Zombie Cliche Lookout: Avoiding Extinction
Going extinct, by all accounts, has a lot of downsides. Just ask the dodo. So it stands to reason that any species worth it’s salt would work very hard to avoid being wiped out (other than pandas). As human beings, we have a little more insight, and thus a lot more on the line when comes to the danger of our entire species getting eaten by zombies. So stands to reason that, when the shit hits the fan, a lot of people are going to be very concerned about the propagation of the human race.
And that opens the doors to the creeps. These guys show up a lot in zombie stories. The best example of the top of my head? I’ve got to go with 28 Days Later, where the film’s third-act twist villains are essentially justifying kidnap and rape by saying that they need to continue the human race. Creeps, all. But don’t worry, they get what’s coming to them.
About this Episode:
So I’m getting tired of this set. Getting the light outside to be even remotely consistent is a pain. My rationalization here is that it’s a partly cloudy day and random clouds keep obscuring the sun, making some shots darker or lighter than others. Also, it’s windy, so the amount of light varies pretty quickly.
Yeah, I’m going with that.
Discussion Question: Post-Apocalyptic Pets
This is another I’m mining from the forum. The original questions was something along the lines of whether pets are companions, or just a possible food source (a bit tongue in cheek, one imagines). So what do you guys think? Would having a dog, cat, or whatever, be a help or a hindrance in the zombie apocalypse? On the one hand, they can help keep you safe and have been shown to be stress releivers. On the other, they can be loud, you need to feed them, and if something happens to them, it can be horribly emotionally crippling.
A well trained animal can be the best tool/companion anyone could ever have. That goes to say, if you just have a pet to have a pet then that’s resource intensive and possibly a huge mistake.
That being said I think that animal taming will be pretty big in the zombie infested world of Tomorrow.
Good point here. Being able to work with and train animals would be an incredible skill, especially if you can work with agricultural animals for breeding and the like.
Get a German Shepard. Woof woof! I think having a pet would be good anyways because it eases loneliness. I think I would take a German Shepard.
My wife and I adopted a German Shepard when we first got married. God was that a good dog. I can’t wait to get into a new home so we can get another one.
Watch Barb be like right behind him. Talk about awkward.
I don’t know, I love my dog to death, but he’s old, and an old dog in the ZA is just a liability waiting to happen. As much as it would suck, I couldn’t take my dog. And as for getting another pet, unless someone proves the existence of fire-breathing dragons, I think a dog, cat, or goldfish is just another mouth to feed with limited usefulness.
My son is convinced he’s going to be a professional dragon trainer when he grows up. He’s going to be pretty disappointed.
There’s always the Komodo Dragons he could work with at zoos… stay positive Dave, kids feed off it.
Indeed there is. He has a reptile book, and digs the Komodo dragon.
Komodo Dragons can be dangerous animals to work with…
RIP James Bond henchman guy. Never forget
I mean Inez. Jeez, that right there is awkward…
Great read, these last few strips. Regarding Lou’s “What can you offer me?” question, my first though was “How about Inez?” Glad to see you went there.
Regarding pets in a EOTW scenario, I think they’re fine in the long term. In the short term they’re just going to get in the way. Dogs, especially, are loud. Unless they’re real working dogs (think schutzhunds) a dog will give away your position in a hurry. As for other pets, a cat will take care of itself (not that I am a great fan of cats). The idea of taking care of small animals (fish, birds, a turtle?) in a WCS makes me giggle a bit, admittedly. I guess I am not much of a pet guy anymore.
I am waiting for someone to mention horses and other livestock. If you’ve got some good pasture country “pet” cattle, like Dexters (Google that), or goats, can be a real benefit. Same for horses. I think that most city folks that think about horses for transportation, though, have never had to take care of one. Horses eat a lot of alfalfa, which will be in short supply in a disaster, unless again, you have your own pasture land.
My in-laws have horses. As a result, I never, ever want horses.
Horses are great for turning money into poop.
I’d struggle to think of a more efficient way of turning money into poop, Bo. Well said.
I still wonder if ol’ Lou here has been bitten or scratched by a zombie. 😀 He may still be around and want to save the human race but he’s eventually going to become a liability, regardless, if he has been infected.
Like the gun shop owner in the remake of Night of the Living Dead?
I am hoping Lou here is a little less stereotypical.
But now we have four virtual tough guys in the strip: Murhy, Clark, Col. Angus McBadass, and now Lou. Sooner or later they’re going to have to meet and have a major-rager pissing contest.
They are definitely a food-source… I don’t have anything more to say on the question 😉