Zombie Cliché Lookout: Be Quiet!
The thing about zombies is that they’re easiest to deal with in small numbers. Alone or in ones or twos, you can take them out of just avoid them. In a big horde, things get significantly more difficult. So it stands to reason that people who want to survive should probably do everything in their power to avoid bringing hundreds of flesh eating cannibals into their midst. So things like yelling, shooting guns, setting off explosives, and blasting music at high volume should all be done with care. Long story short: be quiet.
This is an interesting trope in zombie stories. While it seems like a hard and fast rule, it generally only gets invoked for one of two reasons:
- The plot calls for a giant zombie onslaught
- One character needs to look smarter or more prepared than another character by pointing out how reckless (s)he’s being
Generally speaking, character can be as loud as they want any other time. They’re also generally free to dawdle around, or even wander off on their own unless the writer/director needs to kill or infect a major character for some reason.
Discussion Question: Speed, Strength, or Stealth?
What’s the most important physical factor when it comes to surviving the zombie apocalypse: speed, strength, or stealth? Also, which do you possess the most of?
For me, I would think the ability to get around quietly would be the most important thing, followed closely by the ability to get the hell away with a quickness. Unfortunately for me, I’m big and clumsy, so speed and stealth are both more or less out of the question.
Other News
Two items this time around. Can anyone guess what they are?
First up, we’ve gotten almost 50 responses to the survey so far. Thanks a ton to everyone who responded. I’m leaving it open for a bit longer for and heal draggers.
Second, the 16×16 Challenge is ending in another day. We’ve got a lot of fantastic entries so far, but there’s still time to submit yours!
Looks like they got suitable contracts from Dave’s wife and attorney! 😀
Look closely at the dude. They didn’t both get contracts.
Ha! The original was perhaps a little bit too jovial for the role?
Perhaps so.
I thought maybe he was just a realy really good actor. lol
I should have used a different color of hair to make it more obvious.
A bit of a beard showing just goes to show how long it’s been between the bonus strip shoots and the appearance in-comic! 😉 I don’t think they even follow the same timeline! 😀
Hah, that’s one way of looking at it.
I’d say speed is one of the most important traits to survive zombies – keep running. Always run. Never look back. Gotta go fast. Those zombies are (usually) slow and uncoordinated, so it’s best you stay fast.
Then again, if you’re not fast then you need to be strong to hold the door against incoming zombies while your friends are packing everything up and preparing an escape route.
And Stealth? Ha. I don’t see why you need stealth – most zombies can be distracted by dangling some chicken on a stick (I think).
That (I think) at the end was awesome.
Oh Digihuman thank you… I just had an image in my head thanks to you… imagine a dude dressed up as a giant chicken (like some kind of promo thing for a fastfood) caught up in a zombie apocalypse… do you think the zombies would see him as a prey or would they ignore him? In any case.. that’s something I now want to see in a movie!
My co-workers are starting to wonder why I am laughing all alone at my desk… but this is what you need to survive the apocalypse.
Man, that’d make a hell of a collectible minifig. It’d go well with the Gorilla Suit and Godzilla Suit guys.
no, I think they’d ignore him – I meant the smell would attract them. To me, zombies are good smellers, good listeners, but bad runners and see-ers.
That’s why women love zombies. They’re great listeners.
Damn you Zombies, first you take our lives, and now our women! Hah, totally calling a Mars Needs Moms spin-off with Zombies.
Zombies are a real drag.
OH, and when I read this, I interpreted those two as being bad at actors. You know, with their voices being really forced or fake as they say their lines.
Hah, that’s what happens when you don’t hire professionals.
I’m a big guy as well, and rather strong. I wish I could be fast, but my largeness restricts me from that. I’m strong and believe it or not.. I’m great at sneaking.
I’ve never been good at sneaking. I sneak every morning to try to make coffee and take a shower without waking my kid up. I fail a good 50% of the time.
I’ve never seen what is so hard about it to be honest. It’s all about quiet steps, and perception of your area… I guess with me being a big guy and a good sneaker I, for the majority of the time, keep so conscience of my environment I succeed excessively.
You’re talking to a guy who runs into door frames with stunning regularity.
Frames isn’t so bad, at least you can’t say you run into doors with that regularity, then I would just have to worry for you in the apocolypse.
Hah, even I’m not that big of a liability.
I think they’ve both got good choices of weapon, too, now that I’ve got a closer look at them. The woman has a golf club, and the man’s got a sledgehammer, both pretty good weapons for knocking zombies on the heads! 😀
Now, the question is, did either of them get bitten by that zombie? 😉
I’m a big fan of that sledge hammer.
As far as whether anyone was bitten, we’ll have to wait and see.
I realized a long time ago, that like Dave I was lacking in the speed and stealth department. I think my quality wouldn’t even be strength, but more like endurance. The way I see it, you have to keep moving more than you have to keep fighting.
I should have included endurance. Good call on that, Tom.
Nah Dave, you have it all wrong – it’s only about luck. No matter if you are the fastest, the strongest or the stealthiest (is that even a word?) person on heart if you are stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time you’re screwed.
I can’t argue with that.
I really do need to work on improving my luck.
either that or get yourself a chicken outfit.
About to go nerd on ya all! Chicken outfit with some D&D dice for rolling on luck. Every zombie is gonna pass you up as you shall smell like unwashed basement virgin…in a chicken suit.
I’ll bet the chicken suit really adds to the delicate bouquet of the basement virgin stank.
@Dave: Yeah, if you survive the first two weeks in one without taking it off, the zombies no longer notice you, as you start to smell like one of them! 😀
That’d make a great excuse to use the gorilla suit guy in this webcomic – if you could pull it off while keeping a straight face, that is! 😀
I might have to use that in a bonus feature, if nothing else.
Sure you can get screwed no matter how strong, fast, or quiet you are, but how is that relevant? You can also be perfectly safe despite being weak, slow, and noisy. However, there’s a whole spectrum in between the no-hope and the no-threat where that little bit of extra ability can make all the difference.
I’m an advocate for NOT exercising since it makes you sweat even with the AC on and there is only one activity that should ever make that happen. With that said, speed it not my strong point. lol
I’d like to think stealth is mine but I am ubber clumsy and bump into door frames all the time too.
So I’m gonna say smarts is mine and the ability to work well under pressure. I don’t see me being the nut case who wigs out every time we hit an obstacle but working around it instead. And I don’t like to stop working until a task is complete so hopefully that would help too.
Hah, you’re cheating Angie. You have to pick a physical trait.
Tom threw out endurance, which is a nice addition.
dammit!! I am so zombie food! lol
Don’t worry, I’m going to use the mental versus physical thing in a future discussion question.
Hope so ’cause I’m no cow but I am not a physical person. Tried to play soccer with my son’s team and half hour in I thought I was gonna die. lol
Soccer’s a hell of a demanding sport.
Btw – is it weird to this the Murph is hot? I think it’s the hair. lol
Chicks dig guys in uniform.
I’d have to say I’ve probably a good combo of speed and stealth. Sure strength is good, but it’s not doing much good if you manage to get cornered and are out numbered.
Course, they could be bad actors trying to be good…. and we should totally stock up on chicken suits for the apocalypse.
They’re a little pricier than I thought: http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Chickie-Chicken-Adult-Costume/dp/B002B9U2GA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327956183&sr=8-1
Way ahead of you!
Pics or it didn’t happen!
I’d probably go with strength. Reason why is because I could handle obstacles with strength and kill any group I saw unless they were to big.
Reasonable enough.
You’re not just Guy… you’re Tough Guy. lol
Well I was watching 28 days later last night after seeing this episode. (I randomly found it channel surfing.) Yea I guess I am a tough guy. At age 12 I was 6” and could lift over 200 pounds.
Sorry trying ou the new name, I’m going to change it right back after this.
When you say “lift” do you mean bench? Because damn.
Hah, nice golf club! Very effective zombie-masher, as well as gentleman’s sport equipment!
And hooray, somehow I managed to finally catch up on BotD – I don’t know how I missed so much.
I haven’t even properly started my 16 x 16 MOC… I’ll see what I can come up with today, but the results are likely to be dismal! Fingers crossed, anyway…
And hooray, somehow I managed to finally catch up on BotD – I don’t know how I missed so much.
I have had so much to do lately I am about two months behind on the story.
Glad to have you caught up, The Dude Person.
Mutts, get reading, dammit!
Not making noise is a very important thing, but has been discussed rather heavily by now.
That sledgehammer is pretty awesome.
Discussion topic: Really, I think it’s important to have a good mix, which is why groups work so well in most zombie works. If I have to pick one, I’ll go with stealth, which was immediately came to mind. Myself, I don’t really work well with any of them. Speed, I can only really do with adrenaline, strength, I am naturally a bit above average for someone my age who exercises little, but the qualifiers pretty much say just how relative that is, stealth, I value but I have balance and co-ordination issues, which pretty much rule it out and what appears to be the crowd-chosen wildcard, endurance, I am just utterly pathetic with.
it is refreshing now many people conmsider themselves clumbsy. glad it’s not just me. =)
Definitely not just you.
I feel your pain at the lack of endurance. If I had to outrun the zombies for more than a block or two, I’d be dead.
No you wouldn’t, Dave!
… you’d be undead! 😉
In answer to the discussion question:
Speed, obviously. Just remember Rule #1: Cardio. 🙂
Indeed!
Screw speed, you don’t need to run to keep ahead of them, just walk briskly.
I’m fairly set for speed and strength I think, but would suffer somewhat at endurance. I really ought to do something about that. More than the physical though, I believe in smarts, and people skills. Pointless when facing the undead you say? I also believe in strength in numbers, and good people skills can help get a decent sized group of survivors working together. That’s what got us out of caves into civilisation in the first place, and that’s what will keep us alive in time of troubles.
Wow, that sounded a lot less corny in my head.
…It’s still true though.