Zombie Cliche Lookout: Pre-Mortem Forgiveness
There’s a phrase I hear a lot, especially at work when discussing people who no longer work there: “Do not speak ill of the dead.” Now, obviously, people are using this with tongue firmly in cheek, but the thrust of the statement is something most of us hold pretty deeply. Unless someone is a true monster, most of us are pretty hesitant about saying anything negative about someone who is dead or dying. I mean, they can’t really defend themselves.
This comes up a hell of a lot in zombie movies, both played straight and and upended. Characters often redeem themselves. They start off the story being incredible pains in the ass, perhaps even causing a few zombie-related deaths early on. But, at some key moment in the late game they’ll redeem themselves. Sure, they’ll likely die in the process, but you know, that’s how these things work.
Of course, there’s the counter-examples. Like Ben in Night of the Living Dead, or Steve in the Dawn of the Dead remake.
About this Episode:
In the last episode, it was pointed out that Ted has a pretty easy time talking, despite the fact that there’s a 9mm round lodged in his liver. Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but I imagine I’d be quite uncomfortable with a bullet in my gut. So I’m trying to rectify that a bit today. Also, I’m justifying the last episode by saying he got a sudden adrenaline rush at seeing his wife and kids.
Discussion Question: Unforgivable Sins
We can obviously forgive a lot. I’ve known more than a few assholes that got beautiful eulogies. Obviously, this can only be taken so far. So what does it take? What things can an asshole character in a zombie story do that can’t be forgiven? Could Ben or Steve have been forgiven if their final scene had played out a bit differently?
Typo alerts: “I mean, that’s can’t” that’s–>they
“adrenaline rush as seeing” as–>at
“if they’re final scene” they’re–>their 😀
What was Dave doing whilst writing this one up? Dodging zombies? 😀
Obviously, I was drinking heavily.
Are we to guess that Vicky and their kids have been told off-camera what happened to Ted, or that they figured something out from the gunshot noises they undoubtedly heard coming from upstairs?
I assume Dave is trying to move the plot along a bit, to get to another story arc, or he’s going to get the survivors of this arc someplace much safer than where they are now.
It’s turning out to be quite an interesting arc, i wonder what the chances are that they might be rescued by a more well-equipped group of survivors?
Or perhaps some stray passerby will save their day by drawing the attention of the zombies to themselves simply by passing by close enough to them that the zombies will see them and give chase?
Well, we haven’t seen the whole basement yet. Maybe there’s a few zombies down there no one has noticed yet.
Hmm, interesting … Ted keeps zombies in his basement now? 😀 They’ve been making an awfully large racket, enough to attract just about any zed in the place, it would be stretching it to the limit to suddenly have a zombie show up IN the basement, IMHO! 😀
My favorite quote on speaking ill of the dead.
“Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly. The rest… is silence.”.
Go ahead and google it, you wont believe the source. #geekfest
Transformers by way of Hamlet? Definitely a great quotation.
Long time, no post, but I’m still trying to find a job (oh well).
There is an interesting take on sins/ speaking for the dead in the anime called: Kami-sama no memo-Chou or in English: “heaven’s memo pad”.
Has for me personally I think that it would to be overly friendly durning the heights of the zed days. Look at how many times in a show or personal lifetime did that 1 overly nice person fully betray the “heros” of the story being told and make a far larger problem, either by mob mentality or leaving at “just the right moment”… Umm, like falling into a pit trap, when the herd is going straight to it.
I’m not saying, don’t be friendly! But isn’t it more natural to have and show (not immediately acting upon) some supicicions in times of crisis and be a little more reserved until you get to fully know people? It could be as simple as the character meet ups in the movie “zombie land”
I think the only exception trope is the: “meet someone by saving them”, but that leads to other things as well.
Has for the rest, good arc, good use of tropes, and if these guys don’t get anymore screen time, then you could have the other groups stumble into here and start investigations, maybe go so far as to put down the whole family. So they can finally rest together, or any other morale reason.
But I did catch one thing, you never said that this comic is like the “walking dead” and everyone is already infected, where a non-brain damage fatalities would become zeds and in the comic you left the one character in the wheelbarrow (with serious leg wounds) for quite some time.
Sorry about the long wind, but that should have cleared the plate of all cross-connections I have seen, until next time.
Sorry to hear about your job situation. What do you do for a living, Jon?
Definitely some interesting thoughts here. I get what you’re saying, people being overly nice are inherently suspicious, especially in extremely stressful situations like this. What are they hiding or covering for? What are they trying to setup? I might have to work this into the story at some point.
Regarding the “everyone is infected” thing, that actually has come up. A character died without being bitten, and reanimated. As far as the person in the wheelbarrow goes, he was hit with a single BB from a richochet; it wasn’t a life-threatening injury.
Right now a few odd jobs and being a live-in carpenter/ gardener exchanging services for room and board (pun intended). I have an interview Friday, but the deck isn’t stacked in my favor. I don’t even have a ride or money for a ride to the mass interview, which due to reasons I missed the first time around.
Covering up, may not fall into the act overly friendly catagories. In horror movies the one that covers first doesnt want to show “what they did to survive” or the “it was my (relation here) that I had to, but it made me (emotion here)”. Oddly it is the ones that activitely cover up something secondly or second hand which become the really scary parts of the stories.
Ahh, should have gone back a little further, my apologies. As for wheelbarrow, I convinced myself that he got shot like at a tendon (shearing the point off and somehow fatal shock syndrome would finally set in) or near a veiny area causing necrosis and/or infection. The wound would next cause a zed like hysteria where he would chew himself up or others around him, like other zeds.
oh nice
hey franklin i tell u something u know this fucking Dave he never speak to me u know he.s a asshole franklin will u do something
I’m not going to delete this comments, since you’re addressing me and not one of my readers. That said, I will respond to it.
First, what’s the deal with talking through the characters from a video game to insult people? I honestly don’t get it.
Second, you say I’m an asshole for not speaking to you, which is ludicrous. I’ve been interacting with you since you started visiting this site, however I have neither the time nor the inclination to respond to every comment on the site. When people leave comments with actual substance – as the vast majority of people do – I do everything I can to respond to them. When people just leave empty nonsense, or advertising for their own projects, well, I don’t waste my time with that.
In summary, if you don’t like me, my community, or my comic, go build your own.
Actually he was attempting to talk to franklin, no idea why, though. Still, I would prefer this comment with the abrasive language just disappeared. muazqamar can simply be polite or go elsewhere, it’s as simple as that.
u see franklin he is motherfucker please franklin u do something and reply me ok franklin we are grand theft auto v sites
hey franklin call trevor and michael i have a plan to shut this comic down
now u happy Dave i have GTA V teams they gonna shut your comic down they says muaz talk to u u have to talk with muaz or we gonna shut your comic down
This is completely nonsensical. You can leave comments that contribute to the discussion, or I can remove them. It’s as simple as that.
Dave, I suggest you simply comprehensively ban him permanently and be done with him once and for all. I have neither the time nor the inclination, myself, to waste on people who insist on trashing the comments section. If some poster doesn’t understand what they did wrong, there’s always good old moderation, particularly in muazqamar’s case.
Dave im sorry next time i understand please forgive me
I wondered how long it would be before our friendly neighbourhood internet troll overstepped the mark. I guess it has happened now.
In regards to the comic, my thoughts are geared towards…. did they finish barricading upstairs? Are they about to have a bunch of zombies come rolling (maybe literally) down the stairs and spill out into the basement. I know we are having a moment with Ted and the family, but what about the big picture?
Looking forward to see what Dave does with this little arc. The doomed Ted sacrificing himself to save his family and friends? Everyone getting taken down and shutting down this whole crew? Ted dies and maybe nabs one of the kids when he turns… so many options. Nice writing Dave 🙂
oh awesome