Zombie of the Year 2009 Nominations
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.
About The Author
Go Ansom! Woot, woot, woot!
It’s always nice to see someone root for their favorite candidate.
Ansom has impressed the Committee this week with his efforts at diplomacy in Erfworld. As an outreach organization, we appreciate any effort to improve relations between the living and the Differently Animated, and Ansom’s efforts to avoid further bloodshed are to be commended.