We hope you'll find this blog an educational, entertaining, and inspiring source of information, whether you're recently undead, a long-time member of the differently animated, or a still-living friend of your fallen, yet risen again, brethren. Everyone with an interest in zombie rights is welcome!
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Posted By John Sears on October 24, 2009
Just a quick update to let all our readers know that the ZRC representatives made it back from a violence free outing to Schuster’s Playtime Farm, just east of Madison, WI. There was a very elaborate corn maze to navigate, fudge and treats to purchase, and a wide variety of bizarre pumpkins available as well.
Pictures and more details to follow in a later post.
Posted By John Sears on October 22, 2009
Hello and welcome to the Zombie of the Year 2009 Nominations. First up, since this is the inaugural year of the Zombie of the Year Award, we in ZRC management feel that a quick discussion of the rules is in order.
Zombie of the Year is an award given to the Zombie or Zombie-like Undead who has done the most to better the cause of Zombie Rights or improve the image of Zombies in the public mind in the previous year. It will be awarded on October 31st each year, so that Zombiekind and other Undead can recognize one of their own and brighten what is otherwise often the single worst day on the calendar for all Differently Animated individuals.
Zombie of the Year can be awarded to any Zombie (or Zombie-like Undead) public figure, whether a real person or a fictional character, so long as they embody that special can-do spirit and principled determination we all love and cherish from the Undead Community. Nominees will be announced, as they are this year, in October, giving at least a couple of weeks for a thorough vetting before the final selection.
With that out of the way, here are your nominees for 2009 for The Zombie Rights Campaign’s Zombie of the Year!
In no particular order:
Baron Mardi, from Atomic Age Cinema and The Dark Carnival:
–Baron Mardi is both Undead and a Voodoo priest of considerable renown. Involved with numerous public service endeavors, Baron Mardi can be seen weekly at Atomic Age Cinema, where he uses humor and satire to deconstruct the stereotypes often held against the so-called ‘Living Dead’, as well as a host of other ‘monsters’ much maligned by Hollywood. Thank you, Baron Mardi!
Joanna the Cat, from Overcompensating:
–Joanna may not be the most active, or the most outgoing, but she’s a very good listener. She has found herself on many an adventure over the past year, and been a trustworthy companion and drinking buddy for her perpetually anxious owner Jeffrey Rowland, proving that Zombies can make good pets, and even better friends.
Prince Ansom (Decrypted), from Erfworld by Rob Balder and Jamie Noguichi:
–Erfworld has broken bold new ground this year, presenting the Undead as fearsomely intelligent, dedicated and driven individuals, in the form of the Decrypted being created by Wanda now that she is attuned to the Arkenpliars. No other individual personifies this new vision of the Undead than Prince Ansom, once the sworn enemy of Gobwin Knob and Stanley the Tool, now in the loyal service of the once-faltering Kingdom instead. Prince Ansom is a role model for Zombiekind, particularly in light of the real world military’s rather regressive thinking on the Differently Animated enlisting alongside living soldiers. Don’t Ask, Don’t Eat Brains!
U.N.I.T.Y., from Skin-Horse by Shaenon Garrity and Jeffrey Wells
–Unity was created as an undead weapon of mass destruction, or at least, copiously excessive destruction. However she decided to strike out on her own, and found herself in the employ of our friendliest branch of the shadow government, Project Skin-Horse, helping other outcasts and unique non-human sapients like herself adapt to a world all too eager to put a person in the ‘Walking Dead’ pigeonhole, merely on the basis of a few isolated brain-eatings. Unity is a model to all Zombies who aspire to public service, and the ZRC is happy to have her in this list.
Zombie Deadpool, aka Z-Pool, from Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth written by Victor Gischler
–Zombie Deadpool has reformed, he swears; he’s off the tasty human flesh. Of course, he’s still a Deadpool, and that means zany antics and carnage will follow him wherever he goes, despite his best efforts to find a place of his own, settle down amongst some cavemen, and start a new religion centered on Deadpool worship and giant statuary. Z-Pool represents one of the few bright spots in mainstream comics and their depiction of the Zombie community, and for that the ZRC is most grateful.
Posted By John Sears on October 21, 2009
All apologies but your humble ZRC President has fallen slightly ill this evening, so the nominations for ZRC Zombie of the Year 2009 will have to go out tomorrow.
Oh, if only *I* could be as durable and dependable as a Zombie.
If only.
–JJS
Posted By John Sears on October 20, 2009
As media watchdogs, we here at the ZRC feel it is important to recognize positive role models for Zombiekind whenever they appear in our sadly biased media. For this reason, I’m pleased to announce that the ZRC will be presenting its First Annual Zombie of the Year Award, to the Undead individual who has made the most outstanding contribution to bettering the image of all Zombies in 2009.
Come back tomorrow for a formal announcement post with a list of nominees, and feel free to vote for your favorite in comments (though the final decision will rest with the esteemed ZRC Committee).
Until then,
John Sears, President of The Zombie Rights Campaign
Posted By John Sears on October 19, 2009
Hi all. I’m glad to see all of you hopefully happy Zombies and Zombie allies on the old site statistics page.
Just wanted to post a quick notice of a couple of upcoming ZRC events… this should go on the frontpage sometime tomorrow, as the Technical Director is asleep just at the moment.
Both of these events are in the Madison, Wisconsin area.
October 24th, Schuster’s Playtime Farm at 5pm: The ZRC will be enjoying the corn maze at Schuster’s Playtime Farm, a welcome alternative to the gore-splattered, often militantly Anti-Zombie festivities of the autumn season.
October 31st, Downtown Madison: Come join the ZRC at ‘Freakfest 2009′ in downtown Madison. We will be in attendance with picket signs at the ready, to spread the word about Zombie Rights. Plus we hear there’s live music or something. Precise time and location for a meetup to follow in a later post.
That’s about it for now, though we’re thinking of cobbling together a small group to attend a screening of Zombieland. Perhaps with a roundtable discussion afterward.
Until next time!
Posted By John Sears on October 18, 2009
The Zombie Rights Campaign Store has gone live!
This is a seriously awesome development for Zombie Rights. Now you can purchase merchandise to show your love for the Differently Animated and support the cause financially at the same time!
We have two products ready at launch. First is our standard ZRC logo on a small vinyl sticker. These are nice stickers, high quality vinyl with good printing from the good folks at Sticker Guy. Put one in your window to say ‘I Support Undead Equality’.
Second, we have a truly awesome t-shirt featuring Tim, our loveable Zombie Spokeschild, sporting his trademark picket sign. Tim feels strongly about the media glorifying Anti-Zombie Violence, and we think you do too. This shirt is a lovely green-grey color (see store for more technical details) and comes from American Apparel, so it’s not just good to Zombies, it’s good to garment workers too. The printing is done by Brunetto, the absolute best in the business, and holds up like you wouldn’t believe. The detail is amazing. Take it from me; I’m the President of the ZRC, but also a proud t-shirt owner.
Well, that’s about it for now. Hope to see lots of new faces, or at least unique visitors, in the near future, as the ZRC is starting up an ad campaign via Project Wonderful via select websites.
Stay tuned folks,
John Sears, President of The Zombie Rights Campaign
Posted By John Sears on October 13, 2009
Here we are again, doing the Marvel Zombies Return thing. This time we jump forward another couple of decades in the new Earth-Z universe and see this alternate world’s version of World War Hulk.
Hulk smash outmoded anti-Zombie stereotypes? Unlikely.
Posted By John Sears on October 13, 2009
Ok, this is a big one. The Zombie Rights Campaign review of Zombieland.
It was a bright, pleasant day when I woke up Sunday morning, but I knew the ordeal in store. The ZRC missed seeing Zombieland last weekend due to the Dark Carnival. Zombieland, unfortunately, was the #1 movie in America last week; we couldn’t afford to let another week go by without countering the hateful propaganda surely contained within.
Nevertheless, this movie managed to surpass my worst fears.
To begin, Zombieland is the story of a group of wanderers in your fairly typical Zombie-Apocalypse, or as Jenny Rowland, ZRC technical director, calls it: The Zombocalypse. You know the score: a disease broke out, turned 99% or so of the human race into Hollywood Zombies, who are now roaming the streets looking to devour anyone remaining, rather than settling down, mowing the lawn, paying the bills, and so forth like a regular member of society… because in Hollywood, Zombies never do those things. Zombies merely eat your flesh.
Zombieland characters go by aliases based on their origins so as not to develop friendships, and thus be tempted to compromise their own survival when a traveling companion faces danger (yet it’s the ZOMBIES who are the soulless bad guys). The main character is thus “Columbus”, his Zombie-slaughtering pal is “Talahassee”, and so forth. They’re traveling across the country, at first heading East toward their respective home towns, then West toward a semi-mythical place, free of Zombies, a sort of Living-Only gated community, located in a faux-Disneyland in California.
The detour occurs when they meet up with a pair of young female grifters, who are also in the Zombie-bashing business, and thus go by the names “Wichita” and “Little Rock”. A madcap series of escapades, punctuated by anti-Undead violence, ensues, and you get a hybrid Zombie movie/Road trip/Buddy comedy/College romance thing going on.
This movie is very slick, very well produced. Gorgeously shot, with a particular penchant for slow motion and CG enhancement, Zombieland is Hollywood going all out on an anti-Zombie crusade. It’s horrifying, and not in the way they intend. Honestly, scene after scene of Zombie slaughter? Talahassee in particular makes a game, actually a long series of games, out of killing as many Zombies, in as many different and comical ways as he can. There’s even a Zombie Kill of the Week contest, for crying out loud!
George Romero can officially retire now, and pass the baton of Anti-Zombie Propaganda to a new generation.
How revolting.
PS: If you do go to see this… film, make sure to watch out for a special cameo by a bigtime Hollywood celebrity, who takes the opportunity to come out of the Zombie Hater’s closet once and for all. I had no idea… and it saddens me to learn about yet another lifeist celebrity in Hollywood.
Posted By John Sears on October 11, 2009
Ahh. I kind of forgot about this one, with all the crazy Dark Carnival stuff and everything. A Wolverine pastiche comic, set up to look like it occurs in his Golden Age, the Gritty Antihero 80s? Great fun!
Oh, no, wait. It’s a Marvel ZOMBIES comic, so it’ll be chock full of anti-Zombie stereotypes….
Yessir, another day, another Marvel Zombies Return. This particular outing is penned by Jonathan Maberry, an up and coming horror writer who nonetheless pads his volume with lifeist prejudice and gruesome Zombie bashing.
Sigh. According to Wikipedia, in his own works, Maberry is somewhat PRO-Undead. Fred Van Lente must have gotten to him somehow!
Ok, quick summary. This issue of the Marvel Zombies Returns event takes place in Japan, or at least, Marvel’s version of it, with a style reminiscent of Marvel comics of the 80s. Wolverine and Kitty Pryde are on the lookout for an underground fighting tournament held by The Hand, a mystic order of ninjas. Unfortunately for them, their paths are about to cross with a pair of Marvel Zombies. OoooOOo.
Really, it’s about what you’d expect. Wolverine, 80s-style, lots of fighting, blood, violence, and the overall plot of the MZ:R sequence continues. There’s a Wolverine vs. Wolverine fight, which is obviously the Main Event, and things wrap up by the end of the issue, after of course, the requisite buckets and buckets of Zombie-gore. At least Zombie Spiderman gets a somewhat sympathetic treatment here, though he is still hopelessly addicted to delicious human flesh.
I’m not sure what is going on at Marvel these days. You have comics like the wonderful Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth, showcasing a positive view of the Differently Animated, and then you have Fred Van Lente and his anti-Zombie crusade, all under the same roof. A more cynical individual might suggest that they’re trying to sell to both sides of the Zombie Rights issue, but I’m a hopeful sort. Maybe Marvel can move past this rabid Zombie-trashing, once this special event is through.
We here at the ZRC certainly hope so.
Posted By John Sears on October 9, 2009
First, please accept the ZRC’s sincerest apologies on the lateness of these updates. A lot of work piled up here in Madison while we were away, and sadly, some of it had to be dealt with before we could supply you with the Zombie content you crave.
Absolutely ENORMOUS and wonderful post behind this cut: