Episode 407: Mrreehh…

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: The Unstoppable Dead

The great fast zombies versus slow zombies debate isn’t likely to abate among fans anytime soon, but one trait that both types of zombies share is that they never get tired, never get sick, and never stop. Fast or slow, if the zombie is after you, they’re not going to stop until either you’re dead, or you completely give the slip. The question, then, is how long zombies can stay on your trail if you’re no longer in sight. How do zombies hunt? Are they visual hunters like living humans? Do they rely on scent? Is there some sort of extra sense that zombies have (hey, we’re talking zombies here, a supernatural explanation is just as reasonable as anything else).

In some zombie stories, characters can hide temporarily, and zombies will quickly lose interest. In others, the zombies will continue their dogged pursuit as long as nothing else distracts them. So how do you escape those zombies? Well that depends entirely on how those zombies happen to operate.

About this Episode:

I really dig these off episodes with just zombies doing their thing. They’re just fun to throw into the mix every now and then. Consider it a small slice of life in post-apocalyptic America. I am, of course, also trying to illustrate the constant danger our heroes are under.

Discussion Question: What Makes a Good Zombie Story?

I read a lot of zombie fiction. I watch a lot of zombie movies. I play a lot of zombie games. I think about zombies more than a healthy person should, but I’m cool with that. One thing that I notice about a lot of the zombie media that’s out there, is that a lot of it is just plain terrible. Wooden characters, bad effects, riddled with plot holes, logically unsound, et cetera. So my question is, what does it take to make a good zombie story? What’s the focus? A believable story? More action? Should the focus be on fear, action, adventure, or something more personal than that?

27 thoughts on “Episode 407: Mrreehh…”

  1. I think the elements that make a zombie story good are the same qualities that make any fiction good (mind, I am no great judge of fiction- I read very little of it). I like a compelling story, believable characters, good tension, and language that flows, whether dialogue or prose. I have a hard time suspending disbelief; so it all really has to work together. I have seen and read “hard” science fiction that I have found more believable than contemporary fiction because it “works” well together. The plot elements, characterization, technology, etc. have to be plausible, even if not possible.

    Zombie stories usually end up being bad because they’re not exactly produced by David O. Selznick. GIGO, you know?

    • Right you are, Bo. I’d say that each genre has it’s additional rules that help make or break a work, but the fundamentals of good storytelling remain unchanged.

      It’s like when my wife and I watch a cooking show and the judges are shocked that a contestant makes a “basic meal”. Bullshit. Good food is good food, regardless of its complexity, use of exotic ingredients, etc.

  2. I’d like to know how Dave’s zombies operate. I’m fairly certain, though, that they don’t act like bloodhounds and hunt their prey to the ends of the earth. 😀

    • You are correct there, BrickVoid. My zombies are of the type that will follow whatever they see most recently. While they will chain together into packs, you can outsmart them and have them continue along in a different direction than you with some smart misdirection.

      • I wonder if they also follow whatever sounds they hear most recently? Are your zombies deaf to that gun shot Brent let off killing that zombie recently? 😀

        I would imagine that at least one zombie heard that gunshot! So perhaps others heard it too, or they got lucky and only one zombie went the correct direction?

        In any case, Murphy’s going to need some misdirection, and I think he already knows how to, if he has the time to find a noisemaker of some description! 😉

  3. Uh oh they lost a shotgun!

    • Don’t worry, that’s just a shovel. Brent still has the shotgun.

  4. For the discussion question;

    I think that depends on the person who is watching it. With all these focuses you could make a good zombie-story, Albeit in different genres. You could even make a comedy about the ZA (maybe the person the film focuses on, had a shitty life before the ZA and loves the way the world operates after the ZA… etc…

    For me personal the story should be about HOW people experience the ZA, fear, uncertainty, sadness, happiness with little things, loss, but also gain…. and it’s never wrong to put a little action in there, as long as the action isn’t the main focus of the story. (World war Z (movie) I liked as a flick, a one time see… but that’s it)

    I know that a story is good when it gets to me. To be honest I read every comic there is of the walking dead and I keep getting drawn, I’m always anxiously awaiting the next edition BUT it depresses the hell out of me, it really gets me. Love that.

    • That’s a great way to look at it, FL. If it affects you in some way, it’s an effective story. So the question is, does BotD affect you? If so, how?

  5. It seems to me that a zombie is a herd animal out of necessity. A single zombie, in my mind, will move towards a stimulus until another stimulus catches its eye. This means that if you give him the slip he keeps moving in the direction he was moving in until he hears or sees something interesting. In a noisy environment this might end up with him just wandering around aimlessly after the human target is gone.

    This, for me, is why they tend to cluster. If a wandering zombie meets another wandering zombie they have stimulus to keep them circling each other. Noises and movement. As a group builds like this they will tend to wander aimlessly as each new stimulus catches their attention.

    Of course humans are the ultimate stimulus and override all other things.

    • Well said, Mike. This is how I like to think about it as well.

  6. By the way, Dave, I love the depth of field effects you are getting in this episode. Are you still using the fixed focal length lens?

    • Yessir, a 35mm prime. I’m really digging this lens so far. I’d like to grab a 50mm at some point too.

      • The very specific depth of field is lovely. I’m digging it, too.

        • Thank you, sir.

  7. A good story – plausibility for the zombie outbreak, people acting logically (even if its in the manner of shock), action, fear, tension. I think a zombie story does better focusing on the survivors as they struggle to stay a live and still be human themselves.

    • People acting like reasonable human being is a pretty important one for me too, Fox.

  8. Realistic characters that are well written; I often see characters who show only one reaction all the time. Thinking and problem solving because we’re humans and we’ve been problem solving since we were born. The story needs to be believable or I feel that the characters are bad.

    One last thing, if the anatomy and the science of both humans and zombies is understood? Combat doesn’t have to be focused on. It will speak for itself.

    • Excellent points, Calicade. Shallow characters with a single trait are incredibly boring, not to mention unrealistic.

  9. I’ve given thought to both of these topics off and on.

    Fast VS Slow: On the whole, I prefer my zombies on the slow side. However, a freshly dead/turned zombie still has the advantage of little to no muscle decay. So theoretically a fresh zombie would have the advantage of improved speed and mobility. Over time though, the zombie’s muscles would decay and stiffen up, slowing them down.

    I have also played with the idea that a zombie’s speed could be connected to how well fed it is. I’m running on the idea that zombies feed to keep fresh blood getting to their brains…Well, at least those with something of a digestive tract. Sadly, a zombie with no guts would still be mobile, hungry, and still a threat.

    Hunting Senses: I’ve come to the conclusion that zombies hunt by sound and smell. My main reason for this is, I’ll admit, primarily because in the movies they always include some sort of contacts on the eyes. This to me suggests that zombies may be susceptible to cataracts, or some other form of ocular decay. So if zombies can still see, I’d suspect that they only see vague shadows and shapes. Besides, if zombies had good eyesight, we’d never see them walking into fences and walls trying to get trough them.

    Hearing seems to be the primary hunting sense for a zombie, they always seem to be attracted to sounds, at least loud sounds. I’d wager smell also comes into play, but since the human sense of smell is woefully inadequate compared to most predators, it’s probably only useful at close range. Good thing for them that in the zombie apocalypse, cleanliness is not as much of a priority.

    Now I just need to figure out somewhere to use this info ^.^

  10. I would imagine that even if you get plenty of the right ingredients if they aren’t spaced adequately then they loose their worth. For example this is a weekly publication. You put out a cliff hanger but I know I’ll have forgotten he back details if there is a side story for too long.

    It’s not just the words in a joke but the timing of the punchline that makes the real difference.

    I would imagine bring together story lines, quality pictures, relaying information effectively (summarizing) and timing are really all important but i think you either got it or you don’t when it comes to being a great story teller. Otherwise you need alot of help, direction etc and even then it could be dry. Maybe Passion is the X factor.

    BTW what happened to the newscasters kids?

  11. Don’t worry Dave. I think more about zombies than I should too. Just today, I searched the internet to learn how to cook MRE’s. You just never know…
    But, when it comes to fiction, it depends on the person whose reading/watching. Myself, I usually like to see action right from the beggining. I just lose all interest if the writer/filmmaker (not sure if that’s the right name!) doesn’t introduce the zeds or the collapse of society early, I lose interest. I came here for zombies. I prefer actually reading, because finding a actually good zombie movie out there is hard. Instead of wasting money in crappy movies, what about you do something better?
    Continuing, character development is important. I love seeing stories of exploring cities, killing zombies, looting stores, but you need to get readers to bond with people so then you can smash their little hearts with deaths and abandonments.

  12. Er, the picture seems to have disappeared from this page?

    • Weird. I’ve added it back in. Thanks for the head’s up!

      • Good work Dave

      • Hello Dave I like your comic its awesome

  13. Good