We’ve been lost in a fog of The Walking Dead withdrawal since the mid-season break began in November. With weeks still ahead of us until episodes resume on AMC February 12th, hope seemed impossible. That was until we received a coded message offering support during these tough times.
Last October, Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansigna released the novel, The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor. And now we’ve been given a chance to share a clip of the audiobook, read by Fred Berman.
“Following in the footsteps of the New York Times bestselling graphic novels and the record-breaking new television show, this debut novel in a trilogy of original Walking Dead books chronicles the back story of the comic book series greatest villain, The Governor.
In The Walking Dead universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. The despot who runs the walled-off town of Woodbury, he has his own sick sense of justice: whether it’s forcing prisoners to battle zombies in an arena for the townspeople’s amusement, or chopping off the appendages of those who cross him. The Governor was voted “Villain of the Year” by Wizard Magazine the year he debuted, and his story arc was the most controversial arc in the history of The Walking Dead comic book series. Now, for the first time, fans of The Walking Dead will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to such extremes.”
Hopefully this clip will tide us all over until the mid-season premiere. Enjoy!
You all did not make it easy on us, jeeze! After a lot of reading, a lot of praising the talent within our crew, and a ton of debating… we finally managed to agree on the winners. Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to everyone who entered. Below are the winning poems for you to enjoy.
Third place winner: Deepdarkred
Staring
by Deepdarkred
I sit and stare, surrounded by nothing but filthy air…
There goes the planet, Janet,
But I no longer care.
I wonder somewhere in the back of my mind
If there is something I could find,
To bring back who I used to be,
But there’s nothing there, nothing left of plain old me.
I see the living, pointing guns, screaming and slinging
They still think they can beat this,
Illusion and dreaming.
This cacophony of sound, choreography of misery
All spinning around the origin of our creation’s mystery.
We’re not God’s wrath, or Hell’s mistake,
We are not victims of drug intake.
This is it. Our evolution,
Strange enough, it’s also
A bit of a final solution,
A response to our own filth and pollution,
When they get hit, when they get bit…
They will all know what I meant by it.
And then like me they’ll spin in place
With more than a creepy smile upon their half devoured face.
Four high-school friends have educated themselves on zombie lore by playing a RPG game they’ve invented. They never dreamed they’d have to put their skills developed in the game to use, but an outbreak of the zombie virus forces their hand. While the town runs amok, they decide to meet in one of their game’s locations and make a final stand. The creator of the rule book, Jimmy, goes to retrieve it, Danny is sent to buy weapons, items a teenager could legally buy, while the ringleader, Joey, and Travis, whose father has fallen victim, stay behind to plan their defense and eventual escape.
Crunch Time brings you into the world of RPG and twitter, something near and dear to the Zombie Survival Crew’s heart, and takes you through the chilling choices which have to be made during a zombie attack.
Please note because the characters are dealing with a zombie outbreak, this excerpt has some strong language.
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Crunch Time by Maria Kelly
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Joey Costello wiped the dust from the cheddar puffs onto his jeans and leaned forward to stare at the brightly lit computer monitor. It was his older brother David’s hand-me-down computer: the one that looked like some fucked-up futuristic space-lamp.
He waited for his tweeps to respond. He watched as line upon line in the stream scrolled past, none of them from his crew.
“C’mon, dudes, damn!” he yelled, banging his fist down on the desk.
He cursed again as a whole load of tweets went sailing by, and he had to scroll down to make sure he didn’t miss one from his friends.
“Oh, man, we SO need our own hashtag.” He made a mental note to spring this bit of brilliant wisdom on his tweeps when they got on line. Where the hell where they, anyway?
He was half-way through the tweets when the auto-refresh kicked in and zoomed a hundred more tweets past his eyes.
“Aw, goddammit!” He swore again, but not too loudly. His mom had begun tolerating him dropping the ‘F-bomb’ but she’d tear his ass up if she heard him using that word. Not that his mother was particularly religious, but Aunt Lois was, and Aunt Lois was always over at their place these days since Uncle Reggie passed.
Finally, his trembling finger stilled on the scroll button as he read the message:
2ndTimeDead: RT @ZombieHuntR666 holla back mah boyz when u online.|| I’m on, Z.
“Yes!” Joey whispered as he typed and waited for his message to appear onscreen:
ZombieHuntR666: @2ndTimeDead it is as we feared, brotha!!!
He waited for 2ndTimeDead’s reply:
2ndTimeDead: @ZombieHuntR666 I know that’s right, bro! Saw 2 on way home from Crosswalk. Scared the fuck outta me. What do we do?
ZombieHuntR666: @2ndTimeDead don’t fuckin panic. that’s the most important thing. don’t fuckin panic. u been readin these other tweets?
2ndTimeDead: @ZombieHuntR666 4realz! Both #zombieapocalypsenow and #realzombiegeddon are TT’ing! WTF? They’re all over the world! WTF? #whatthefuck
ZombieHuntR666: @2ndTimeDead i said don’t panic dude. oh shit! SHIT! brb…
2ndTimeDead: @ZombieHuntR666 Joey i’m fuckin comin over there in about 3 minutes if you don’t tweet me the fuck back!!!!
2ndTimeDead: @ZombieHuntR666 4realz mofo! I aint playin! Are you ok? Joey i swear to god you better not be playin!!!!!!!!!
ZombieHuntR666: @2ndTimeDead damn dude it was just my mom.
2ndTimeDead: @ZombieHuntR666 You scared the fuck outta me asshole!!! I thought one of them got you.
ZombieHuntR666: @2ndTimeDead LOL sorry dude 😛 dude, we need our own hashtag. going thru these tweets is bullshit.
2ndTimeDead: @ZombieHuntR666 Dude, how about #oakleafHSzombies?
Sometimes Danny surprised Joey with a flash of brilliance. Since the zombie virus outbreak in their town seemed to have started at their school, #oakleafHSzombies was the perfect hash.
ZombieHuntR666: @2ndTimeDead Danny Patton you’re a fuckin genius! that’s brilliant i swear to god.
At the thought of his school, Joey’s hands dropped off the keyboard. How many Oak Leaf High School students had already been turned?
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To read more, and find out what happens to Joey, Danny and the rest of their friends, check out Undead Is Not An Option.
With the holidays coming up, Undead Is Not An Option would make a nice gift for the zombie lover’s in your family.
What would you do if you were stuck in a tree house, with a complete stranger who is somewhat annoying but a bona fide optimist, a chest full of rocks, and a horde of zombies waiting below? Louie, the optimist, is certain the government is working on a cure for the zombies or a rescue plan, but Arnie keeps mulling over the question, what could be worse than zombies? The Changing by Jim Bronyaur answers the question, but leaves you with this one: will you draw blood gnawing on your knuckle by the time you reach the end?
Please note because the characters are dealing with a zombie outbreak, this excerpt has some strong language.
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The Changing by Jim Bronyaur
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After the rocks…
Without order, chaos would ensue. It was human nature, maybe instinct, maybe that extra little bit of work creation put into us, but give a man an inch and he’ll probably try to take more. Toss in the idea of the world ending and now you’ve got a whole new bag of shit to deal with.
Arnie noticed the beginning of the chaos after the second rock Louie threw at a zombie. Calm with the first throw, he pretended to be a baseball pitcher. Arnie didn’t like nor understand baseball but with the growing group of zombies below them, he’d take a long, hot day at a ballpark anytime.
Louie’s second throw was filled with rage. He barely took aim and cursed so much and so fast, the words mixed together. By the time he threw the rock, his body sweated and shook. The rock pegged a zombie in the shoulder and the thing fell over but climbed right back up.
“Three,” Arnie said. “Hey, we should consider the rules again. Is it just three? Or should you get three for knocking him over and then one for hitting them…” He tried to break the tension but Louie acted as if he lost his mind.
“Fuck the game,” Louie said. He picked up another rock. With his knuckles white from the grip on the rock, he pulled his arm back but only wept. As his head bobbed, Arnie watched as Louie’s body teetered on the edge.
Arnie knew that if the man kept it up they’d be out of rocks soon. And if he lost his mind, then maybe a push was in order. Sure, it was a sick thought to have—pushing an innocent, living man into a horde of zombies, but these weren’t normal times.
Trying to take the high road, Arnie wrapped his arms around Louie and pulled him back. The rock fell to the floor with a clunk.
“Louie, please. You’re losing it.”
Louie dropped to his ass and kept crying. Arnie always wondered what was worse than watching a woman cry when you had nothing to offer to make it stop. He found it, and it wasn’t the end of the world waiting outside, it was Louie babbling like a baby.
The crying lasted ten minutes or so until Louie sucked up all his snot and put out a shaky hand towards Arnie, offering a forgiveness handshake. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I haven’t had a smoke in a while. Withdrawal. And those things… I just think about all the people I know out there. Are they dead? Are they walking again, but as zombies?”
“You’re the one who told me we’d be saved soon. We had to just hang out here…”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I need a cigarette. And a shot of whiskey.”
“And a woman,” Arnie added with a smile.
“Amen to that. But enough talk about what we can’t have. You know what? I feel like something’s going to happen today. Something’s… changing.”
Changing.
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To read more, and find out what is changing and whether Louie and Arnie survive, check out Undead Is Not An Option.
Season two of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” kicked off with a groan, lurch, and the bang that made viewers jump off their couches. For a show that went through more than a few growing pains during filming of the current season, TWD creators are proving that despite the changes, they are still striving to deliver one of the best-made programs on television. And the proof isn’t in backroom antics; the numbers for the season premiere alone are amazing–7.3 million viewers tuned in to catch the flesh-munching goodness, shattering previous records for a basic cable TV show.
The first episode was light on the bloodshed, but heavy on character focus. We got a serious look at the women who provide the backbone of the survivors. You’ve got the widow finally finding her footing in life after the death of her abusive husband. There’s the woman who has lost everything and everyone she loves and wants nothing more than a way out. And, of course, we have the once-thought widow who is reunited with her husband, but not until after sleeping with his best friend.
There’s a saying, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman.” We were shown in season one that the women handle more than their share of the work in camp. Since leaving the camp, that work has translated to emotional support, and basically the three have become a collective “mommy”–a mommy with a gun and short temper, apparently. The best thing the creators did with that first episode was hit the women where it hurt–their children. One child goes missing in the middle of a zombie attack, and the other…well, remember that bang mentioned before? It wasn’t a happy moment for our survivors.
Episode two carried on with the deep look at the women in camp. Almost instantly, Laurie knew something was wrong. It’s always been a little creepy when a mother does that; how despite distance, she knows her family is in danger. Too many times it has happened in real life to be simply a story mechanism. This story line is really putting the focus on Laurie and when she tells Rick his place is by her side with their son, you knew he’d sit, stay, and do what she wanted.
We’re also introduced to a new group of survivors out on the farm. You don’t take notice of their women until after the men have all taken off to do what men do, risk their necks without a solid plan. But when Maggie decides to make her presence felt, it is a solid blow that snags your attention. As we put it while discussing the episode, Maggie is the face of girl power in The Walking Dead, no doubt.
On this show, the women are a symbol of hope, while the men try to be realists…to a fault. Survivors of any disaster need hope in order to keep putting one foot in front of another. Without it, they’d be like the corpses in the cars on the freeway, laying there waiting for a slow death. Now we just have to wait and see if that hope can survive the horrific situations thrown their way by fate.
Need something spooky to get you in the mood for Halloween? The Zombie Survival Crew recommends, Undead Is Not An Option. It will give you chills and have you checking the locks and closets before going to bed.
The first entry in the anthology was a piece from one of our loyalists summarizing the situation in which we’d found ourselves, and helps us to understand how the Zombie Survival Crew came into being and some of the forces we are up against.
Classified Warning Order
by Kelene Toups
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CLASSIFIED MESSAGE
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TASK ORGANIZATION: Zombie Survival Crew (ZSC)
SITUATION: Several weeks ago, your organization was called upon to build a force and recruit for the imminent zombie apocalypse. Your orders are to serve as a front line force to protect the living, and annihilate the undead.
Enemy Forces
Recent reports indicate attacks and sightings in major cities in the United States and other countries around the globe. International recruiting has ensured our allies are well prepared for the attack. And these allies have pledged their full support to the ZSC. Intelligence obtained from our most recent reconnaissance mission suggests a large-scale attack is approaching. The Zombie Survival Crew is now, officially, on full alert. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
The enemy, easily identified by their pale grey skin, unhealed wounds, shuffling gait and colorless eyes, travels in packs and is extremely dangerous. Use maximum caution when approaching large numbers; strive to isolate the enemy or reduce to small groups for ease of dispatch. Our research subject has shown the enemy possesses an excellent sense of smell and hearing, poor vision, nonexistent thought process and an insatiable appetite for human flesh. These vital bits of intelligence will aid you in combat against the enemy; use these weaknesses to your full advantage to neutralize the strength of the enemy and diminish the chance of increase in numbers. The most effective means of destruction is to discontinue the neurotransmission process, accomplished by destruction of the brain. I.e. axe blow, bullet, pick axe, crossbow etc…
Recent intelligence reports indicate enemy forces are increasing faster than originally anticipated, with the potential to reach epidemic proportions. The lethal virus is introduced to the host from the saliva of an infected enemy by means of a bite during an attack.
We’ve been talking about the three day zombie extravaganza called the 2011 Halloween Zombie Event and how you can participate in person. If you missed the video teaser about it, check it out here. We have also posted the live event instructional videos here and here. But what happens if you are unable to participate in the live event? Will you be left out in the cold wondering when YOU will have a chance to kill zombies? Not on this Commander’s watch. I tossed the problem to Commander RC Murphy, and she came up with the way to participate online via Twitter. If you haven’t read her brilliant plan, the click here an then come back to read the rules and guidelines.
In the previous post we mentioned the use of Twibbons, but found that they would be a little cumbersome for everyone to use, so thought we’d give everyone the graphic to copy and you can either use it to REPLACE your Twitter avatar, or you can MODIFY your Twitter avatar — whichever you like. The avatars will all be the same, but the color signifies what type they are: survivor (green), zombie (red), or idle (yellow). Click the images below and then save the file to your machine. We recommend saving all three up front, so you don’t have to scramble to get one you need during the event.
Survivor
Zombie
Idle
Rules and Guidelines: The Basics
In order to participate in the Halloween Zombie Apocalypse Role-Play you must:
Use the HZA hashtag- #HZA11 or a coordinating map sector hashtag such as- #HZA11S3 #HZA11S6, etc…
Apply the image to your Twitter avatar that designates you as a Survivor or Zombie in the Role-Play scenario.
Please refrain from using curse words or engaging in sexual scenes during the 3 days of the HZA event.
Be sure to clarify what is an “action” and what is “dialog” in your tweets. This can be accomplished by putting asterisks (*), dashes (-), or double colons (::) on either side of your action sequence.
Example: @UserName77: Friggen zombies! ::RC grabs her sword & charges into the fight:: Eat steel, suckers! #HZA11
To sign in to the event use an action such as: walking outside, waking up, etc. This will establish your presence in the Role-Play scenario.
To sign out of the event while you are away from Twitter do the opposite: lock yourself inside a secure building, fall asleep, etc.
In conjunction, players must change their avatar image to the “Idle” image.Fellow players — respect the fact that your comrades aren’t available to play and do not attack when they are not present to defend themselves.
Rules of Combat:
Do not attack “sleeping” or “idle” participants. Players with the “Idle” image are “safe” within the HZA on Twitter event in order to give a fair playing ground to those that cannot participate on all 3 days of the event.
Each attack that is attempted cannot be completed until your opponent has an opportunity to retaliate.
Example:
@UserName77: @ZombieLuv42 Back off, Bub. ::swings her sword at the zombie’s neck with what little strength she’s got left:: #HZA11S2
@ZombieLuv42: @UserName77 – snarls, sweeping an arm out to block the sword and suffers a deep gash in his forearm – #HZA11S2
The victim of the attack will be the one to determine a “kill” or “bite”. Please be fair about how you fight. If an opponent attempts what should be a mortal blow, accept defeat. This Role-Play scenario is for fun, not ego.
If a Survivor is bitten during play, they must replace their avatar image with the one for Zombies and then continue playing the event as a member of the undead.
If a Zombie is destroyed during play, they have the option to drop out of the HZA event to sit back and watch, or they may change their avatar image to Survivor and take a turn as one of the living.
Keep your actions within fight scenes realistic. Play injuries as though “real”. Meaning, if your hand has been injured in a fight, you cannot hold a gun properly for the next round of fighting. Humans are weaker than the undead, play that as well. (This all gives “depth” to the scenario and lends for more entertaining play.)
The Zombie Survival Crew considers the Halloween Zombie Apocalypse on Twitter a perfect chance to test your mettle against the potential of what is to come. Crew members are encouraged to give it a try. Hey, any excuse to take a sword to an undead menace, right? We’ve posted the map again for your reference below: (Click the map to make it larger.)
We stayed in touch with Zombification Specialist Billy Tackett after our interview with him earlier this year, and now Billy is one of our Special Forces operatives. Back in February he hinted that there were some fun projects in his future, but didn’t want to jinx himself. Now we’re finally getting a sneak peek at what’s kept him up to his eyeballs in rotting flesh for the last few months.
Billy has taken his iconic Zombie Sam image and turned it on it’s head, creating Dead, White, & Blue Comics, a graphic novel centered around Zombie Sam and his Fightin’ Yanks. The artwork harkens back to older comic book styles while delivering on the grotesque and twisted humor. Hope y’all have a strong stomach for this one.
From billytackett.com, “During World War 2 Sam & His Fightin’ Yanks were a comic book sensation. Every red-blooded American kid followed their monthly adventures in Red White & Blue Comics, never knowing that their favorite Star-Spangled heroes were actually based on real live super powered beings! During the final days of the Great War something began to go terribly wrong. Sam and his partners Fannie and the Sarge began to turn into horrific, cannibalistic monsters! They were taken out of service and put into suspended animation.
Fast forward to the day after tomorrow: The evil that Sam & His Fightin’ Yanks battled decades before has returned with a vengeance! Every man, woman and child on Earth are in danger. Our only hope lies in the monsters we once called heroes…”
The creative plot and use of existing zombie pop culture references has us really looking forward to Dead, White, & Blue Comic’s release. Billy has a 14-page teaser up on his website right now. Crawl on over and get a taste of what is to come from this amazing artist.
Want to know more about how to participate in the LIVE 2011 Halloween Zombie Event? Joseph Tremblay, the originator of the event has put together the below instructional video to help you plan your halloween zombiepocalypse.
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Don’t forget that if you are unable to participate in person, we’ll be tearing it up on Twitter. For more information, read about the virtual event here.
A few months back your ZSC command sent out a call to all authors and artists requesting stories, art work, and articles The Yellow Brigade has answered the call. When Carol contacted me with her article, I knew right away with the topic of cadaver dogs that her article would be made of win.
Cadaver Dog Training on the Rise as Zombie Apocalypse Threatens
Guest Post by ZSC Member, Carol Ward – Yellow Brigade
We’ve all seen the heart wrenching photos and footage of rescue and recovery canines hard at work after a natural or a man made disaster. These incredibly disciplined and highly trained animals are the eyes and ears, the sight and scent, of the dedicated men and women who work with them. In time of need they are put to the test and are able to identify distant moans, very slight movements, and minute odors in the air. Rescue canines, like their bloodhound relatives, are bred for a very specific purpose – find life. Cadaver dogs, on the other hand, have a wonderful knack for sniffing out the walking dead.
These days we cannot be prepared enough in the event of a zombie apocalypse. We have our go bags by the door, we target shoot once a week, we even park furthest from the store front for the added exercise. Why do we feel the need to face this possible, nay, probable, disaster alone as a race of humans? Animals in general, and dogs specifically, are able to sense when something is not quite right with humans. Much like reacting to sudden shifts in air pressure when Mother Nature is planning her wrath, dogs are highly sensitive to erratic behavior and down right disgusting smells in humans.
Although some would attribute the increase in cadaver dog training as a direct result to the increase in natural disasters, others are not so sure. The expectant zombie apocalypse weighs heavy on the minds of many animal enthusiasts. Animal shelters are welcoming the influx of canine adoptions – mutts are known for their even temperament and ease of learning. There’s something to be said about Sean Patrick Flanery choosing a highly trained canine as his weapon of choice. This human for one thinks he’s using his brains – something we all hope he retains control of for a long, long time to come.
If you’re considering your options for companionship in the uncertain days ahead, look no further than your local animal shelter. I for one will welcome the mile head start I plan to reap from my own dogs – be we downwind or not.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Carol for her insightful article. *CROSSBOW SALUTE*
All submissions will be carefully reviewed and responded to, and revisions may be requested.
And this is where I get to rattle off all of the small print stuff like: submitting your work to the Zombie Survival CrewTM provides tacit consent for the Zombie Survival CrewTM to publish and promote your work as a part of the Zombie Survival CrewTM site. No payment will be given to any person for their submission and no payment will be accepted by the Zombie Survival CrewTM to publish any individual’s work. The Zombie Survival CrewTM will not be held liable for any copyright infringements should the work submitted not be the express original work of the submitter, but the infringement will be born by the submitter. By submitting your work to the Zombie Survival CrewTM you agree that you are the owner of the copyright to the material. And if for any reason you have lied to us about the copyright ownership, the Zombie Survival CrewTM reserves the right to send a horde of zombies to your doorstep to give you your just desserts.
“Following in the footsteps of the New York Times bestselling graphic novels and the record-breaking new television show, this debut novel in a trilogy of original Walking Dead books chronicles the back story of the comic book series greatest villain, The Governor.
