Zombie Cliche Lookout: Bloody Mess
I don’t claim to know a lot about biology, anatomy, and physiology, but with a nurse for a mom and a mortician for a sister, I’ve gleaned a few things over the years. For instance, blood doesn’t keep pumping when you’re dead. Shocking, I know. Once you shuffle off that mortal coil, the heart stops pumping, which means the blood is no longer moving through your arteries, veins, and capillaries. Once it’s no longer moving, gravity steps in, and the blood does what all liquids do: moves to the lowest area available. So if a dead body is on its back, all the blood will pool and congeal in the back. This process is called lividity.
So what’s all this CSI nonsense have to do with zombies? Well, it’s another thing you have to ignore to enjoy the genre. We’re used to seeing zombies getting shot and hacked up with insane showers of blood and gore, but that’s probably not what would happen. Odds are, the zombies would be walking around with feet and legs full of pooled, congealed blood. But what fun is that?
About this Episode:
Once again that red bush makes a prominent guest appearance as a huge geyser of blood. I’m not sure how, but it still hasn’t gotten old yet.
Other News:
My parents are having an early Thanksgiving this weekend, so I’ll be completely unavailable during the weekend, when I usually shoot my comic. As a result, there will be no comics next week. We’ll get back on schedule after that. As always, thanks for understanding.
Discussion Question: The Blood Problem
Building on the zombie cliche lookout above, is this something that affects how you view zombies? Would you prefer more bloodless corpses? Or, does the process of zombification keep the blood liquid and distributed throughout the body somehow?
I think that unless Sam hit the first zombie he punted in the head hard enough, he should have been finishing it off with the axe in panel four. Of course, that’s just what I’m reading from the positioning and the limited articulation of LEGO minifigs, I’m not actually sure what Sam did! 😀
Panel four just showing Sam’s follow-through on his decapitating swing. He’s definitely going to have to follow up with the zombie on the ground before too long.
If Sam’s really got some hidden badass coming to him, Wednesday’s comic should have the first panel showing Sam stepping forward, and his axe continuing on into the zombie on the ground before it’s had much of a chance to react to getting kicked down. 😀
Otherwise, Sam should still have the major advantage here, after all Gramps needs his meds! 😀
That’s a cool suggestion. I actually wish I thought of making the whole thing that smooth. Alas, my mind doesn’t find “lines” in action like that. I guess I’ll never be a fight choreographer.
I wouldn’t worry too much, if Sam defeats the zombie on Wednesday, that’ll be good enough for me! 😀
Or gets his face eaten off. Either way, right?
Depends on how much of a storyline you wanted to leave us with! 😀
Typo alerts, for when Dave gets the chance to fix them:
“This process is call lividity.” call–called 😀
“We’re using to seeing zombies” using–>used 😉
“feet and legs full of pools, congealed blood” remove the following “pools,”
“but it still haven’t gotten old yet.” haven’t–>hasn’t 😀
Not bad Dave, only three typos today! 😀
er, four, my bad lol! 😀
Fixed all. Much obliged, as usual.
I would think, actually, that if the entire blood volume of a person was pooled in the lower extremities, they would burst through the skin (especially if they were weakened by rot) and drain out a few days after zombification happened. Something like this happened last week to a coworker who has been ill and building fluid in her legs.
That’s a very good point. One imagines survivors regularly finding big pools of blood from where the zombies lose it. That’s super gross.
Or not. As you stated blood congeals. Meaning it tuns more solid butnot expanding. Bodies found after several days have not been found with all the blood leaked out. Even drowning victims are not found with all the blood gone because even ded bodies are good at containing themselves.
Think of it llike this if blood ran out of the dead because it pooled every steak you ever bought would be very dry and not nice and juicy. Now I’m hungry.
That’s an excellent point. So zombies should have very red/purple feet and calves?
Zombies have to be bloody gore… You don’t wanna touch those things… The idea of sticking a knife in the head of such creature, imagining all the blood flowing… They have to be.
That said… I’ll be interested to see a more “realistic” approach in movie (sometimes only, would be boring if too often I guess). That apply to every kind of movies… Like war in space… without a sound…
You want space action without fights? Check out Firefly. You can thank me later.
Didn’t say it won’t be boring. LOL
That panel four… is just awesome! I love the air time on the head and the dynamic look of the scene. Nice work Dave 🙂
Hah, called it. Sam drew the zombies off to the left so he could deal with them one at a time.
No sign of the herd… yet.
(See my comment on the previous comic if you don’t know what I’m talking about)
Like the way he killed the zombies, but I’m a little biased. 😉
First. Creative use of the red bush both as an effect and hanging the lego head on it. :3
Second. Guh… blood. :p Ill be honest. Im not a fan of gore. But I like zombie stuff. I also like to fly but I have a fear of heights. Go figure.
Mainly I like the adventure aspect of the zombie aspect. Normal every day environents are turned into a maze filled with loot where danger lurks around every corner.
Buuuuut most zombie media is focused on the violent part, the part where decaying husks of humanoid creatures are torn appart in a shower of gore by one dimensional, flat characters until until they are viciously ripped apart and consumed alive…usually for the sake of a cheap jump scare or to just push up the rating.
For that reason alone I would like to see more bloodless zombies. Scientifically it would be more accurate, unless the zombies heart continues to move. It is after all a muscle just like arms and legs. O.o
Or you are dealing with those new fangled ‘infected’ where the poor zombie is still alive…just rabid. Xp
I…i spend too much time thinking about how zeds would work I think xD
9.0
9.3
9.6
and the Russians give him a 5.2