Archive for June, 2012
13 items.
I feel a fever coming on. And the only prescription is more conventions! That’s right guys; convention season is right around the corner! What do I mean about that? Well our very next convention is going to be Southern Maryland Comic Con on July 7th! That’s right we get to come out of the 4th of July with a kick ass local convention. The last time we were here these guys blew us away with the fan support for such a small upstart convention. This time they are turning up the heat and going bigger, and better.
That’s right bigger and better! They have 90 tables of swag and art to go through. The place it’s “huger” (direct quote from Ben who runs the convention). And this time they have panels and events to spark up new interest! Everything from art making, to costume contests. From a panel about web comics, to a Conquest demonstration! You like Magic: The Gathering? Come take part in their humongous tournament scheduled to run from 11am all the way till 4pm featuring the new expansion Avacyn Restored!
Not to mention you will get to meet some serious talent. From artist ally stars, to local legends come meet some awesome artists of some of your favorite comics! Names like Tim Seeley (Revival), Greg LaRoque (Flash, Spider Man, Avengers), J.K. Woodard (Star Trek), and Matt Slay (TMNT, Marvel: Avengers Assemble!).
And as if that wasn’t enough to get you to come on out at 1pm yours truly will be hosting the first ever Grim Crews’ Zombie Apocalypse Survivor Quiz! You think you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse? Our expert panel of judges will decide your worth as you compete against other contestants for fabulous prizes! Signups for being a contestant will be at the Raven Warren Studio Booth and will be open up till ½ hour before the panel. The contestants will be drawn randomly from the pool of sign ups and 4 lucky fans will get the chance to go head to head to become Grim Crews’ Zombie Apocalypse Survivor! All contestants will receive a prize for participating, with the prizes getting better and better as you progress! If you don’t get picked, don’t worry you’ll still have a shot at fabulous giveaways as I choose audience members to answer trivia questions and perform dares for comics. That’s right comics! What’s better than going to a comic book convention and getting free comics? Am I right?
Except maybe this sweet trophy for the costume contest!
By now you are probably wondering where the convention will be held? See below for all the stats!
Where? 3033 Waldorf Market Place, Waldorf, MD 20603
When? Saturday July 7, 2012 10 am to 5 pm
How much? $10 gets you all this fun and more! Children under 10 get in FREE so bring the little heads and get them hooked early!
You can get more information on other guests, activities, and more at their website www.somdcon.com, or on their Facebook Page. Can’t wait to see you all there!
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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If you read the Zombie Current Events blog from last week, you may recall that I said that I would like to go over the car design Robert Kirkman did for the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. Have you watched the video yet? I first found this on thestir.cafemom.com. Here’s the video below.
Did you catch the glimpse of the car design? Here’s a still frame.
I would have used the Bat Mobile as my base model but hey to each his own.
I just have one word for you Robert…”NO!” And I say that with all the ferocity of a trainer bonking his new puppy on the nose with a newspaper. Dude you make great books, but your car designs are a little lacking.
Where should I start, how about the wheels? Those spikes have to go. If you think about trying to get around in a zombie apocalypse, your going to have to deal with roadways cramped with crashed cars, city streets littered with zombies. It may look cool to have those spikes sticking out, but really they are only going to hamper you. You’ll get them stuck on cars as your trying to pass. They may take out the leg of a zombie, but then you have to worry about the leg getting stuck and slowing you down. Let’s also say you are trying to get back in the car while being chased by zombies. With those spikes on it, you would have to worry about dodging them before you could make it in the vehicle.
On top of the spikes, you put cage bars over the wheels. I understand the intention of this. He’s trying to prevent a zombie from getting stuck in the wheel well. But what happens when you blow a tire? You then have to take off the bars, not to mention the dangerous spike, before you can replace the wheel. If I’m changing a tire during a zombie attack I would want it as fast as possible so I can get my chubby butt back in the car. I don’t care if you’re on Tony Stewart’s pit team; you’re not changing a tire with bars over it in under a minute. You’re better off not having the bars. They won’t protect the wheel that much and the dangers of having them outweigh the benefits.
Next I want to take a look at the scoop he has on the front. You almost had it right on this one Kirkman. But what is your fascination with spikes? The spikes at the top of the scoop will trap zombie bodies in the scoop, making for dangerous messy cleanup, and possible dragging a body with you throughout an entire city. Once you get one body stuck, the functionality of the scoop is diminished, and would prevent it from doing what you wanted it there for in the first place. Take the spikes off and you could go through snow, debris covered roadways, and even zombie hoards with a whole lot less problems.
I like the idea of the steel plates over the windows. They would protect them to prevent things from breaking the windows. But you don’t want to go overboard with them. Driving blind is just as dangerous as hand to hand combat with a zombie. Find a way to adjust them so they don’t block your vision, but can be pulled down to protect the windows when not in motion, and you have a solid idea there. Just make sure to find a way for the wipers to work. You’ll need a way to clean the blood off the windshield.
Now the roof of the car I really do like. The spotlights will be useful for illuminating the road so you can really see if zombies, animals, or people are in the roadway. And as you probably don’t have to worry about too many drivers, it’s ok to drive with your high beams on. The cage is good to protect a gunner up top. In a defensive situation the gunner could still be relatively safe even with zombies getting closer to the car.
Now I would like to offer a few suggestions to make the car design a little better. Let’s start with a winch. As it’s not a truck, you won’t have a ball hitch in the back to bring along a camper or a trailer or anything. A wench could provide you the means of securing something in place of a ball hitch. Not to mention it would be useful for getting yourself out of a ditch, clearing vehicles out of the way if necessary, or hoisting someone or something, up and down a cliff.
Another suggestion is more for the interior. Make sure you take out the back seats and set up storage compartments for ammo and food and other supplies. A gun rack back there can keep your weapons safe and stowed away, while being easily accessible. You also want to go leather interior. It will probably make it easier to clean off the zombie blood.
My last suggestion would be to put a security bar around the vehicle. This can act as a “whole vehicle bumper” in case you get into tight situations. If you have to rub up against a building or another car, the security bar would protect the body of the car. You don’t want to compromise the body of the vehicle as it would likely provide you less protection.
Somehow I doubt Hyundai will be offering any of this in their options packages. Worse yet, the customizations will probably not be covered by your car insurance company, but hey, it will look real cool.
Share your ideas on how to help improve the car design by putting your comments below. If you have ideas or suggestions for the blog, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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I’m doing another Zombie Website of the Month post. Why another so soon? Because I have found a webcomic that is entertaining, original, and all about zombies.
All characters, and designs are owned by J & J Maillet
The Other Grey Meat is about the zombies who have survived the apocalypse. If that sounds strange to you , yea your right. It turns out that zombies aren’t the mindless beasts we think they are. We’ll, they don’t have a brain, so that kind of makes them mindless. The Other Grey Meat brings an interesting twist to the well played zombie stick. The zombies might start out as hungry brain devouring creatures, but the more real human brains they eat, the more they gain intelligence. The problem with this is, that there is only so many brains to go around. Most of the populous of zombies are the mindless killing machines you have come to know because there simply was not enough brains to go around. The lucky ones were able to gain intelligence enough to get productive jobs.
There are no humans left. Or at least that’s what the zombies believe. There is actually one human left, and he can’t remember his name. So he is called John. The predicament of John is an interesting one. All around him are zombies who would eat his brains, if they knew he had them. No one knows what John is, save the ever so sexy zombie limb replacement technician known as Beth. Beth found John when he woke up in his clinic one day. It took some “creative convincing” to show Beth that he was indeed still human and that his leg should not be lopped off for a replacement. John is safe from Beth because of her “vegan” like attitude toward brains.
Now what makes this interesting is that as the last human left on earth, if an accident should happen and any other zombie looking to up their status in society by chomping on another fresh brain, John would indeed wake up as a level 1 zombie. However with no other supply of grey matter around, he would be stuck as a dangerous, mindless level 1 for the rest of his unlife.
Tie all this in with a corrupt government system run by the smartest zombie on the earth, and an army of not so smart zombies trying to take down his reign, and an adorable little dork of a zombie child somehow always in the center of trouble wither he is causing it or not, you have a compelling drama. Top it all off with some excellent character writing and good artwork, and I’m surprised this comic isn’t already at the top of a lot of people’s list.
So why is it called The Other Grey Meat? Well you’ll just have to read to figure that one out. Trust me, until our writer is back in the swing of things, this one will be a good one to tide you over. Check it out at greymeat.com
If you have a zombie website you would like to see on our Zombie Website of the Month email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. If you want to share your thoughts on this post enter your comment below. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
A Zombie Father’s Day Poem
Dear Dad,
You have always been there when people are mean,
When I make a mistake you don’t make a scene.
It don’t matter that your bad leg makes you lean,
I don’t even care that you’re flakey and green.
Your smell may be bad, your teeth not so bright,
When you walk out the door you sure are a site.
To some you are scary, yea you are a fright,
People run from you, but I think you’re alright.
I love how they scream when you come down the lanes,
I love even more that you take away my pains.
You only say one word, it drives me insanes,
But this I’ll forgive, cus you only want brains.
You came back from the grave; your hair’s kinda swampy
Your skin’s full of holes, some say you are comby.
Your style is bad, you don’t wear Abercrombie,
I love you anyway Dad, you’re my kind of zombie.
-Penguin Prince
Image Sources
“Zombie Dad” http://www.squidoo.com/Funny-Zombie-Quotes?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster
“World’s Greatest Zombie” http://www.flixya.com/photo/1909820/Worlds-Greatest-Zombie
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Well all I have to say about last week’s news is that it was a lot more of the same. The zombie attacks that have already been reported are still all over the news. They just won’t go away. I took a sneak peak at this weeks news. I’m afraid it will be more of the same.
One interesting find in all this is that part of the autopsy report for Rudy Eugene was released. Or leaked, either way. It turns out that he may not have actually eaten the flesh of Ronald Popo like eyewitness accounts had suggested. His stomach failed to contain any human flesh. He did however have marijuana in his system as well as undigested pills in his stomach. The full report may not be available for a while, but this may be enough to satisfy curiosity for a bit at least.
Some more on the Bath Salts subject is that there have been made some excellent Memes. Check out the photos below for some LoLs.
Nope, won't shy away from it... Bring on the hate mail! {1}
So much more to do with them than playing catch with cops. {2}
You don't think that is funny, you must be a zombie. {3}
My favorite. {4}
What about something that doesn’t involve drugs? Well is it any wonder that Brad Pit’s World War Z movie is getting a rewrite? Yep evidently halve way through production someone had the bright idea to bring in “Prometheus” and “Lost” writer Damon Lindelof. Thank God. Fanboys rejoice and this movie might not suck. As bad.
And finally if you live near Ocean City Maryland, or visit it on vacation, you might want to take a look at the brand new Zombie House. Guests/survivors will be given special guns in which they will use to target the zombies that attack you as you move through the house. This will be a mix of animatronics and live actor interaction with guest, and the special effects promise to be excellent. What I like about the attraction however is that it will be geared to all ages. The house actually calibrates the experience for the guests. So a group that will have small kids may get a more laid back experience. But agroup of adults will get an all out scare fest. This attraction opened on June 8th so whenever you get a chance to stop by the board walk, check it out and let me know how it is.
That’s all for the zombie news of the week. It’s a short one, but again, all the other stories have already been reported on. Don’t forget that if you find a zombie current event you would like to share, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince.
Image Sources
{1}, {2}, {3}, {4} http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-Memes/289129864486882
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I completely lost interest in this week’s Zombie Current Events. I will post it Friday. But why did I lose interest? We’ll a friend of mine had a new picture up on her Facebook holding a rifle with a scope, and to tease her a bit I looked up the names of some historic snipers. And then I realized I was doing zombie research while Facebooking. I’m pretty much hopeless at this point.
My point is, I found the number one person in history you would have wanted on your survival team.
You wouldn't have seen him coming. {1}
Simo Häyhä was not only a good sniper, to date he is the best battle tested sniper in history. With 505 recorded kills in battle, this was one bad ass soldier you would never see before you died. Fighting for the Finnish army in the Winter War (1939-1940) his record for killing Soviet soldiers earned him the nick name “White Death.”
You see Simo was a master of a tool of the sniper trade that wasn’t always common practice at the time. He camouflaged himself perfectly for his surroundings. Fighting on the Finland/Soviet border in the dead of winter allowed him to completely cover himself in white, rendering himself invisible to Soviet troops. Something else that may have accounted for his success was his choice in weaponry. The White Guard M/28 “Pystykorva” was a smaller rifle and worked well for him because he had a smaller frame. Also at a time that technology was advancing quickly in the battlefield, he decided to stick with a tried and true iron sight instead of using a telescopic sight. This allowed him to stay concealed better because he didn’t have to lift his head up as much as one with a telescopic sight would.
Simo Häyhä was so feared by the Soviets that they tried most everything they could to get rid of him. With counter snipers, and artillery strikes aimed for the sole purpose of getting rid of this master gunman, the Soviets were unsuccessful in their efforts to dispose of Simo until he was finally shot through the face during battle.
"Look so good if shot in face with exploding bullet you will not!" {3}
In a true show of how completely manly this man was, not even being shot through the face killed the White Death. Reports show that after being unconscious for a week, and after having half of his face removed from the attack, Simo woke up the day that peace was declared on March 13, 1940. With an average of 5 recorded kills a day, Simo could have very well surpassed 540 kills had he gone unscathed.
Simo Häyhä recovered from his injuries and lived a long life of 97 years before passing away in 2002. To this date no other sniper has had as many recorded kills as this man, and defiantly not in such a short time period. His time on the battlefield was only 100 days.
{3}
So what can we learn from this great hero of Finland? First, is always use the weapon that best suits you. Had Häyhä tried to use a larger gun, or more powerful firearm, he might not have been as successful as he was. Second, don’t always rely on technology to make you better. Keep in mind that he accomplished his feats with just using his iron sights. It was the best tool for the conditions he was fighting in, and that’s why he used them.
Next, practice makes perfect. Before the war Häyhä was a farmer and a huntsman. He had lots of practice with his weapon which made him proficient at what he did. And finally, never underestimate the power of a good hiding spot. The combination of his knowledge of his surroundings, the conditions he was fighting in, and his excellent camouflage made him a near perfect threat to the Soviets. Using these same tactics you could hide well from the zombie danger until the coast is clear.
Want to comment on today’s post? Leave a comment below or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Image Sources
{1} http://www.cracked.com/article_17019_5-real-life-soldiers-who-make-rambo-look-like-pussy.html
{2} & {3} http://www.natemaas.com/2012/03/simo-hayha.html
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If you’re like me, you may not own a gun. Isn’t it a shame? I write a zombie blog three times a week and do not own a firearm. My reason is simple, when you live with other people, sometimes those people make decisions you don’t agree with. In this case, it’s the rule that no firearms are to be allowed in the house. You may have other reasons, and they can vary. From gun restriction laws, to level of income, to moral beliefs, many households are without firearms.
So the thing about this is, you would think that we were ill prepared for the zombies. Well not entirely. You can still have your other supplies ready to go. And practice with all types of weaponry will make you proficient enough to get out of Dodge as long as you stay diligent and leave at the first sign of trouble. The other thing to arm yourself with is knowledge.
Even if you don’t own a gun, you should always learn how to handle one. Many gun ranges will rent you weapons for use at their facilities. This is a good way to learn how to handle many different types of firearms from handguns, to rifles, and even sometimes heavy artillery. Take advantage of these places because if you can learn to proficiently fire all types of guns, you will have a better shot at using any that you may come across.
Another thing that all non-gun owners should learn is how to take care of a firearm. All firearms need to be maintained properly in order for them to be effective. If you get your riffle dirty and don’t clean it, it could misfire, backfire, get jammed and even explode. Learn how to take apart and clean all types of firearms. Ideally you want to clean your firearms after every time you use them. Reality is you may get an opportunity to clean them less often than that. Once-a-day cleanings should be preformed to keep your firearm in tip-top shape. If not then every other day. Try not to go extended periods of time without proper maintenance on your firearm. It’s a machine just like your car. It won’t run forever if you don’t properly take care of it.
Even battleships need to clean their guns. Against a zombie, a properly maintained gun will be your best friend. {1}
Being able to make your own ammo will give you an advantage in the apocalypse. You would still need to find the resources to make the bullets (the powder, the metal for the tips, the casings, ext.) but you will still have one up on someone who doesn’t know how.
I would also suggest if you don’t own a gun, know at least where you can find one. Make friends with your neighbors. If you have family who owns firearms, get them to teach you how to handle them and maybe get the combinations to their safe’s . Getting inside the head of a gun owner will help you to think of where a gun owner may hide their weapons. Are they the kind of person to hide a handgun in the closet? How about under their bed? Some people find ways to hide them in the floor boards. Others keep their safe’s hidden in the garage or storage shed. Basements are popular places to hide weapons as well. Don’t rely on the gun store down the street or in the next town. Chances are people have probably already looted those stores first. If you neighbor is no longer using their weapons, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you borrowing them to fight the undead.
Even if you don't own a gun, if you know how to get into one of these, you'll be ok. {2}
Last tip of advice, and this applies directly to the last paragraph, don’t ever try to forcibly take away a firearm from a live person. Not only are you putting yourself in great danger of being shot, but you are then leaving another person defenseless against the zombies. This makes you a bad person and I would hope anyone who would do that to someone would get turned into a zombie themselves.
If you have ideas or suggestions for the blog, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. Just want to add your two cents, comment below. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Image Sources
{1} http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/10/foghorn/ask-foghorn-cleaning-kit-for-firearms/gun-cleaning/
{2} http://www.securityproducts1.com/
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Ok that’s it. I’m officially declaring it the end of the world. You don’t have to work today.
"It's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fine" REM {1}
In the wake of the Miami Zombie story I talked about last week, we have ton’s of new cases popping up where people are using and abusing the human body for very zombie like stuff. There is so many news reports of people going bat shit insane that you don’t need my weekly report to keep up with it. You can’t get away from it.
So I decided to change things up a bit at least just for this post. Instead of picking out stories to write about, I’m going to just write and pick stories that back up the stuff I say. I mean seriously. You think I can go through over a thousand news articles in one week based on the crazy stuff that’s going down? I didn’t even try. I’m going to tell you that strait up.
So we now have the Miami Zombie who ate about 75% of a man’s face, the Maryland Zombie who killed his friend and ate his heart and part of his brain, the New Jersey Zombie who eviscerated himself then decided to throw his guts at the police, and yet another face eating (or at least biting) in Louisiana. Most of the news however is focused on the story of the Miami Zombie. Reports are coming in from everything from the victim’s identity and his family finding him after 30 years of disappearance, to Eugene’s girlfriend blaming Voodoo for his actions. And how about the spot of the attack being featured in a bus tour of Miami?
In the middle of all this, no one’s talking about the less gruesome zombie stuff. How about the dead Brazilian 2 year old who sat up in his coffin, asked for a drink of water, and then died again? I mean bodies moaning we have all heard about, but the kid said a complete sentence, and then died again! What the hell? Gun stores are obviously doing pretty well after all this news. Who would have thought a zombie could boost the economy? And people are even going to greater lengths to be sure they are safe from the apocalypse. A set of zombie proof condos in Kansas have sold out. I was actually stoked to read about that one because I saw the condos on a TV show once and I was hoping that they would do well.
Zombie Proof Condos... I wouldn't go underground, but it's Kansas, so it should be fine. Right? {2}
But really with all this zombie stuff going on we will always have the naysayers speaking out against the sensational. The CDC of course is denying the existence of a zombie virus or disease. Many people are saying the grouping of the events is nothing new. Stuff like this happens all the time, but it’s getting more press than usual. Also the grouping of such items together is in human nature but it doesn’t mean the end of the world.
I don’t know about you, but I believe more and more every day that this whole Mayan Calendar thing is real. What do you guys think? Leave your comments below or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Image Sources
{1} http://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-the-rise-of-the-post-carbon-era/
{2} http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/zombie-proof-condos-sell-out-in-kansas
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