Update:
I added a poll to the Facebook page. Please check it out and vote. If you’re not already a fan on Facebook, I’d love it if you became one.
About this Episode:
I built that vending machine a good six months ago and have been waiting to get back to the hospital to use it. I’m also quite happy with how my fish tank turned out.
Oh, and that’s a CitizenBrick zombie head on the construction zombie. We’ll see more of them in the future.
Zombie Cliché Lookout:
Just when things in the A Story are getting heated, it’s time to pull back and check in on how everyone in the B Story is holding up. By no means limited to stories in the zombie sub-genre, sudden shifts to a different storyline are a great way of teasing out the tension while also exploring secondary and tertiary characters and broadening the scope of the story’s universe.
I knew we were coming back here soon!!!
I know Ive been talking a lot but why are they at the hospital.
Jeff, the camera guy, was bitten. I’m assuming they’re seeking medical help.
Is Jeff already a zombie, or is he just very infected?
He is infected but not dead.
Wait maybe not.
Nope, you’re right. He’s in rough shape but still alive.
Dave, from what I can see, that vending machine is brilliant! You’ll have to show it off more in future episodes.
And I just love the aquarium, too. Zombie Outbrick will never stand up to BotD unless I step up my game with the creative building!
That must be bulletproof fishtank glass or something, that gunshot was aimed right at it. 😉
And those yellow floors must be pesky. The lighting in the first panel is fantastic (and I love your mini-hospital, too!), but the subsequent three all look a little too bright/washed out to me.
This episode is great, if for nothing else, for the zombie with a chainsaw.
In that’s jeff
Sorry autocorrect it’s jeff
Ah, but who’s to say that the fishtank _won’t_ give?
And that a zed won’t chomp down on one of the fish?
And that said fish won’t manage to flop free, down to the men’s room, heroically flop through the air such that it sets off the sensor flush in the second toilet and then goes with the flow into the sewers?
And that once it’s in the sewers it infects either errant former pet crocodiles or a colony of C.H.U.D.s?
And that things then get _truly_ hectic when Goldie the Goldfish’s C-story meets up with the A or B thread…?
I just hope Goldie doesn’t bring the C.H.U.D.s with him. Things always get worse when the C.H.U.D.s show up.
Of course, you’d have to do a cross-over with whoever’s been doing a brick comic with C.H.U.D.s, but that’s what community’s all about.
That would be one hell of a cross-over. I can’t wait to meet the C.H.U.D.s comic creator.
Naturally, once it starts the IP operator calls you to tell you that the C.H.U.D brick comic creator’s messages are coming from within your own house! It all ends up like the fake twin’s film in “Adaptation,” obviously – orchids and Meryl Streep and funny teeth for Chris Cooper.
Donald Kaufman is one of cinema’s greatest gifts.
C.H.U.D.S?
“Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller”
An old 80’s B-Movie horror flick
The yellow floors are difficult to light, but I think the high angles I used this week make it worse than it really is.
Also, yes, that’s a very bulletproof fish tank. It’s also fire retardant.
Did we see the vending machine in the hospital episodes before?
Dave you probably won’t believe this but this episode is the first appearance of the vending machine in the hospital. 🙂
Why wouldnt he believe it? It is his comic. Du.
What? Do you want Dave to make a bio for it? Let it have all sorts of gun ammo and shoot through the dispenser? * I look up see how many post. Takes trophy for most post in less than a day. ” Thank you. I’d like to thank and Dave for making this comic. Just heard I also won the award for getting off topic thank you again.”*
A gun vending machine sounds like a hell of a thing.
A gun vending machine is one thing, but the bullet vending machine would be even more popular! Unless it’s out of the correct calibre of ammo for your gun! 😉
Boy that would be a drag wouldn’t it? Damn vending machines, always out of 9mm.
You’re righ, BrickVoid, I simply don’t believe it.
Hah, nope this is the first appearance of the vending machine. That’s very important.
Random question–isn;t that vending machine a little bit high? I can only imagine those guys would need a ladder to push that top button…and all the good stuff is at the top! xP
But I love the vending machine <3
Yeah, it’s quite tall, but that just means people really have to want the stuff on top.
Looking at his lack of movement, his now-brown hand and his head colour, Jeff is quite clearly zombified! They should have killed him sooner…
Also, I hope the anchorman survives! He’s my favourite character!
I love Ted too. He’s a fun character.
I can’t really tell from the back of their heads but our these guys the news crew? Why is one of the Tags Gene? Are they searching for a special gene? Nice Fishtank and I bet we’ll see the nurse or the zombiefied doctor…:D
They are the news crew. The guy in the khaki shirt is the producer, named Gene.
Aah, nice Chainsaw, Although Max Brooks has previously said it is not a very good antizombie weapon 🙂
Hah, it sure wouldn’t be. I addressed that when Jeff picked it up back in Episode 73.
How do you make your fish float?!
There’s an arm that connects the fish to one of the branches of the seaweed behind him. I tried to make it difficult to see, but you can kind of make it out in the third panel.
Wow, I’m squinting at that third panel, and I still can’t see it. Nicely done!
Excellent. It’s not easy to pick out, although it may be easier to spot in future episodes.
I did Ctrl + 8 times, and I saw it. Now it’s quite obvious to me, I can even see it in the 2nd one.
Although, nice job with the blood splatter in panel 4, covering it up.
Hah, once you see it you can’t not see it.
I see it now, It hides with the blue which is well done, Kudos to you my friend 😀
Thank you, thank you.
Wow, I zoomed in and finally saw it!
It’s very stealthily camouflaged, very nicely done!
See this is why I am not buying into Dave saying he isn’t good at MOC’s.
The Goatee’d One has talent and I for one will no longer stand by and let him live a lie.
*hides the yellow plates to help out with color blindness*
I’m not great at MOCs (I’d say decent), but I do like building furniture and the like.
Yellow isn’t a big deal for my colorblindness, it’s greens, browns, reds, and bleys that get me.
Well Dave, if you’re “not good” at MOCs, then I suck horribly at them! I believie you’re better than I am at building stuff.
(So actually, it’s rather insulting to me to say that you’re not good, and I demand you take it back! 😉 )
Really Dave, I’m still goggling over your ingenius aquarium. And once again, that mini-building (while you claim it’s not “original”) is great, too.
I appreciate it The Dude Person.
Sorry but what’s an MOC?
My Own Creation – basically just something you’ve built. Some people have more specific definitions of it. That’s going to be an Ask the BCN question in the next couple of weeks.
Some one looks as if hes under the weather a bit.
Jeff’s had better days.
I find myself hoping that Jeff somehow will survive, he’s a cool character, even though there is no chance.
I like Jeff too, but the odds aren’t good.
I love the Micro-scale window design. And that vending machine is lovely.
I wish I could claim the window designs are mine. I’ve seen them on more than a few micro-scale creations and they are, indeed, awesome.
Those mocs within mocs like the vending machine are what make or break these type of shots and something I really want to start focusing on. I even bought a design book on them but….meh….pretty bland ideas.
There’s a design book on building furniture and the like? Do tell, even if it’s not very good.
The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide
I don’t like it…it doesn’t do enough detail builds. Its more of a beginners book and talks a lot about lego’s…it doesn’t do anything fun with unique pieces and its far too general. You want it? We’ll trade figs and you can have it.
My God that failed HTML!
I’ve got that one, actually. I tend to agree, it’s definitely a beginner’s guide for people who are used to just building standard sets. I think it also casts too wide a net by focusing on everything from giant bricks, to minifig-scale stuff, on up to sculptures.
Way too technical and not enough creativity. I was incredibly disappointed in the storage section…it basically came down to “separate your bricks and put them in something”
I am checking this out next
The LEGO Ideas Book
What am I doing wrong?
That one looks pretty interesting. Let me know what you think when it’s released.
You’re using forum code instead of HTML. Here’s a good primer on HTML links (anchor tags)
Oh I see thanks.
I really wish forums and the like used standard HTML instead of the [url=google.com] business. I don’t see the point in using two different standards to accomplish the same thing.
I’m sure there’s a reason that people smarter than me can see, however.
This is the best episode since the greatness of the newscast in the beginning design wise.
*bro fist bumps Dave*
Thank you, sir!
Yeah very well done.
Petshop has an outstanding fish tank but this blows it away. I also dig the potted faux plants (weird using that word when talking about plastic) in the corners.
I really wish I would have had two of either the red or dark tan (preferably the dark tan) plants, but the mix and match isn’t so bad.
I’m in the bad habit of making things too uniform and not colorful enough so I like the mix. Are those rocket cones you used as the base?
I’m not quite sure what they’re called. I’m trying to find them on Bricklink now.
Ah, it’s called Cone 4 x 4 x 2 Hollow No Studs… of course.
What a random piece for you to have not one but two of. But thank you…sometimes weird pieces like that can be awesomely useful. I’m grabbing a few.
On a side note…Paypal contacted me Monday about the high use of my paypal account which coincidently started the day I found Bricklink…I explained to them it was all legit and I had found a new hobby and thanked them. It was quite shocking to see the total amount of money that I have spent on Bricklink….haha…been fun tho.
I don’t even know where I got them. I think I might have one more, actually.
They’re cool pieces, but I’m not sure where to use them other than as planters.
I got some of those cone pieces, I believe they originally came in the Star Wars droid battle-pack (7654.)
Being a Star Wars fan myself, I grabbed two of them when they came out..
As for other uses, I think they’d be useful when building a jetplane engine larger than the standard size engines usually come in. You know, for the exhaust in the back, or something.
Dude! I totally forgot about these guys!
Yeah, they haven’t been around in a while and I’ve been aching to bring them back.
This makes me wonder about the nut job in the woods. Is he gonna make a come back too?
Clark? I definitely want to bring back Clark. I just don’t know how and where yet.
*waves hand*
I know how to bring him in…I’ll be plan B if you get writers block.
Shoot it over in an email, Mutts. I’d love to check it out.
Will do…let me think it out a bit more and I will send it. I’m not sure how you do scripting but I will try to keep it summarized.
Dave, thankyouthankyouthankyou, for bringing back the T.V. people!
My pleasure! Don’t forget to +1 me and vote in the Facebook poll.
I kindof figured we were owed to see the Camera People again as it’s been awhile and we’ve seen a lot of the other group and with Murphy shooting Shannon…. it’s seemed a spot to kick out and show other people.
Anyways… I can just see Ted deciding as his last/first thought of a living Zombie to start taking out the living with his chainsaw.
I see a red burning bush in the background!
Also, yes that Vending Machine is very nice. Me and my brother would make vending machines with the Lego pieces when we were younger and there was a gal on e-bay who sold some custom made vending machines that I picked up. Call it nostalgia for childhood with those, but they did look much nicer then what I had made.
The first panel is also a very good use of a mini build to show buildings from up high and far away, I like it. There’s a lot of good technical uses in here of a lot of stuff. It’s very good.
Wow, much obliged, Silver Fox!
You’re welcome Dave, it’s great fun reading the comic.
With my birthday here in just a few days, it looks like family is plotting on chipping in to get me a subscription for LEGO’s MBA, I’m looking forward to Kit 2 with the Micro-Building.
There’s days I feel like an old dog looking at many of these newer sets and seeing how some of the elements are used. Even my daughter at 3 years old “home schooled” me on some ideas with some creative uses of bricks. Like the clear transparent lightsabre blades for popsicles and then using lances and leaf pieces for kites.
Can I ask what you did for the giant mirror wall? It’s so reflective…
Mirror wall? There’s a glass divider between the waiting room and the nurses’ desk, is that what you’re referring to? If so, those are just white frames with trans-clear glass pieces in them.
Oh, never mind. The wall all the way on the right was so shiny in on shot that it looked like a mirror.
Worst zombie moment in a movie of all time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tIDqzeWVf8&feature=player_embedded
Wow…. just wow.
It’s just………..how? How does that happen?
That looks like a zombie version of unbeatable…(it’s a crappy japaneze fight movie)…that sucks so much.
i just about got depressed by this…but then i re-read the archives an I was happy!
Dave off topic in brickarms weapons do you like black or gunmetal more.
I’d have to go with gunmetal. It has a sort of richness to it that I really like. Shows up well on camera too.
ok…first i was confused first i thought they migh be i the appartment becuase of the green wals then i thought “Why is there a vending machine in the appartment?”then i carefully looked over the first panel then deduced they’re in the hospital…i can’t believe that took me 5 minutes i guess i’m just tired.
Hah. I have a lot of green bricks so they tend to get used quite a bit. I need to invest in some other colors, but I’m poor.
Says the man with café corner, green grocer, grand emporium etc….
*raises eyebrow*
And that, my friend, is why I’m poor.
hah! Plus I am sure that bundle of joy isn’t cheap : )
I almost pulled the trigger on green grocer yesterday…$350 NIB…can’t do it…that’s insanity. For $350 I can build two custom sets the same size. This thing gets addictive. I am going to try re-selling sets on BL to pay for this hobby. Buying sets selling for adjusted price once retired.
Oh yeah, between the kid and the wife’s student loans, there’s not a ton of walking money to be had.
Yeah….I am trying to crunch numbers as I look towards my Master’s Degree. Kept me up a few nights panicking.
If you can be patient just keep an eye on the BL forums…there is some amazing sales listed there for parts.
Don’t get me wrong i like that color alot it looks great maybe it’s the hottest wallpaper in the nation there provblem solved.
Honestly, it’s perfectly clear they are in a hospital. This interier looks absolutely different than that of the appartments. Though I *could* look like the hotel lobby to some people.
But that first panel makes it clear – we saw this hospital before ( I remember it because of that lovely ambulance and police vehicle! 😀 )
I can see the hotel lobby look. It just needs the little area with the coffee pot and waffle machine.
I was about to say that the bloodsplat on 3rd panel looks weird. But then I realized it’s part of that red plant… Plants can be tricky, especialy if colored red and placed on a scene with zombies! Haha 😀
Anyway, I think you could’ve photoshoped Jeff’s hand so it would look red and not brown, but that’s not that big a deal. Great vending machine and great episode, as always 😉
I went with the brown because I thought it gave a dried-blood/infected look since some time had passed since we had last seen him.
Hmm… that’s probably right 😉
I need that Grand Emporium… But you do get a lot for $150, or-so-I’m-told. Also, how did you make that fishy tank?
The Grand Emporium is amazing. I am almost done with it but LEGO has to send me some missing parts.
No you do get a lot for 150…same with petshop…its worth it no doubt. They really put a lot of thought into the design. I just wish the figs were more unique.
Just getting down to basic math, the Grand Emporium costs 149.99 and contains 2182 parts, which is a little less than $0.07 per piece. Compare that to – say – new Millennium Falcon ($139.99 and 1254 pieces) at just over $0.11 per part. That adds up in a hurry.
Smaller sets can be even worse, the new Ewok Attack set costs $24.99 and has 166 pieces, which is $0.15 per piece, most than twice the cost per piece compared to Grand Emporium.
That really does make the price easier to accept….hmmm
Sure does. Of course, there’s also a lot of smaller parts in these sets, but I think that’s offset by the number of rarer parts, and parts in rarer colors.
I think you should make your own building for this comic Dave. Some place for the people to come back to…a Hotel 23 if you will. I think your MOC skills are far better than you think.
That’s an idea I’ve been batting around for quite a while now. I just need to sit down and do it.
I love the set of this strip, especially the fish tank. I also like how the mechanic is doing nothing while looking a little “grey around the gills”. Zombification is imminent! 😀
It sure looks like that way!
nice comic dave double thumbs up. that guy looks like he is going to turn soon yes the tv forcast guys are back.
Thank you. I’m surprised at how many people are excited to see the news crew return. I was thinking people would be upset to be away from the primary characters.
No.. Jeff… NOOOooOOoOOOooOoooOO!!!!
hmmm… zombie with a chainsaw… the other two are gunna die 😛
It’s dangerous to go alone, use this: http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/
That has to be the BEST link EVER! Thanks! 😀
oh i remmber that site i just lost the link a few months ago thanks!
First time commenting here, and I’d like to say this is a great comic. The photography is crisp and the Zombie details are very well thought out.
Thank you!
so we DO still have silent readers i WAS right!
I think you should have a situation where a/the team is faced with a sprinter and doesn’t know how to tackle (pun intended) the situation.
A sprinter zombie? All the zombies in BotD are slow. That’s the way I likes ’em.
True, but there’s always that one in the crowd…
The thing with sprinter zombies is you shoot them or melee them quickly. Slow zombies are usually best left alone and walked away from, but the worst thing about this is they are the sneaky ones, They’re the ones that everytime you turn back around to see where they are they’ve moved a whole lot closer than they should have.
New game for you Dave: Dead Island, comes out in september 😀
I’ve been sort-of following it. looks like it could be really cool. Unfortunately I won’t be buying any new games any time soon.
Me neither…but hey…video games are too expensive new anyway. $60!!!! If you simply wait 6 months they are like $30 shipped on amazon.
$60? Wow in England we get new games usually £25-30 if they’re good 😀
Yeah Nekrospike…the gaming industry in the US is massive. We fund it so enjoy!
Dead island eh?Any links or information?
Ya know come to think of it this looks like a level in the BOTD video game clear the zombies in each room then move on.If I ever find rockstar’s contact number i’ll notify them.
I had the weirdest dream a week ago i dreamt that BOTD was an animated movie airing on some channel and every commercial i would comment to communicate with dave…wow strange eh?Although that would be awesome if it acctually happened!
That would definitely be awesome.
Hmm, thinking about… Jeff is it? The dude on the turn? Makes me wonder if zombies in BotD can turn while staying upright. I’m thinking of them being able to notice when he’s turned or not.
I would guess not, when we saw patient zero here in the hospital, he stayed down for a minute or so after the nurse lost his vitals. I would guess that he’ll probably turn while they’re resting at some point, so they don’t notice immediately. Of course, he could also simply keel over at some point.