Earlier today I took in a stellar episode of WTF with Marc Maron where the featured guest was Robert Kirkman. The episode was profound in its insight, really I can’t recommend it enough. But, despite teaching you the ins and outs of indie comics, hidden away in the hour and a half is Kirkman’s unique perspective on the living dead apocalypse. He insists to Maron that it’s a largely survivable ordeal. All you have to do is be smart, you have to think ahead, and the road after the zombies is really the most interesting part of the story. Which doesn’t do much to explain his new AMC spinoff Fear The Walking Dead, but that’s beside the point.
Double Take may not even have a single issue on the stands just yet, but I can assure you that they’re thinking bigger picture. The Ultimate Night of the Living Dead is as much about life during the apocalypse, as it is about life after. Any zombie purist worth his salt will tell you that the real heart of any zombie story is what comes next.
You can fake it like Dawn of the Dead. You can avoid it like Day of the Dead. You can live outside it like The Battery. But those shambling monsters will always come back to drag you down.
I know that Double Take certainly has a plan for “what comes after.” We’ve had a few cryptic talks about how their universe will develop. Aside from having some very unique ideas about the nature of zombiism itself, they have an interesting endgame in mind. I believed that it was my intention to grab that baton and give them a story that blended the current state of their universe with seeds of the future.
I love the idea of the end of this world. It’s the most alluring thing about zombies isn’t it? We’re always being fed these ideas about different ways our society can fall apart. We’re in this constant state of thinking we’re absolutely fucked as a race of people. So the idea of the end of days proves to be more compelling than we care to admit.
But because zombies are a survivable plague. What comes next? How do we aim to rebuild. When does the Night of the Living Dead end? And how? Well I can promise you that Double Take is asking those questions and is very interested in what comes next. So get excited.
Let’s dredge up that “escalation schedule one more time, shall we. Just so I can give you the last line, the one that really got me excited.
[redacted] may grow into new [redacted]
You didn’t think it would be that easy did you? Sorry I can’t give away all the secrets just yet. But there is a plan for what comes next. It’s about the human drama of rebuilding the world into one that humans don’t just survive, but thrive. This world is one where we can deal with all sorts of new threats, but just because zombies tear down the world as we know it, doesn’t mean we won’t do everything we can to rebuild. But then the real question becomes: what new sorts of horrors threaten our survival?
To find out what happens once The Ultimate Night of the Living Dead turns to The Ultimate Day of the Living Dead stay tuned to http://doubletakeuniverse.com/
—
This Zomblog ran late, but it’s usually a Monday/Friday thing.
Check out Double Take’s blog – to keep up to date on the incredible comics that will be coming your way in September.
