Episode 442: Better Hurry

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: Rush to the Rescue?

We’ve been talking a lot lately about the dangers of splitting up in a zombie survival or horror situation, and we’re coming up on the logical conclusion to all that. Separating can have a number of negative consequences, and many of them won’t directly effect the protagonist. In some situations, they might simply get the main character too far away from the action to do any good. This is often used as a way of building up the character. It gives them something to regret, or some ugly moment in their past that they need to come to terms with.

That character can take this challenge and either improve themselves, or drag themselves further down. They can use this horrific event to find weaknesses in their approach to situations, then correct them so that ugliness doesn’t happen again. On the other hand, they can wallow in guilt and self-pity, and let it affect them in any number of negative ways. Perhaps they develop a drinking problem, become overly aggressive, or take more risks as a way of punishing themselves. As with all things, a character’s mental attitude is the key.

About this Episode:

This is the last episode with the dark tunnel, so I really had fun with my dark photography here. I took almost forty pictures for this one, experimenting with different lighting, reflections, and poses. I’m pretty happy with the results.

Discussion Question: Post Apocalyptic Mores

This one comes from BrickVoid, who stumbled upon the idea when correcting one of my typos: “What mores (folkways of central importance accepted without question and embodying the fundamental moral views of a group.) of society we currently hold onto would fall by the wayside in a zombie apocalypse, and what mores might possibly survive in the emerging society?”

22 thoughts on “Episode 442: Better Hurry”

  1. Now I’m really wondering what is going to happen. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel, thought it was an exit and he’s running back now. He’s going to need an exit regardless if he needs it alone or together with Sarah… but he’s not going to use the tunnel… twists and turns. love it.

    An other question, I would like to take you up on your offer. Could you ask one of the admins of the BCN to check their e-mail. I can’t get onto the forum because the activation e-mail doesn’t get send to me (my e-mail account works, and it’s not in the spam-box). Thanks!

    • I’m one of the Admins (not one who gets emails, sorry) – what username did you pic at the forum? I’ll see about activating you manually (if possible).

      • Never mind, I found you! I’ve activated your account, can you login now?

        • Wow, thanks Louise!

        • It’s all fine now! Thank you Louise 🙂 . Dave, your comic really brings people together 😉

        • Hah, indeed it does. It helps that Louise is super awesome like that.

    • I have a question;
      Let’s cut the crap on fast or slow zombies. I mean by TYPES of zeds. EVERYONE knows slow are the best.BUT..(Here’s the big B U T T) has anyone considered about some scientist experiment gone wrong? Strange mutation this time? Zed having remarkable strength? Somehow having mutated deformed arms like octopus tentacles? Extra speed? Strange poison gas attached to its hips which it can throw? OR ( I got this idea by black ops zombies) crawlers with the ability to climb walls with strong claws? and rip flesh. What about all of this?

  2. Re. the discussion question: mores that will fal by the wayside would probably include such niceties as queuing for things. Who’s going to queue nicely for something when there is a hoard of zombies heading your way? Nope, it’ll be a permanent state of “Black Friday in Walmart” (if the stories I’ve heard are to be believed).

    • Nightmare fuel.

  3. Dave, I must say the photography in the last few episodes has been my favourite of all your comic history, its been perfectly balanced and I am sad to see the end of the tunnel 🙁

    • Wow, thank you Mark! I’m doing dark photography completely differently these days, and I’m really glad to see people are digging it.

    • Agreed!

      The photography and this whole sequence has been great. Good start to 2014 🙂

      • Thank you kindly!

  4. Sam is very photogenic when he’s running, this shot reminds me of him running with the boombox and the football helmet!
    Like Mark, I too must say that you’ve really improved your photography skills. Great job Dave!

    • He does look quite cool in motion, doesn’t he?

      And thanks for your kind words, Greg. That means a lot coming from you; I’ve always admired your photography almost as much as your builds.

  5. If we use the full definition of “mores” to include etiquette, custom, and courtesy, up to and including moral codes, justice, and taboo, I would hope that many of them would survive an EOTW event. I know that many “people” are little more than animals now (see “Don’t be like these guys” in the forum for examples). Certainly courtesy will be at a premium, until we weed out the terminally rude. We are unlikely to tolerate murder, incest, cannibalism. Honesty and fidelity will be more than just at a premium. Many will be likely to gut-shoot the dishonest and shiftless in self-defense. When an honest trade becomes the difference between life and death, lawyers and used car salesman will be in notoriously short supply.

    For society to continue in a WROL scenario, folks will likely increase their mores, not decrease them. Sure, the Walter Mittys love to fantasize about a Mad Max situation; but the fact is that it’s not sustainable. My prediction is that, at least here in the States, the farmers, ranchers, and generic good ol’ boys (many of them with experience from our overseas adventures in Mesopotamia and Afghanistan), will put the MZB gangs down in a hurry, then get on to the important things, like setting up the still.

    • Some really interesting thoughts here Bo. I think you’re probably right. After the chaos gives way to nascent civilization, those mores will become incredibly important. I think that the level of technical sophistication we enjoy now allows us to be a lot ruder than we would be if we didn’t have all the filters and anonymity of tech.

      • It’s all speculation, of course, because it hasn’t happened yet. I look to pre-industrial America as my example, of and Firefly.

        Be polite. Be professional; but have a plan to kill everyone you meet. I like it when men where shirts with buttons down the front. That way I have something to aim at should the situation go sideways.

        • Note to self: wear t-shirts around Bo.

        • Dave, it’s more of a mental game than anything else. I meet someone; and I think, “What would happen if this person attacked me?” Maybe he’s strung out on Bath Salts? I don’t know.

          The point is to keep your head in the game, so the bad guy’s not inside your OODA loop.

  6. And always ask, WWJCD?

    What would Jayne Cobb do?

  7. Most shows have the main character or click (for a group set) set the tone for the society with only a leader(s) that are willing to change per situation surviving. Therefore if the main group is nearly rotten apples, then the spoiled ones must be at the top. Think high society snobs.
    Very extremely rarely is a leader or group purposely set to have a character that goes against the strongest willed (with reasons that are not for plot only) in order to strengthen a team.