Episode 202: Everything Goes to Hell

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Dave

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Zombie Cliché Lookout: Everything Goes to Hell

They say God (or gods, whatever) laughs whenever you make plans, and that couldn’t’ be more true during the zombie apocalypse. From a quickly thrown together escape plan, to a detailed strategy for retaking and area and setting it up for sustainable agriculture, something, somewhere is going to go to hell on you. Try as you might to consider all things, there is always some x-factor that will escape your attention. The sudden panic of someone you thought you could trust, and outsider you weren’t aware of, or simply far more zombies than you had anticipated. One way or another, your best laid plans can go straight to hell inside a few chaotic minutes.

And of course, chaos tends to breed more chaos. In the ruins of your best laid plans, you might find the mess growing rapidly, and easily outpacing your capacity to control it. And that’s when things have a tendency to get really dangerous.

Discussion Question: The Zombie Survival Workout

This one has shown up in the comments, I believe from Calicade. What sort of regimen do you follow to stay in good shape? After all, when the zombies do show up, those of us who can’t run, fight, and climb are likely to be the first ones to be killed.

I have to report that I’d likely be dead meat. I haven’t been to the gym in ages, and it shows. I need to get back into it here, or I’ll never last long in the zombapocalypse.

About this Episode:

In the third panel there? That’s Karen getting bitten on the hand. It’s kind of hard to see, what with all the red in the background too. I’d reshoot that panel, but my studio is currently completely torn apart as we have plumbers working in my basement. Fun times, that.

78 thoughts on “Episode 202: Everything Goes to Hell”

  1. Amputate the hand. Like I said before, I’m one tough son of a b…iscuit. I’d do push ups, sit ups, anything that I could do without running, never run unless you have to in a ZA.

    • You guys are all about your amputations.

      • It seems to have worked for Rick in Walking Dead.

        • On the second try, anyway 🙂

    • Well she could amputate it. And then like Ash replace it with a deadly weapon.

      • Always an awesome. A sexy, sexy option.

  2. Well, she’s not going to make it. All I can say is if she takes the same amount of time to turn that Jeff would have had he not been overrun by zombies first, she’d be a risk to the group. If they don’t rip her hand off and quickly, there is no telling what kind of danger she will be to the group.

    The one thing I don’t understand is why would the zombie appear to be to turning towards the direction of the shot? Or maybe he was just setting up for the main course, having had an appetizer! 😀

    • I believe hes shaking his head with the hand similar to that t-rex in jurassic park when it ate that one guy lol

      • I thought this was Mason Cole for a second…

    • He is tearing away flesh (like the T-Rec in Jurassic Park Mason mentions).

      • When I looked at it again after reading this, I hear zombie growling in my head.

        Great effect Dave!!

        • Thanks!

  3. Bitten by a Zombie… here goes her punishment for being a lousy driver!

    • Gotta love instant karma.

      • So don’t have John Lennon playing on the car stereo is your answer, then?

        • Hah, totally unintentional, that.

        • I have an MO, after all.

  4. I know the first rule of Zombieland was “Cardio”; but allow me to be the voice of dissent. In a real emergency, cardio doesn’t cut it. You need anaerobic workouts to get you ready for the three minutes of hell you have to get through right the hell now! You might have to tear a door right off its hinges to get to where you need to be. It’s hard to swing a machete for any length of time if your only workout is cardio. For the immediate aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, MMA probably offers the best workout. For weapons, Filipino blade work and, of course, IPSC or IDPA for firearms (yes, Francis, shooting is a martial art). For practical endurance, there are sledgehammer workouts that will make swinging that machete easy-peasy.

    • Very well said. Balance is damn important.

      • I like this. Yeah I was thinking of Zombieland too when I read the commentaries.

        Very good episode. My faith in your comic is restored.

        • “My faith in your comic is restored.”

          Glad to hear it! Now I just need to get Brickvoid back on board.

        • Well, that would depend on whether you’re saving the medic who just had some flesh ripped off her hand or turning her into a zombie! 😀 Since the zombie would’ve transferred something from his mouth, technically Karen’s already infected in the hand, I don’t know of any flesh ripping incidents that don’t leave at least some transfer of the other person behind. It’s the whole open wound thing, and it’s really up to you how realistic you’ve planned this to be. Over to you, Dave! 😉

        • Hah. I’m going to fall back on my old standby of “wait and see.”

          Although I will say that I make this comic to play up, examine, and break down cliches and tropes in the genre.

        • Of course, I could hold you to your own comment that you did strictly infer that the zombie was biting her but you know what you’re doing! I hope! 😀

        • Hah. Well with LEGO it’s hard to do a bite like that without people thinking the zombie is vomiting blood all over the other character. Which, while awesome, probably wouldn’t be such a great disease vector.

        • Actually, that would depend on whether you want to imply that your zombie infection method can get transferred if bodily fluids pass from a zombie to a victim. It’s the whole “does this substance contain DNA that would transfer to the victim” thing, and one which you should answer first! 😀

        • Well I can say that I will never get too detailed about the zombie infection, how it works, where it comes from, or the particularities of how it spreads. I feel that the more detailed you get about stuff like that, the more holes you’re exposing.

    • Pssh.. I’ll just do what I’ve always done.. Use the full force of my body to bust through a door. I have a-lot of that magical body strength!

  5. Only let two of the survivors die or somthing. also cut Karens arm off quickly or she’ll turn?!?!?!?!!?

    • Who knows if they’ll even have time.

  6. i cant help notice that the medic dude has girl boobs

    • Hah, I’m not seeing it.

      • I think it depends on what level or hormones you’re dealing with.

        • Moobs

    • Did you stare at the comic for over 30 hours straight without moving before coming up with that? Because I’d have to sit totally still and stare at it for over a day before I could even begin to imagine what you just dreamt up! 😀

      • Hah. I wonder if it’s because of the pockets on the front of the shirt? I’m just not seeing this.

        • Yeah, and considering TLG designed the set, I’m not seeing it either. Ambulance officers commonly have their pockets full of things they need, so this looks normal to anyone! 😉

        • It’s reflective strips, guys. Grow up. 😀

    • I don’t know why you where looking so closely as to notice that but…Dave is right, their called moobs.

  7. To all the people that say, just cut her arm off, by the time they get a chance to amputate, the infection will probably have spread through her body, in fact, it probably spread within moments of getting bit, and they should probably just tape a boombox, break here knees and elbows, and leave her as a zombie distraction.

    • This is something I’ve often wondered about too. If the pathogen is blood born, and you get bitten, wouldn’t your heart be beating over a hundred times a minute from all the excitement? Seems to me it would circulate through your system pretty damn quickly.

      Do we have a pathologist in the house?

      • I am not a pathologist….

        But I think with snake bites the closer to your heart the greater the damage. So if you get bitten on your leg you’re not in as much trouble as your chest or neck. Those who have high blood pressure are at greater risk (I’m screwed)

        But the looming zombie apocalypse, IMO, will be centered around a neurotoxin.

      • All systemic veins lead back to the heart. Once that blood hits her pulmonary circuit, she’s hosed.

        • “All systemic veins lead back to the heart”

          Well of course but not everyone reacts the same to any given strain of virus. So you would think its possible that location of bite could be a factor.

        • I really need to shut up and catch up on the comics…I am not even sure exactly why this discussion is even happening.

          I need to flip back to early January…

  8. hah…we both went with Zombie Elvis in recent mocs. Great minds think alike.

    • Zombie Elvis rocks.

  9. Now that you’ve mention it, I’ve heard that about snakes. We don’t have many here in Michigan. So far as I’m aware, the only poisonous snake we have is a rattler, and I’ve only ever seen one of those (and I grew up in the sticks).

    • Sorry the comment tree got screwed….chrome crashed on me.

      • Yeah, that’ll happen. I wish moving comments was easier.

      • You know, zombiemutts, that must be the biggest ever reason anyone just gave me not to get Chrome! 😀

        • I actually like Chrome quite a bit. I haven’t had too many crashes, and it seems significantly faster than Firefox.

        • and as my friend said t me “the advert has Justin beiber in it”

        • They also have an ad with Dan Savage in it, and that guy is awesome.

  10. Regardless of the comments situation, I think this comic is great, with even more potential. I love zombies. I love LEGO. Put them together and I have something to look forward to every day (so keep the updates coming, damn it).

    • Thanks Bo!

  11. I’m sorry but when I heard the paramedic say Karen! I thought of Ozzy Osbourne… Yenno … SHARRON!

    • You mean “Shannon” don’t you? 😀

    • I never watched that show, but I know exactly what you’re talking about thanks to cultural osmosis.

    • B00G3RFAC3! That’s my nickname for my son! I love you arleady!!

      • Do you spell it like that when you’re addressing your son? Because that seems like a lot of work.

  12. Hmmmm…..I’m not a very…”caring” person so, I would just tie her to the ambulance and leave her. But, if you really want me to do something “nice”, I will rip off her arm. It’s not like she can feel it right? 😛

    • If you want to be nice, just shoot her in the head and save the agony of being eaten. Only humane thing to do. =(

      • Well if she is already doomed, I would leave her as bait so me and my comrades could escape. If, by some rando chance, there were not any other zombies around then I would put her out of her misery.

        • good point. =)

  13. Anybody else see these new zombie heads Toy Wiz is selling? There are 3 or 4 different styles. I just grabbed one of each to check them out (and to add to my zombie horde).
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEGO-Custom-Printed-LOOSE-Head-Zombie-Head-with-White-Eyes?item=370594866507&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D4%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7027720419987001664

    • (just to be clear: I don’t work for Toywiz.com or anything, I just thought I’d share)

      • These look awesome! Looks like Citizen Brick makes them; I’m hoping to get my hands on a few for an official review soon.

    • I bought all four including the torso.

      • Are they as awesome as they look?

        • Not sure. I just bought them yesterday. Should be here next week.

        • Thanks to a somewhat odd fluke of eBay I ended up buying *multiple* copies of each head so I’m really hoping theya re good. I then went to Citizen Brick and grabbed the torso too (and the Walking Dead sign board brick).
          They really look pretty spiffy.

  14. Just got home from a long walk with my dad, and I feel great! Love the long walks and they feel good on the legs and it really makes you think.. If you have to travel.. Could you walk for hours on end? I know there’s a-lot of people that do sprinting, running, and all that acrobatic stuff, but what about just.. Walking?

    • i’ve walked for 6 hours straight before, and my walking speed is about twice as fast as most modern people’s walking speed.

      • I love walking and hiking. I can’t do it for hours and hours because I’ve got a bad ankle that gets fatigued and swelled up, but I can walk quite a ways.

  15. What color is the zombies head?

  16. is it light gray? or light bluish gray?

    • I think it’s light bley.