Episode 474: Jabs

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: Painful Reminder

People don’t like to forget when they’ve been wronged, no matter how minor. Of course, when it’s a big wrong, it’s even harder to forget. So if you were to do something like, say, causing the death of an entire person’s family in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, they’re likely to remember that, no matter how nice they might be. And it’s even worse if one of the people you kill ends up reanimating and killing someone else. No one likes that.

There are, of course, two sides (or more) to every story. In this case, Sam had cause to shoot Abe. How good that cause was is debatable, of course, but that’s a whole other matter. Regardless, he has the same claim of being wronged, although perhaps not to the same extent. This gives characters a couple of options: dig in their heels and stay mad, or work together to get through the challenge of the day.

About this Episode:

This is the second time I’ve built a bunch of shelving with boxes and cans and whatnot on it – the first time was for the small store that Murphy and company went to for supplies. I’m not really sure if that means anything. I guess I just like shelving.

Discussion Question: Family

In the zombie apocalypse, family can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they’re people you can depend on for everything from emotional support to sharing in labor. On the other hand, they’re something that you’re constantly worrying about. You worry about something happening to them, how to feed and care for them. And, if you lose them, it can be utterly devastating.

Let’s look at this from a storytelling perspective. How do you like to see family ties in zombie stories? Is it a point of strength? Weakness? A little of both?

20 thoughts on “Episode 474: Jabs”

  1. Oh my God… I haven’t heard of this comic before until I saw the page of Facebook Monday night. I started at Episode 1 and i finished here in a time of 2 nights. The last episodes i read were so amazing and filled with plenty of drama. It was just amazing.

    • Thanks for your kind words, Mathew.

  2. One big question about the supplies she has is are they going to hold out long enough for her to use them? If you get supplies in for 6 and suddenly have 1/6th of the usage prior to an incident like this one, does that mean long-life products you bought might end up having to be thrown away because their shelf life expired before you could use them? 😀

    • That’s an excellent point. I suppose that’s another reason to give a bit away. Of course, I’m sure she’s also hoping to make some new friends sooner or later.

  3. Family ties come with their benefits, you know that they won’t leave you and you can completely trust them. But from what I’ve learned from movies, is that the most common choice of hostage is usually someone’s loved ones.

    • Yes indeed. Nothing makes better leverage than a loved one.

  4. Caring about another person, I mean REALLY caring about another person is the most terrifying and exhilarating thing in the world. The positives are huge, but on the downside you are now doubly exposed to all the dangers and pain of life. If you happen to be a “responsibility taker” like I am it can be overwhelming and you find yourself doing crazy shit like running background checks on your kids friends parents or accidentally spilling a pitcher of Kool-aide on a 6 year old at a birthday party because she is being such a little bitch to your daughter.

    Still, on the whole my family and the people I love are what keeps me going and keeps me sane. At some point, surviving on you own becomes kind of pointless and were all at our best when we know someone is counting on us.

    • I know exactly what you mean, Damage. I haven’t “accidentally” spilled anything yet, but I certainly wanted to.

  5. For the record…accidentally should be in quotation marks.

    • Hah, I assumed so.

  6. For some reason, I really like these shelves!

    • Thanks Kim! I was pretty happy with them too.

  7. Back home from a little trip and reading up. Two good episodes, like the scene from this one.

    Family is it a blessing or a curse… depends on the family I guess… the same as in the real world…

    • Thank you, sir. I hope you had a good trip.

  8. You can’t choose your family…it would be nice to choose your friends, but in these cases I think picking your fights would be a better metaphor.
    That being said, after a show of sympathy like that either (a) she gets hurt or (b) he takes over the place and that leads to both of them either hurt or dead.

    Looks like your pulling a walking dead shuffle on us either way.

    • I like the way you’re thinking, Jon.

  9. Family ah what a wonderful thought of the people we can trust and live with and count on in the troubled times. That is of course if your last name is Walton. For the rest of us let’s deal with reality please.

    While we would want to help our “family” in a severe crisis how many of you are ready to take in our 2nd cousin we haven’t spoken to in 15 years and live with them under primitive conditions for years?

    Emma’s family were different. They were preppers who worked and trained together sharing a common goal. They took in an outsider and see where that got them.

    • Hah, I don’t think any family is like the Waltons. More like the various families on Game of Thrones.

  10. Oh and love the shelves

    • Thanks!