wear and heavy coats. Good boots that will keep your feet warm and dry are a must. Frostbite claims more appendages than anyone likes to admit, and without proper medical facilities, your toes are better off chopped off than rotting on your foot. Just like any other survival situation, taking care of your feet is a big priority, so you should change your socks often. Winter rated tents and sleeping bags are also dandy things and will keep you dry and warm during the night.
Pro tip: Snow is an excellent insulator. That's why igloos work! Image found at http://www.angusadventures.com/arctic/index.html
With the extra packing you would have to do you might find it difficult to carry weapons and ammo. Light weight weapons like bows and arrows may be a better alternative to heaver riffles and their required bullets. Not to mention you can retrieve arrows, but bullets are harder to remake and find. If push came to shove you would also be able to make arrows out of materials you could find in the tundras. In addition to your bow, you also want to carry a combat knife and and an ice pick. Combat knifes have many purposes and can be used not only to kill a zed, but to clean your hunting kills, make steaks for tents, cut up fruits and vegetables, and a variety of other things. Your ice pick will be useful to gain traction when you have to trek across frozen lakes or climb up cliffs and steep hills. They are also very handy at breaking through a skull so using it as a weapon against the zed is not a bad idea. Other than these things, you want to make sure you take standard survival gear like rope, matches, mess kit, compass, map of your area, ext.
Beyond what I have mentioned here, you may want to look over this website I found. The United States Army published an arctic survival manual around 1941 for World War II. The information is more for temporary survival and supposed to get you out of a tough situation, however much of the information can be adapted to trying to live in the environment as well. It mentions safe plants you will find as well as shelters you can build. It even has a guide for local languages of the native people in case you run across anyone who still speaks these languages. I suggest you read this because it goes over a lot of information I did not in this blog.I am no expert at surviving cold weather conditions. I complain when it gets below 60 outside of my house, so if anyone else would like to give us more suggestions and insighte, feel free to comment on this blog below or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com.Don’t forget to also check us out at our Facebook page and give us a like! You can follow me on Twitter and Google + if you those are your things as well.
Till Fate brings our Future
Penguin Prince
If you will remember Hollowland was the book that was listed at the #3 slot on the Gift Ideas blogs I was doing for Christmas, so I went ahead and decided to read it to do a review for you guys. Hollowland is written by Amanda Hocking and published by CreateSpace. I hope you find this review helpful.
Hollowland's cover taken from http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/
My first impression of Hollowland was that of awe. A strong female lead character who had her shit together. She knew how to take down zombies, knew what to do in a zombie attack, and knew what must be done in tough situations, even if that meant leaving someone out in the unforgiving desert to die alone.
The book is written in first person point of view which in this book really allowed you to get inside the head of a character that otherwise would say little to nothing about what she was thinking. Many people find first person a tad annoying, but in this case, Amanda Hocking used it quite proficiently. The internal dialogue was intriguing and was a lot of help in understanding situations as they appeared to Remy. This allowed for more suspense in scenes such as the one where Remey and her group were attacked by a group of marauders while traveling through what was once a large town.
The author, Amanda Hocking, knows her stuff about zombies. I loved how much detail she was able to put into her zombies and how she was able to explain the zombie condition and situations without too much labor. It was detailed enough to give first time zombie fans a realistic idea of what medically was going on without getting too boring for someone who is well versed in the zombie condition. I have found that many authors have bored me when it comes time to describe their zombies and the origins, however as the details were given in smaller chunks over time with more and more detail being reveled as things became relevant, you were not given time to get bored.
I enjoyed the fight scenes a lot in this book. This wasn’t just a “I gunned down the zombie with a shot to the head,” kind of book. Fighting hand to hand when necessary was a big part of this book. Realistically Ms. Hocking limited the supplies her characters were carrying and that put Remey in some tough situations in which improvisation was used to dispatch her foes. There were moments in the book that left you with a thought of “where did that come from?” However, these moments were few and far between and usually not critical to the storyline or combat scenes. Also critical to many of the fights was the rate of decay of the zombies and the difference between fighting a fresh zombie and an old one. Again, this is where Ms. Hocking’s knowledge of zombies became very enjoyable and thoughtfully used.
I also want to address something that turned a few people off from this book. In the story Remey and her friend Harlow find a lion that she names Ripley. Many people thought that this was a “jump the shark” moment with a combination of too convenient and WTF. Although convenient as it may be that they found a zombie killing lion who follows them around and does not try to hurt them, I would like to point out that the explanations as to Ripley’s existence is very well justified. We are also talking about a fantasy zombie novel, so some artistic license needs to be given to Ms. Hawking. As stated before explanations were given enough that satisfied my confusion and allowed me to suspend my disbelief, and so I do not hold this “convenient” gift against her. Not to mention that Ripley has enough to do with the story line as to allow her to be a part of the story and prevents her from being just a “duse ex machina.”
At times I did find some parts of the book as negatives. Remey’s excessive concern for her brother is a major part of the story line, but it is the only driving factor for the story. It would have been nice if the other characters had their own agenda’s besides just helping Remey or tagging along for the ride. Like a “made for teen” romance a boy in the group does have the motivation of hooking up with Remey, but this just makes him an annoying tag along. His character could have been better used with additional motivators. He wines about wishing he was more useful, or wishing that he had done more in the past to make him useful, but he dosn’t do much to change this situation. I just found that lack of drive beyond staying together a bit of wasted character development and that made every tough decision in the book a no brainer as to what was going to happen.
The ending of the book was nice in the fact that although you had a good idea what was going to go down, the author stuck to her guns. It would have been so easy have the characters bale or do something cheesy to make everyone live happily ever after, but by sticking to her guns that was not the case and it left me really wanting to read the 2nd book in the series.
Reviews don’t stop me from reading a book because I like to form my own opinion on things. That is what I encourage you to do about this book. It is free on Amazon Kindle and not too laborious or time consuming to read. All in all it’s worth your time. And if anyone would like to add their two cents into this discussion, please feel free to comment below, or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com.
If you want some more zombie goodness, you can check out our Facebook page. Also you can follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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One thing I wanted to point out to my readers before I dive into the current events for the week is that you must keep in mind that the things I post here arn’t current events as in happening now. Usually they are things that have happened about a week and a halve ago as I take my headlines from the headlines of other articles written durring last week. I usually write these current event posts some time durring the weekend before the post. So unless something is so pressing and exciting that I must “stop the presses” so to speak, please keep in mind that this stuff may not be as current as other websites. My job is not to be the most up to date, just to inform you all in one place.Also that being said, if you find something zombie related happening, send me an email at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. If I put it in the current event post I will give you credit for the find and we all will get a better post each week.And now the zombie news in the last week.
I wanted to start out on a peace I found on www.ottawacitizen.com. Tom Spears writes about a new book that was published by a University of Ottawa professor Robert Smith? called BRAAAIIINNNSSS! From Academics to Zombies. No I didn’t type any of that wrong Robert Smith? does use the question mark behind his name (to distinguish himself from all the other Robert Smiths) and BRAAAIIINNNSSS! does have all those repeated letters (three of each repeated letter because Robert Smith? is a math professor). The book is published by the University of Ottowa press and you can purchase it for $24.95.
Mathematical model for the spread of a zombie infection according to http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/rsmith43/Zombies.pdf
According to Tom Spears, BRAAIIINNNSSS! From Academics to Zombies takes a variety of academics and applies them to the zombie situation. Not only has Professor Smith? come up with a mathematical model for the spread of the zombie virus (shown above, from his paper WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK!: MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF AN OUTBREAK OF ZOMBIE INFECTION) but in his new book he and his fellow co-authors take a look at the zombie condition from many different academics. Whether it’s an explanation of how zombies walk, their effect on consumerism or disability law, or analysis on zombie attacks, there is a little bit of something from an array of disciplines that have been tasked on the zombie.
Used as a great way to introduce people to a variety of different fields of academics, this book will be a great tool indeed. It’s a different kind of zombie book and one that I am drawn to. Robert Smith?, you are my hero and you are now the third person on my list of people to meet, right next to George Romero and Max Brooks.
This book however leads me to conclude that zombies are the most researched threat we may never even face. Like the Y2K bug, we spend loads of money and time on researching a fictional monster. Just these past few months I showed examples of where people design zombie proof dwellings, and form entire societies based on the research of zombies. Is it really necessary to bring our fandom of a fictional creature to these levels?
Well my next article says yes. Yes it is.
It seems that zombies are just as much a part of nature as they are in our imaginations, just not the undead kind. I have reported on how different parasites effect hosts giving them zombie like tendencies, or at least altering the habits of their hosts in ways that harm the host but benefit the parasite. Well a professor who teaches at the San Fransisco State University, Professor John Hafernik, has found a bee that exhibits zombie like habits after being attacked by the phorid fly.
If this picture doesn't make you squirm, your a better man than I. Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/8994344/Pictures-of-the-day-5-January-2012.html?image=26
Apocephalus borealis, attacks the bees by injecting their eggs into the abdomen of the bee. As the eggs hatch and turn into larvae the bees abandon their hives and become attracted to lights, similar to moths. They begin to twitch and walk around in circles aimlessly. After about a week or so, the bee finally dies and the larvae exit the bee from it’s neck area to continue it’s life cycle to infect other bees. Holding aside the implications this has for the beekeeping industry, think of the implications to the zombie situation. As more and more of these zombie examples are found in real life it has to lead you to wonder if there was anything to those Voodoo tales. (source: www.theregister.co.uk)
In gaming news, www.mmocrunch.com has reported that Undead Labs has released some footage on their new zombie MMO that is currently in development. The video only shows snippets of the game play to be expected, but otherwise is an excellent look behind the scenes of the studio and gives you a brief glimpse on how these video games are made. Either follow the link above to see their article on this, or go strait to Mmocrunch’s source, the Undead Labs Blog. Seeing this video makes me excited for this game and I’m intrigued by a zombie MMO.
Finally I would like to announce the Dead Future Google + page. For all you who have abandoned Facebook for Google + (and I can’t really blame you), you can now follow us on your new preferred social network addiction. See pictures of the Grim Crew at work at our conventions and get updates on the new blogs coming out. Not to mention it will be the first place you will see any new news about your favorite zombie comics.
That’s all I have for you this week, but don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Google + for more zombie goodness. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google + as well.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Ok, normally I would be doing a gun review as one of my segments for this blog. This time I decided however that I wanted to talk about not so much the guns, as the targets. Picture this. It’s the apocalypse, and you are prepared. You have your bug out bags, your weapons and your safe house in the hills. You have travel plans, escape routs mapped out, and have even practiced with your weapon of choice so much you can shoot the wings off a fly. You head out your garage to face the devestating scene when your neighbor approaches you. Only he’s no longer your neighbor. Instead of borrowing your hedging shears for the 11th time this year, it looks like he wants to borrow your brains. Just for a nibble. He’ll give them right back.Time to test your mettle, you steady your desert eagle right above his noes, for maximum effect. Your about to pull the trigger. “Goodbye Frank,” you say under your breath as you go to pull the trigger. But just then a flash comes to you. You’ve never killed anything before in your life. Can you really do this, just kill your neighbor like that. What’s it going to feel like? All the while Frank keeps shuffling closer and closer to you. All of a sudden you hear a loud “BLAM”, as you see Franks head explode sideways spilling his gray matter all over your driveway. In shock and horror all you can do is stare at the bloody mess as the image of Frank’s head bursting to the sound of a .33 caliber rifle shot keeps repeating itself over and over again. You faintly hear “That’s what you get you cheating whore,” being yelled from Sharon, Frank’s wife, who is standing on their roof, but again all you can do is picture Frank’s death over and over again.
Why did this happen. You were all prepared. You took all the classes, you memorized passages from the survival guide better than any Bible verse. Yet you froze like a newbie. The thought of taking a life was just more than what your brain could Handel at that time. You eventually learn to cope as you make your get away with Sharon and spend a happy apocalypse together. But if she hadn’t saved your bacon, you would be foraging for brains as we speak.
Don’t let this happen. All too often people who purchase firearms never intend to use them beyond trying to scare a would be robber or maybe some target practice. But if push came to shove, actually firing that weapon upon another living being would be a totally different story and could be a traumatic experience. To prevent this shock, I would suggest some hunting would be in order. Although it would be very different from killing a zombie, hunting a dear or moose or bear or what not, would help you to get over the shock of killing a living being before it would become a necessity for survival. My suggestion is to not start out with the bear however as bears get mad if their shot and don’t die.
Another suggestion if hunting is unfeasible to you, it to give these a try.
Image of Chris Zombie taken from http://zombieindustries.com
Zombie Industries has solved our troubles by creating an environmentally safe, bio-degradable, bleeding zombie target. These targets ooze blood when you shoot them as to give you the most accurate experience legally and ethically possible as to what it would be like to take down a zombie. They come in various designs so you can have diversity in your target practice. If you ever get tired of blowing away Chris (pictured above), why don’t you try your hand at some life like Call of Duty with their Nazi zombies (pictured below).
Image of Nazi Zombie taken from http://zombieindustries.com
Because they are bio-degradable, clean up is easy and it won’t leave a mess on the range. But if the range still don’t like you using these bleeding targets Zombie Industries also offers non-bleading zombie targets that wound florescent orange so you can see your hits. And let’s just say that you have used your zombie target to the point it is unusable, after about a hundred rounds or so. You want to dispose of your target in an easy way right? Zombie Industries suggest having some fun with it and applying some of their Zomboom! exploding rifle targets to the back of the used up target. At a safe distance (100+ yards), take aim with your sniper rifle and watch the happy site as you dispose of that zombie once and for all.
This is what happens when you add ZOMBOOM! to your rifle practice. Taken from http://zombieindustries.com
I have complained in the past that some people are trying to use zombies as a cheap gimmick to sell their stuff in a novel sort of way. Thankfully Zombie Industries is not guilty of this crime. They have put together an assortment of products that not only appeals to zombie fans but works well together and is useful. Although I feel that they might have stepped over the bounds with their “the ex” model for the bleeding targets, it may just teach you to be prepared that anyone could become a zombie.
Questions comments or suggestions? Feel free to post a comment below or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. For more zombie goodness you can check us out on Facebook. And for more ravings by yours truly, feel free to follow me on Twitter or Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future
Penguin Prince
