Zombie Cliche Lookout: Confidence and Overconfidence
There’s a lot to be said about confidence. It can open doors for you. It can help you make friends. Members of the opposite sex tend to find confidence extremely attractive. It helps you overcome obstacles big and large. Yes sir, a good amount of confidence is a boon for anyone, and if you don’t have it yet, just fake it and it’ll come with time.
And then there’s overconfidence, the evil twin of confidence. This is where you start to believe a little too much in your own abilities, and bite off more than you can chew. You think you’re stronger or faster than you really are, only to have the actual breadth of your abilities rear up and bite you in the ass. Of course, over confidence doesn’t just apply physical traits. You can be just as overconfident about your mental abilities. You might think you’re smarter than everyone in the room (this is how ponzi schemes work), or that you could read people and perfectly predict their actions.
About this Episode:
I really enjoyed reading all the predictions from you guys in the last episode. It was a lot of fun seeing how everyone thought things were going to shake out. Some of you were right on, others weren’t, but had some pretty darn interesting ideas.
Discussion Question: If You Were Sam
Let us, once again, try to squeeze into Sam’s shoes. You’ve been kidnapped and help against your will. You don’t know where you are, and don’t trust the people there. On top of that, the leader of the group is working overtime to manipulate you, not unlike the tactics employed by cults. However, you don’t actually know what their end goal is. They seem sinister, but you don’t actually know. So how would you react here?
POW! Right in the kisser.. I mean.. Chest.
I probably would’ve shot too, and then would haul ass out of there. I like that he did shoot him, and it just shoots down tropes so hard that I love it. It’s gritty it’s realistic to a man who’s been put down all his life taking up for himself and they who he loved.
Great thoughts here; now that you mention it, I’m reminded of Falling Down.
I think that people like to think that shooting someone would be easy.
but I realisticle it would hard.
I have absolutely no idea what I would do really… It would be so far out of character for me to shoot… but then again, who knows how I would handle myself after losing everyone en everything around me.
Well, bye bye Abe… I hope Sam now also shoots him in the head… or something like that or he will have another Z to deal with.
We’re of similar mind; I cannot imagine pulling the trigger either, but I also cannot imagine losing everyone I loved.
I really hope Sam has been paying attention and shoots him in the head next episode. Abe’s now condemned to become a zombie unless Sam does the right thing and shoots him in the right place. 😀
That is, if Abe’s friends don’t come in and shoot Sam, I sure hope if they do, that they shoot him in the head to prevent unwanted zombies, or they’re going to have a lot of trouble on their hands! 😀
There are definitely a lot of variables in play now, aren’t there?
Also, in a couple of episodes, there’s going to be a lot of zombies around a church! 😀
Maybe so.
I’d say definitely, probably half the neighborhood heard that shot, and they’re all going to come towards the source of the noise! 😀
Very possible.
Make it happen! 😀 You’re well-known for zombie scenes, so see what minifigs your leg will let you reach, and throw together a bunch of zombies heading in the general direction of a church! 😉
Good for Sam. I hope he makes it out of there.
We shall see.
I only saw the gun loaded. Did not expected Sam to shoot. What a blood spray !
Thanks; I worked hard on that blood.
Quoting the Beatles, I believe that soon “Maxwell’s silver hammer made (makes) sure that she was dead.” Or, in this case, Sam will make sure Abe is dead. Also, typo in Discussion Question: help against your will \should be/ held against your will.
A hammer would certainly do it.
OH MY JESUS! He actually shot?! I thought that I was going to be wrong!
Anyway, if I were Sam, I’d say: “Back away! Don’t come closer!” And, I wouldn’t shoot, unless I saw that they were starting to approach too much.
Forgot to say, I wish I coulda’ve seen Sam’s anger face as he shot. It seems a bit blank, this comic, without Sam looking Abe right in the eyes before the BLAM!
I decided against showing Sam’s face so we’d just see Abe. I thought it’d look better.
I usually always like having a look at characters’s faces when they do something important (or rather stupid), simply because the human face is where we can see each other’s emotions, and can actually show a lot of things.
Understandable, but in this case, we don’t know how Sam looked when he did it, so we get a chance to discuss it before we find out.
Now THAT was unexpected. I actually did not expect him to pull the trigger.
Good shot, nonetheless. I wonder if Sam is going to pull out good ‘ole Rule #2 of surviving the zombie apocalypse or leave Abe to bleed out.
Then again, ammo usage is most likely about to become key [considering all of Abe’s pals should have heard the gun go off]. I have no doubt that they will attempt to express their displeasure about the even.
Now as for if I were Sam.
Yes. I would shoot Abe. To be perfectly honest I’d just shoot him on the basis of him kidnapping me. Locking me in quarantine against my will and making me recall the death of someone close only makes it worse.
Yeah, Abe has definitely done some bad stuff to Sam.
OH MY GOODNESS! SAM DID WHAT!?!
Did not see that coming. I figured he’d break and help Abe. Go Sam! Abe gives me the creeps.
He was a creepy dude.
“was” as in “he’s already gone?”
Okay, yeah. Bad choice of words on my part.
Now every zombie in town is heading their way! I suggest Sam gtfo before either Abe’s friends arrive or more zed.
Sam should definitely be thinking about his next steps.
I also like the mouse over!
Hah, thanks. That was a multi-episode joke.
holy crap I can’t believe sam shot abe this is.
crazy I don’t think I would have shot first of
all that shot would. bring a bunch of zombies
and second of all as legooone said it will
a holl bunch of zombies I think I would
not have shot
I would like to think that I wouldn’t have shot. Not out of any idealistic notion, more because it was a stupid thing to do. Sam is in a building he doesn’t know the layout of, surrounded by armed followers and family members of the man he just shot who are also most likely much more skillful with firearms then he is. It would have made more sense to take Abe hostage and try to bargan your way out of the building, maybe get some ammo and supplies out of your captors in the process. Better still, play along with them until you can find a way out that doesn’t involve as much risk. Of course given Sams emotional state whos to say what I would really do in his place. Sam is a very interesting character in that hes more of the Jo Everyman in this comic. The average guy who has just somehow managed to survive. Unless I miss my guess hes also a loose analog for your esteemed author.
Some excellent points here.
There is a flip side to this, where he takes a hostage, assess the power of the group…then reality gets nitty gritty,but this is a good direction. As long as we look at the cliche “actions have reactions” we don’t know if the rest of the group survived the wave in the wheel barrel.
Still glad to see you back in saddle, faster healing and all that to you.
Cool idea here.
BTW
I was out of town on business for much of last week and missed the whole crossbow discussion. I have owned multiple bows and crossbows and have hunted deer with a on or the other since 1993 so I feel pretty well qualified on this point and wanted to clear up a few misconceptions I saw in the posts.
1. Types of bows and crossbows.
There are essentially two major categorizes of modern bows and crossbows. These are re-curve and compound. Re-curve bows and crossbows have limbs that are bent into kind of a lazy S shape and the bowstring attached directly to the limb of the bow. Compounds use a series of pulleys at the end of each limb to mechanically multiply the archers draw so that a lot more energy can be stored in the limbs. Re-curves are much simpler and more reliable, they have a shorter draw and can be fired while only partially drawn. They are also much weaker and slower and much harder to draw and hold at draw. Compounds(invented by the famous Fred Bear) are much more powerful and easier to draw and shoot but they are also kind of fragile and have a much longer draw length. Before my aging eyes forced me to switch to a crossbow I shot a compound with a 70pound draw, which is on this higher end of what you typically see, and I don’t think that would have penetrated a human skull very well.
Like I said, crossbows come in the same two types. Compound crossbows are much more common. Daryls is a compound, look for the pulleys on it the next time you watch the show. Re-curves are available, but are only popular with guys who go on protracted, remote hunts where their mechanical simplicity is a must. Most compound crossbows have around a 100lb draw weight and cannot be drawn by hand. Either a crank or a special drawstring is used. Even with a bow with a light enough draw weight that it can be drawn by hand the process typically involves placing the end of the crossbow on the ground,putting your foot in the stirrup a the end, bending over the stock of the bow, grabbing the string, then standing up so that you are drawing with your back as opposed to your arms. NOT a fast process.
Finally, most arrows today are made form either aluminum tubing or carbon fiber tubes with a threaded insert glued in the end to accommodate either a practice point or a hunting broad head. Crossbow arrows (commonly called bolts) are shorter and typically made of a heaver wall material to stand up the a crossbows higher energies. Still many conventional arrows could be cut down easily to fit a crossbow. As far as re-using arrows goes, most aluminium arrows become bent after repeated uses and carbon-fiber will eventually crack. Still you could probably get 2-3 kills out of an arrow before it becomes too damaged to use. If I were using a bow or crossbow to kill zeds I would probably try to use an arrowhead that had removable blades. Many are set up like this so the blades can be replaced with sharp ones after the braodhead had been used. I would just forget the blades (they are there to create a larger wound for a faster bleed out which means nothing for zeds) and just use the body of the broad head with its hardened point. Much easier to remove form a the dead zeds skull that way.
Wow, great info here Damage! Thank you.
I think sam is the main character
Actually, I think Bricks Of The Dead doesn’t have a main protagonist. Every character is meant to be important and do something, instead of just revolving around a single main character.
Yeah, there’s not really a main character. I want to get multiple perspectives on the story. Sam is my favorite character though, so he probably gets a bit more time than others.
o ok i guess so sam is my favorite character.
I’m quite sure I won’t shoot. Actually I don’t even think I could go as far as Sam did.
I may tried to make Abe believe he controles me, maybe use the fact that he feels overconfidence about his abilities to and work something else, later.
Ok, I can’t trust anyone in the building, but I’d better try to find a way to escape instead of going Rambo on the all place.
That is why fiction exists… makes you experience things you’ll never live ! ^^
Indeed it does.
I have a hard time thinking I could shoot too, Pi3rK.
Well well… the ZA is no pretty thing, look at what Sam has become in a matter of days. From happy chubby office worker about to become a father to cold blooded killer alone in the world.
I definitely did not see this one coming. I guess today’s episode is the zombie cliché that beats the other clichés!
I was hoping that someone would show up and provide Sam with a way out of this showdown but no… Dave, you have no mercy for your own characters.
No Kidding
Title should be
Game of Thrones of the Dead
Hah!
It’s no icepick, but I think he got what he deserved.
You know, the LEGO screwdriver does look a lot like an icepick.
I did not see that coming…. Really, good for Sam.
I don’t think I could have done it.
You and me both, Kim.
That was unexpected to say the least.
I guess if I were in Sam’s position I would’ve done something fairly similar. Yes the trigger would have been pulled but a leg would be shot, not the chest. I do not know how bad these people are and their intentions are but shooting their main man in the chest doesn’t sound like the type of thing you want to do. Also, it is fair to say I know I am NOT capable of shooting a man just like that. Maybe if my adrenaline was pumping and rage was through the roof like Sam’s probably was there is a small chance. A chance.
People often say they’d shoot someone in the leg. Seems like a bad idea to me. First, it’s a smaller target, which means you’ve got a better chance of missing entirely.
Also, you’ve got the femoral artery. You hit that, the person is going to bleed out.
I….I….adjectives fail me…. Sam shooting Abe was the LAST thing i expected, I would have expected that a group of marines clearing the city busted down the door or that Sam turns into a wererabbit before I could foresee Sam really pulling the trigger. Kudos on making that so surprising, Dave! Im a little worried on the well-being of Sam now because of Abe’s kids/team hearing that shot. No matter how much of a crazy lunatic your dad is, your going to want revenge on his killer. Sam had better get found by some friendly people soon to escape, or the zombies or Abe’s team will…
I believe I would have been able to pull the trigger on a man if I am that enraged, I stabbed a guy (in the arm) when he tried to mug me, so I know how my fight or flight is wired up. I can understand the quarantine; Abe and his team don’t want another zombie running around in the church, and I would not be angry about that, just the fact he made me relive all of that pain that I wanted to shove away.
I try to keep you guys on your toes.
o.O Wasn’t expecting that! I thought the gun would have jammed or its clip would have been empty.