We Came, We Saw, We Did Some Outreach: Zombie Rights at Horrorhound Columbus
The Zombie Rights Campaign has officially returned from our hugely successful trip to Columbus, Ohio, agitating for Zombie Rights, and we have quite the story to tell you, Zombie Allies of the Internet:
We arrived at the convention center for Horrorhound and found that we had been given a premium spot for outreach, right beside an entrance so that I could waylay passers-by with pamphlets before they even knew what hit them!
It’s ok if you do it for justice and love of Zombies.
(Kitty Zombie and his adoring public in front of the ZRC booth)
We set up our booth and almost immediately ran into Kitty Zombie, who was making the rounds also doing great outreach improving Zombie public image with his friendly antics and banter. We get to spend the weekend with him at Chicago Fear Fest in a few weeks!
And as always, the ZRC booth is a welcoming place and a happening one, as all sorts of colorful characters came by our area of the vending room.
(She was probably looking for her Daddy. Her, you know, Big Daddy.)
(This Horror Host could easily feature in my nightmares. The ones not about Zombie Suffering, I mean.)
Horrorhound had a large number of important guests involved with various Anti-Zombie projects, including Norman Reedus from ‘The Walking Dead’, so the ZRC had produced a pamphlet in advance to educate the con-going public about the negative consequences of these works and provide useful talking points in conversing with celebrities. (Click here to see our ‘Zombie Rights at Horrorhound’ pamphlet)
(Sadly, America is still in love with Anti-Zombie oppression on TV)
Mr. Reedus’ immense popularity at the convention, however, demanded an immediate response, and so the ZRC made a special picket sign and bided its time, waiting until his signature line was at a low ebb to spring both the pamphlet and the sign on the actor now infamous for Anti-Zombie violence across America.
(For shame!)
Overall I think it went pretty well.
(S.T.A.R.S. are really a bunch of bullies.)
Another highlight throughout the convention was our three-day feud with members of a local S.T.A.R.S. outfit, who were baffled and confused by a Zombie Rights group interfering with their Anti-Zombie campaign of terror. We have sworn eternal enmity, or at least rivalry, with these heavily armed miscreants, and may see them at a future convention where they hope to bring reinforcements.
We of course will be armed only with literature and the truth.
It wasn’t all confronting nefarious forces of Anti-Zombie prejudice, of course. As I often said, the ZRC was there for the Zombies, and we were able to offer support to a number of Undead individuals who had come out to the show in force.
(No one was eaten in the taking of this photo)
We were also able to take some time off from the social justice work on Friday evening to catch a special screening of the newest film from ZRC Pal Marv Blauvelt, ‘Antibodies’, which doesn’t involve Anti-Zombie violence of any sort. It was a highly anticipated event:
(RIGHT: ZRC Zombie of the Year 2010 Baron Mardi turns out for ‘Antibodies’)
What can I say about Antibodies? Surprisingly little, since this is a family friendly blog! No Zombies were harmed and it’s chock-full of hilariously egregious, gross, splattery horror. I highly recommend not eating immediately before viewing, like I did. Or planning on dining immediately after.
In fact, just avoid food entirely around ‘Antibodies’. Well done, Mr. Blauvelt.
(Marv after the show doing a Q&A)
Overall it was a very Zombie Friendly convention, and there was even a Zombie Masseuse on hand to work out the kinks if you were tired after a long day of protesting/shopping/film viewing.
The ZRC had our newest shirt on hand, and also sold a variety of merch to benefit The Lurch for the Cure. Columbus con-goers were quite generous in contributing to the Lurch as well, and our donation jar filled up nicely and repeatedly.
The Necronomicon shirt came in especially handy when talking to this individual:
By the end of the convention we had accomplished a great deal, sold a lot of Zombie Friendly merchandise, raised a nice chunk of change for the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation and had a very good time while doing it. We even got to go on the offensive against ‘The Walking Dead’ for a change!
The ZRC thanks you, Columbus, for being a wonderful host city for this latest outreach effort, and we hope to see you again one day.
(You can see more pictures from our trip at the ZRC’s Flickr set for Horrorhound, located here)
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