On the eighth day, God created Michael Rooker and said “That should give the zombies something to worry about.”
True story. Special Forces Commander Michael Rooker is badder than ol’ King Kong, meaner than a junkyard dog. Foes alive, dead or mostly dead quake in their boots when he’s around. The UGA couldn’t catch him. If you look up “badass” in the dictionary there’s a photo of him. Chuck Norris has nothing on Michael Rooker. When Michael Rooker speaks, everyone listens. His legend precedes him the way lightning precedes thunder. He is the most interesting man in the world…
That’s enough clichés.
We would love to tell everyone that Michael Rooker is actually a nice guy with big heart and (sometimes) a quiet, observant and soft-spoken manner. We would also love to tell everyone that regardless of his ass-kicking reputation, he doesn’t like violence and is more likely to shoot stuffed animals than zombies, but he would probably not be happy if we ruined his reputation. You can just ignore that last part.
Commander Rooker was born in Jasper, Alabama but spent the most interesting years of his young life in Chicago, where he studied at the Goodman School of Drama. His first forays into acting included appearances in local stage productions and pilot episodes for the television series Crime Story. In 1986 he jumped headfirst into the role of infamous serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, and delivered a truly frightening performance for the cult-classic and controversial film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. In 1988 he fought for and won the role in Eight Men Out, and also co-starred in the civil rights-era film Mississippi Burning. From Sea of Love , Days of Thunder, and Tombstone all the way up to James Gunn’s Slither and Super, Michael very quickly established himself as a hard-working, talented actor with a determination matched by few.
In 2010 AMC’s The Walking Dead exploded into the living rooms of zombie-genre fans all over the world. Even with only brief appearances in the first two seasons, Merle Dixon quickly became one of his most memorable and sought-after characters. During the record-breaking Season 3, Rooker returned with a vengeance and brought the best of Merle Dixon into living rooms all over the world. It was with heavy hearts and more than a few tears that we said farewell to Merle as Season 3 came to a close.
But as the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. That new door leads to Marvel. James Gunn’s much-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxywill feature our Special Forces Commander as the mysterious (and very blue) Yondu.
The Voice of Rooker has also become one of the more recognizable in the gaming community. He has appeared in the mega-hit franchise Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2, Lollipop Chainsaw, and most recently The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct from Activision. When he isn’t filming, voicing or producing, he might be found on the firing range, of which he is a co-owner, or on regular patrols to keep the West Coast safe from zombie infiltration.
Over the last few years Michael has increased his presence on the convention circuit alongside other Walking Dead co-stars Norman Reedus, IronE Singleton, Chandler Riggs, Madison Lintz, Lew Temple, Vincent Ward and… well, everyone else. Always pushing outward, he has expanded his convention visits overseas. He recently visited Germany and Australia, and will be traveling to Japan this summer.
We at the Zombie Survival Crew need no further convincing, Commander Rooker and his Special Forces Unit are more than up to the task as the strongest line of defense in the days to come.
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If you’re just joining us for this series, please be sure to check out our previous Commander Monday reports!
Sweat or death? The answer should be easy. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people are “too busy,” “don’t have enough time,” “don’t know what to do,” or simply don’t want to put the effort into getting into shape. Getting over the mental barrier keeping you from working out is possibly the most difficult part. We’re here with a nice, simple mantra to get brigadiers out of their office chairs and into a healthy exercise routine. Are you ready for it? Here goes . . . .
Get in shape or get eaten.
Told you guys it was simple.
Yes, it seems silly. Everyone knows zombies, if they ever do exist, will probably be slow and clumsy. But there may be a lot of them. In large numbers, it’ll be easier for them to corner someone who’s out of breath from running less than a block. Not to mention, there is always the unsavory reality that the humans in the zombie apocalypse pose the true danger—we don’t want anyone winding up like the poor souls in the cages at Terminus during the season 4 finale of “The Walking Dead.” Staying one step ahead of an intelligent threat requires more than a few sit-ups once a month. Survival also means more than defeating anyone seeking to harm you. Gathering food, water, firewood, and building a secure base camp will require more strength than most people possess without at least a little training.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide basic guidelines and motivation to get you started on a healthy workout path. If you have health issues, please consult a doctor before beginning any exercise routines.
The CDC—using the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans—recommends adults between the ages of 18 to 64 do medium-intensity aerobic exercise for a minimum of 150 minutes per week, or half as much high-intensity aerobic exercise (75 minutes). Plus, 2 days of muscle strengthening activities per week on top of the aerobic exercise.
The main goal of aerobic exercise is to raise your heart rate for longer than 10 minutes at a time throughout the day. That’s a handful of laps in the pool. A couple miles on a stationary or standard bike. A brisk mile walk around your neighborhood. Heck, even a quick 3-song dance break in your closed office or an afternoon of gardening. For more ideas, here’s the CDC’s guide for measuring physical activity intensity.
Muscle strengthening activities are pretty self-explanatory. Biceps and shoulder muscles—which you need to cut down firewood and the undead—won’t build themselves while you watch just one more episode of your favorite show (do like we do, watch TV while working out). Strong abdominal and back muscles can cut down on back problems that’d put you out of commission, unable to find food on your own.
2 days a week, after your aerobic exercise is done, work your muscles head to toe. This can be done with weight lifting, resistance band exercises (good for those rebuilding muscle after injury), yoga, or body weight exercises—planks, the Superman exercise, push-ups, crunches, etc. It’s okay to alternate days to focus mainly on arms or legs, but work every muscle every time. There’s numerous resources on the internet to find exercises that’ll work best for your body. Take the time to create a routine and once you’re comfortable, begin to adapt it to up the reps and weight, or work new muscle groups.
Don’t forget to breathe! Muscles need oxygen. Holding your breath to push through one last rep will only starve your muscles.
Lastly, wrap up every exercise break with stretching. It’ll ease some post-workout soreness and ensure you remain flexible, able to move quickly and dodge those pesky zombies.
Summertime is the busy season for your Zombie Survival Crew commanders. We canvas the country, advising brigadiers and recruiting new members. This weekend, we’re in three cities working to ensure everyone is informed and ready to fight the undead.
Attention dear readers, followers and brigadiers… Vincent Ward is among us. Time to RISE AND GRIND.
Vincent joined us in 2013 during his role as Oscar on AMC’s The Walking Dead. But long before he faced the shambling horde, it was clear that Vincent was a force to be reckoned with. This multi-talented actor, filmmaker, artist and writer has appeared in many television roles, films and live stage performances.
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Vincent excelled in basketball, baseball and football from a young age but turned his attention to basketball in high school. Starting off as one of the best basketball players in Ohio isn’t too shabby at all if you ask us. Fate took an unexpected twist soon afterwards, and Vincent found himself pursuing another dream: dance. Joining forces with his childhood friend, Broderick Dumas, they formed “Night and Day” a.k.a. The Twin Towers, since they both stood at nearly 6 feet 5 inches. Day & Night signed with Dr. Ease and the Ease Town Posse, and they toured with Public Enemy MC Light, X-Clan, MC Hammer, Heavy D and The Boys among others. Vincent went back to school soon afterwards and attended South-Suburban College in Chicago, Illinois under a basketball scholarship, shortly before returning to Dayton, Ohio.
And then it happened. Vincent attended a play in Dayton and the acting bug bit him hard.
With no training or experience, Vincent jumped onto the stage and auditioned. He was almost immediately cast with a touring company out of Columbus, Ohio and appeared in many productions including Black Man Rising, The Ones Who Shoot the Guns, Young Black Men are Dying and No One Seems to Care. In addition to the ever-growing list of theater performances, Vincent’s very impressive body of work includes television and film roles. We’ve spotted him in Ocean’s Eleven, caught him in several episodes of Everybody Hates Chris and The Starter Wife, House of Payne, True Blood, and of course most recently in AMC’s The Walking Dead as the courageous, dependable yet frustratingly short-lived Oscar.
Vincent is no stranger to hard work, and having already stood alongside him at several conventions we’re ecstatic to call him one of our own and have no doubts that when the dead start walking, he’ll be standing strong on the front lines with us.
Actually, the title is slightly misleading. Some of your ZSC commanders are always on the road. Traveling from city to city to touch base with brigadiers not only across the United States, but world-wide at numerous conventions. This time around, four of us are converging on Phoenix, Arizona for Phoenix Comicon. The event begins on Thursday, June 5th at 4:00 PM inside the Phoenix Convention Center.
Yellow Brigade commander Jinxie G and Orange Brigade commander R.C. Murphy will be in attendance Thursday through Sunday for the event. You can find them at booth 793 throughout the weekend (coffee runs are one of a few exceptions to this). Red Brigade commander Juliette Terzieff and Special Forces Commander Michael Rooker plan to roll into Phoenix for Sunday only. Keep an eye out for them. Shouldn’t be too hard to find those two, right?
This is a huge event, and a first-time trip for some of us. If you plan to attend, make sure to come find us. Even if it’s to say hi. Mostly, we want to make sure everyone survives the insanity sure to follow once the convention doors open. Kinda like when someone opened a certain barn we all remember from that one show. You know, the one with the staggering, rotting folks on it. Catch our drift?
Madison is most well-known in the ZSC community for her part in the now infamous and soul-wrenching barn sceneduring the second season of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Although the sweetly freckled face of young Sophia Pelletier is instantly recognizable to TWD fans worldwide, Madison has grown up right before our eyes into a beautiful and talented young woman. We’re proud to count her as one of our own.
With a smile that could melt even the hardest of hearts, Madison Lintz hails from an acting family (check out The Lintz Kids!) and is no stranger to the hard work that comes with the life. Even so, she has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy. Madison was first spotted at the tender age of six in a nationwide television spot for Golden Corral, and in February of 2011 she appeared in the television special It’s Supernatural before stepping up to audition for The Walking Dead. Soon afterwards, she appeared as young Ana in the film After and the television series Nashville. Madison also appeared in the film Parental Guidance and the indie film project Newborne County.
Madison will be making several convention appearances this year, including the upcoming Walker Stalker events in Boston and Atlanta.
If you’re just joining us for this series, please check out or other Commander Monday articles!
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Whether that something strange is the ravenous shambling horde or a giant marshmallow thing-from-another-world in a jaunty sailor cap, Second Lieutenant Ernie Hudson is the man. While he may be best remembered for his part in the 1984 mega-hit comedy Ghostbusters, Ernie’s film and television credits alone are far too numerous to list here. This distinguished actor, producer and writer has been bringing his best to both screen and stage for so long, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the industry could ever have existed without him.
Ernie Hudson grew up in Benton Harbor, Michigan. After trying his hand in the Marine Corps, he stepped into the role of resident playwright at Concept East theater in Detroit and shortly afterwards established the Actors’ Ensemble Theatre. His talents soon brought him to Los Angeles, where he appeared in the stage musical Daddy Goodness, and his first role onscreen in the film Leadbelly. With a B.A. from Wayne State University already in hand, Ernie left Los Angeles to pursue a Ph.D at the University of Minnesota. Throughout the 1970’s Ernie was one of the most recognizable faces among smaller television roles, appearing in episodes of Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Diff’rent Strokes, Taxi and The A-Team to name only a few.
When 1984’s Ghostbusters exploded into movie theaters all over the country with a great hilarious glob of ectoplasmic slime, Ernie was well-established as a versatile and talented actor with a solid and promising future. He is well known for his role as the sympathetic police sergeant in the cult classic The Crow, Reggie in The Basketball Diaries, and Solomon the gentle giant in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Ernie has also continued to appear in many television roles, including ER, Desperate Housewives, Las Vegas, Bones, and has held recurring roles in Law & Order and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Ernie recently completed work on Gallows Road. he is currently filming High and Outside while television movies Living the Dream and Race to Judgement are in pre-production. Ernie can also be seen inHaunted Hathaways, The Grim Sleeperand Entertainment One Films’ highly anticipated drama You’re Not You. When not acting, writing, producing or hunting for ectoplasmic slime, Ernie can often be found on the convention circuit, touring the country to meet fans and gather as many new recruits to the cause. For his seemingly never-exhausted efforts to bring us all together, the Zombie Survival Crew salutes Second Lieutenant Ernie Hudson with a crossbow and a giant Twinkie.
After a brief hiatus and several very important missions (which may or may not have involved a horde of drooling zombies, duct tape and a kangaroo) our weekly field reports which we lovingly call Commander Mondays have returned. Because we believe it is important to know exactly who will be leading you forward after the dead have begun to walk the Earth, The Zombie Survival Crew will be bringing you weekly updates with vital information regarding your commanders. This information is equally important to members and prospective members, because… well… because Our Fearless Leader SAID so, and she’s never wrong.
So, without further ado… Orange Brigade, meet Second Lieutenant J. LaRose!
While many of you are no doubt aware of his rather messy demise in Saw III (disembowelment does have its drawbacks), rest assured that the LT is in fine shape and more than ready to take on the ever-growing threat to the human race. You don’t even have to take my word for it, just a glimpse into J’s varied talents and wide range of experience is enough to convince anyone. He can glare a hole in a brick wall in one moment and charm even the hardest of hearts with a winning smile in the next. Coming from a solid background of horror movies, television and short films, J is more than adequately equipped to face the horror in the days that lay ahead. It doesn’t even have to be mentioned that J LaRose is related to a certain Special Forces Commander, but we mentioned it anyway. J. hails from Chicago, making his first appearances on various television series, including Mortal Kombat: Conquest, In Search of, and short films Butterfly Dreams and The Crown of Rust. In 2006 he made his big screen debut as the unfortunately disemboweled Troy in Saw III (spoiler alert), and from there moved on to Repo! The Genetic Opera and the horror films The Tenant, Insidious and The Tortured. J has also been involved in many projects coming up in the near future. Most recently, J LaRose appeared in The Devil’s Carnival,Insidious: Chapter 2, and the short film Amazing Grace, which will be screening at the Sunscreen Film Festival on 5/02/2014. You can view Amazing Grace online here: http://vimeo.com/89128574
J LaRose is currently operating from an undisclosed location, and we are eagerly waiting to hear more from him soon. We’re very sure he won’t end up like poor Troy again, at least not any time soon.
If you’re just joining us for our Commander Monday series, please be sure to check out our previous field reports!
Packing for the zombie apocalypse isn’t like packing for a week-long trip to Disneyland. Trust me, I have loads of experience with the latter. The former? Not-so-much. Early in the Zombie Survival Crew’s creation, each of the commanders drafted a basic packing list for their go-bags—the pre-packed backpack or duffel bag we’d snag on our way out the door. Then, as with most others providing similar survival advice, the focus was on items needed to survive outside of one’s home for roughly a week. While first aid kits, food, and water purification tablets are well and good, none of us would have a good time trekking through the wilderness with zombies on our tails without a stitch of clothing on.
Personally, I’d rather walk barefoot across broken pine cones. Which may happen to anyone who hasn’t set aside the proper clothing.
The best way to determine what you’ll need is to know what the weather is like around the areas your escape routes will take you through. Sure, a backpack will only fit so much, but there are a few key items that can be layered or stripped down to adapt to the elements.
Here’s a few basics:
Straight-legged denim jeans – Not necessarily fashionable, but highly adaptable. They can be worn tucked into tall socks or boots to keep creepy-crawlies off your legs. Or if the weather turns up the thermostat, rolled up to the knee. Thick denim will protect from thorns, rocks, and anything else that can scrape/cut you during a hike.
A basic cotton t-shirt – Again, we’re going for function, not style. Cotton is durable, wicks away sweat, and can retain a moderate amount of heat when used in layers. Pack extra t-shirts to use as emergency bandages, washing rags, water strainer, and to layer with in case the temperature drops. Yes, they leave your arms bare, but focus for layering should be on the torso where vital organs are. Gotta keep them toasty and in working order.
A hoodie – Preferably a pull-over, since a zippered hoodie leaves a line for cold air to get in right down the center of your torso. Go for a good-quality hoodie in a dark color. Dark because it’ll absorb heat better, allowing you to bask in the sun like a lizard and warm up. Better yet, a hoodie can be tied around your waist, saving room in your go-bag.
A beanie – Along with keeping your torso warm in the cold, keep your head covered. A nice heavy-knit beanie will keep your brain from freezing inside your skull. We’re not making zombie ice cream, guys.
Socks – Lots of socks. The thicker on the bottom, the better. Your feet need extra cushioning on rocky, uneven terrain. And be prepared to change socks a couple times a day. Fresh socks are better than a massage break for re-energizing your barking dogs. There’s no spa trips when the undead are creeping closer. (Pro tip: Wash your socks and safety pin them to your backpack to dry while you walk.)
Underwear – Need we go over this one? Not only will undies keep your jeans cleaner longer, but they’ll keep dirt and who knows what else off your private parts. Showers are a luxury in the apocalypse. Don’t want to get an infection down there when all the doctors were eaten for breakfast.
Boots – A good pair of sturdy combat, EMT, or hiking boots will get you much further than sneakers. Don’t even think about packing flip-flops. Make sure your emergency boots are broken in and pack them alongside your go-bag with a pair of socks inside—just in case you don’t have time to change before you run. (Pro tip: Buy a half-size larger and put a pair of high-impact work insoles in your boots. It’ll double the hours you’re able to be on your feet.)
Heavy jacket – This may be considered a luxury item. But if you live in a climate known for being ridiculously cold, make sure there’s a coat strapped onto your go-bag. Roll it up in your bedroll. Lash it to the side with para-cord. Don’t care how you pack it, so long as it makes the trip out the door with you. Leather is ideal. It absorbs heat from the sun and a fire. Plus, it traps heat inside, much like our own skin. A thick wool coat would work, as well.
One or two changes of clothes will get you by for a while. However, the wear and tear of life on the run won’t be kind to them. Stow a small sewing kit in your go-bag with ample amounts of safety pins. In the age of YouTube, there’s no reason to not look up a quick how-to video and learn a few sewing basics. You’ll love yourself even more when you can fix that hole in your last pair of jeans instead of braving a zombie-infested store to chance finding a new pair in your size.
Mason Jones is a good, strong character, and as the story progresses, we learn a little here and there about the Army Ranger. His development is paced nicely, and the story has enough action to keep one reading. When all hell breaks loose in the zombie testing facility, the action is non-stop, edge of your seat to the end.
Though I did the copy edit on this novella, I am always about giving honest reviews, and Better Hero Army asked if I would do so. I would definitely recommend this novella and its prequel if you’re into action-packed zombie stories. I look forward to working with Better Hero Army again and to see where he takes this story line. Even though I received this story as work, I did purchase the novella.
I give this novella 5 Jinxes (stars) per my star rating system: 1=hated it, 2=disliked it, 3=liked it, 4=really liked it, and 5=loved it.
You can grab a copy of the book by clicking on the cover photo above or by clicking HERE.
On the eighth day, God created Michael Rooker and said “That should give the zombies something to worry about.”
Over the last few years Michael has increased his presence on the convention circuit alongside other Walking Dead co-stars Norman Reedus, IronE Singleton, Chandler Riggs, Madison Lintz, Lew Temple, Vincent Ward and… well, everyone else. Always pushing outward, he has expanded his convention visits overseas. He recently visited Germany and Australia, and will be traveling to Japan this summer.
