So, several years ago (maybe 2002?) Eric Jones, Ivan Merritt and I sat down to work on a zombie story. This was the result - Rise of the Dead - a pitch designed for either a comic series or a TV show. Eric and I had been producing zombie stories since the mid-90's (though only a few were published). This collaboration on what had been a mostly ignored genre of horror culminated in the editing of a zombie anthology comic for SLG Publishing titled Zombie-O-rama.
We wanted to go further with this series, but it sadly was never picked up as a comic. We made a small bit of headway on having it produced in animation, but an agent we were working with at the time dismissed zombies as a dead end and ultimately vanished while working on this and our Little Gloomy option with 1492. We resolved our option with 1492 without an agent and saved the 10%. Sadly, we never were able to generate any further interest in Rise of the Dead.
The agent we were working purportedly with went on to help push Walking Dead through with AMC. So I guess he found there was a strong market for zombies after all. What a shock. People like zombies.
This work dates back many years. So, I expect the writing and concepts are pretty well played out and just awful at this stage. But Ivan and Eric's art is still quite nice. Colors are by Rusty Drake or Rikki Simons. I think. Like I said, it's been a long time.
Point is: Check it out, but don't judge it to harshly. It's a product of another time.
He’s coming to get you, Barbara.
THE WORLD:
Jason Taylor
is a relatively young man (somewhere in his mid-twenties) fairly non-descript
looking and considered by most who meet him, unmemorable. He is working a temp job
as a file clerk in Los Angeles, California. His fiancée, Barbara, is in the
process of finishing up her master’s degree in New York and will be joining
Jason on the West Coast shortly.
And
unbeknownst to Jason, the world has just ended.
Two days
ago, a space capsule landed in the middle of the ocean. Upon retrieval, all the
astronauts inside were found dead. Within hours of being brought to land and
admitted into a government installation, the bodies of the astronauts rose from
their examination tables and began killing everyone within reach. To make
matters even worse, when the capsule was opened, something beside the bodies of
the astronauts was let loose. Something bacterial.
While most
people would find themselves immune to the initial effects of the airborne
virus, it would soon be discovered that 10 percent of the population would die
rapidly once exposed. The virus would then cause the body to rise from the dead
in a grotesque parody of life. These zombies would have only one biological
imperative. The basic need to feed – and they feed only on living flesh. Their
blood and saliva is infectious, and even those immune to the airborne version
of the plague will rapidly succumb to this mutated and more deadly form.
The end
result is rapid, widespread destruction. Civilization ends up being a
surprisingly fragile thing as more and more of the populace succumbs. Within
two days zombie uprisings have reduced the city of Los Angeles (amongst many
others) to urban chaos. And this is the world that Jason Taylor has unknowingly
awoken to.
Jason has
one overriding goal: to travel across the country by whatever means possible in
search of his fiancée Barbara, who he hopes still survives somewhere in the
city of New York. The journey of Jason Taylor shows us every type of
conceivable Americana. From the streets of LA, where widespread destruction has
taken over, to the city of Las Vegas, where each casino has become a warring
island of humanity, to the sprawling land of Texas where the military prepares
its last stand against an invader impossible to destroy.
THE STORY:
Due to the
structure of the world and the motivation of the main character, story ideas
are fairly limitless. In a world where zombies have taken over, a thousand
different survivors could react in a thousand different ways. This allows us to
see Americana at it’s most desperate and extreme; to see how people react when
all the institutions that keep them in check are violently stripped away. All
this is easily witnessed through the eyes of our main character, Jason Taylor.
THE CAST:
JASON
TAYLOR:
A
non-descript man in his mid-twenties, Jason has never pictured himself as a
hero. Never the intellectual or athletic type, Jason is a fairly unemployable
web designer and video game tester who is generally just cruising through life.
He has recently relocated out to the West Coast, and is in the process of
preparing his apartment for when his fiancée, Barbara, moves out from New York
to join him. When the zombie outbreak occurs, Jason has to fight against the
natural human impulse to hide from this horrific threat, and begin his journey
across the dangerous landscape that once was the United States of America.
BARBARA
LEE:
Never seen beyond
a battered photo in Jason’s wallet, Barbara represents all of Jason’s hopes and
goals. Whether she even lives is unknown, but it is the driving need to know
that keeps Jason moving onward, even when all evidence points to his actions as
being futile.
POLLY
HANCOCK:
Early on in
his journey, this young girl nurses Jason back to health from injuries he
sustains escaping a zombie attack. Pretty and sweet, She is the unwitting
temptation to lure Jason off his path. Leaving behind the remnants of her
family, she joins Jason in his travels across the country out of both a
developing crush on him as well as a deep need to be protected. Unfortunately,
her choice seems to lead down a road of tragedy and suffering.
CORPORAL
MERRICK:
Merrick is
in his early thirties. He is not an uncompassionate man, but his strong
adherence to the military hierarchy limits his flexibility. As the world (and
subsequently, the military organization) around him begins crumble, so does his
mental state. When he encounters Jason Taylor, he is forced to choose between
his innate belief that the military is responsible for protecting civilians,
and the orders that have been passed down the chain of command.
ZOMBIES:
Just like
people, zombies come in all shapes and forms. If you are bitten or scratched by
a zombie, you will quickly die and become a zombie yourself. All trace of your
former personality will be lost; and all that will remain is a mindless desire
to feed on the flesh of living humans.
The cause of
this outbreak is largely unknown to our main character - he simply wakes up one
day to a world where the dead have risen from the grave - but the military
rapidly begins conducting research on this phenomenon. The hope is to create some
form of counter agent that will destroy all traces of viral infection. In
short, ending the zombie plague. But whether or not this is possible remains a
mystery. 
In the
meantime, the only way to stop a zombie is to destroy the brain. Any other damage
will only inconvenience them. The contagion that brings the zombies into
existence is quickly shown to only affect certain species, specifically members
of the primate family. Monkeys, gorillas and humans are all susceptible to the
virus. Other species are immune.
Zombies
decompose at a much slower rate then a fully dead body. This means that a
zombie can remain active for months past the point where a normal corpse would
have rotted away to bones. In addition, a zombie that feeds on live flesh will
actually heal to a degree, although not to the point of becoming fully human
again - but a zombie will become stronger and faster the more it feeds.
Because
their bodies are essentially dead, zombies require no food or rest. They are
single-minded. Once they sense the presence of a human, they will continue to
pursue their victim until they are completely physically disabled.
When lacking
the stimuli provided by prey, zombies typically become fairly dormant. Because
of this, it becomes difficult to differentiate between a regular corpse and an
active zombie. From time to time however, zombies will go through grotesque
reenactments of their former lives: a zombie might try to read the paper or
drive a car. Of course, they lack the brainpower to do any of their former
tasks properly, but this does not stop the tiny spark of memory in their minds
from compelling them to try.
LOCATIONS:
LOS
ANGELES:
The crowded
city of Los Angeles is hit hard. The streets are filled with cars, abandoned during
rush hour. Fires rage through parts of the city. Unsurprisingly, the more urban
areas are now some of the safest, as the residents of these low income regions
were already well armed. But eventually, through a lack of any proper defensive
structures, these regions also fall to the sheer numbers of the zombie horde.
THE ZOO:
When the
plague first begins to spread, some compassionate soul decides the animals of
the zoo would be better off roaming free than starving to death in their cages.
Unfortunately, the animals quickly begin adding to the chaos as elephants march
down the street in a panic and lions stalk unwary survivors. And a worse threat
soon rears its head from within the zoo: All primates are infected with the
virus.
THE SEWERS:
These endless
catacombs can be found in most major metropolitan areas. In the city of Los
Angeles, many people flock into these sewer tunnels seeking refuge from the
undead inhabitants on the city streets above. But this maze of tunnels is as
much a trap as it is a haven.
THE DESERT:
Seemingly endless. Few zombies are to be found here, but lack of water and oppressive heat is still just as deadly as it has ever been.
Seemingly endless. Few zombies are to be found here, but lack of water and oppressive heat is still just as deadly as it has ever been.
LAS VEGAS:
Several of
the casinos close off their doors quickly when the zombies first begin
appearing. The survivors within the casinos represent some of the worst that
humanity has to offer. They guard their neon tower fortresses viciously against
any invaders, be they zombie or human. The streets of Las Vegas show the city’s
tattered dreams. Undead showgirls stagger through the streets trailing dirty
gowns of feather behind them. Young men visiting the city for bachelor parties
feast on the flesh of strippers. This city shows the decadence it is famous
for, even beyond the grave.
THE INSTITUTION:
Located on
an aircraft carrier situated just off the West Coast, military scientists
gather survivors here to use as guinea pigs in hope of a better understanding
of the virus and creating a vaccine. In the brig, several small cells house
captured zombies for use on living test subjects. The Institution is heavily
guarded and surrounded by an electric fence capable of killing any living
trespassers and disabling most of the undead ones.
STORY IDEAS:
EPISODE
1: The End
Jason Taylor
awakens to what appears to be another average day in his life. He gets up,
brushes his teeth, and gets in his car to leave for work and hits gridlock
traffic. The day stops being average when a horde of zombies stagger out of the
morning fog and shamble their way down the freeway, killing everyone in their
path. Jason narrowly escapes an untimely death, but as he looks to the city he
sees smoke, fire and chaos everywhere. Jason spies a nearby electronics store
with televisions in the window. On the TV is a special news bulletin urging all
survivors to head to the nearest police station for safety. The news bulletin
then goes on to show various parts of the country, all in a similar state of
devastation, including New York City. Panicking, Jason tries calling Barbara on
his cell phone but the signal is completely dead. Jason’s first and only real
concern becomes clear at that moment: he somehow has to get to New York and
find out what’s happened to his fiancée.
EPISODE
2: The Law
Our hero
arrives at the police station seeking aid and sanctuary. The police are
barricaded within their own headquarters. Jason is unable to find any aid
getting out of the city. As more survivors flock to the police headquarters,
the decision is made to disallow any more refugees’ sanctuary. Jason is at odds
with this, but as a refugee himself, he is given little say in the matter.
Infighting reaches a boiling point as paranoid police officers and desperate
survivors begin killing each other. Eventually the living dead find their way
into this last haven of the city. Jason escapes, but it is unknown if there are
any other survivors.
EPISODE
2: The Jungle
Deciding
that his safest bet is to travel alone through the suburbs, Jason’s path leads
him close to the city zoo. Unfortunately, sometime during the upheaval most of
the zoo’s animals were freed. Even more unfortunately, it appears that monkeys
and gorillas are equally susceptible to the zombie plague that has broken out
throughout the country. Jason finds himself hunted as he makes his escape into
the sewers.
EPISODE
4: Underground
Unable to
find another path, Jason seeks refuge in the sewers. Unfortunately the dead
have a similar idea and Jason must make his way through this underground maze
of pipes and passageways without being detected by the multitude of zombies. To
make matters worse, the zombie gorillas have tracked Jason into the sewers and
are actively hunting him. Caught between certain death at the hands of the
simian zombies and possible death from the fall at a great height, Jason jumps
from a drainage pipe into a river. There he is swept away.
EPISODE
5: Shelter, Part 1
Awakening is
a long and painful process for Jason. He is in the care of a group of survivors
just outside of town. They are holed up in a makeshift fort (really a former RV
camp). They find him down by the river and nurse him back to health. Jason must
come to grips with the fact that he is developing feelings for one of his
rescuers, a pretty girl by the name of Polly.
EPISODE
6: Shelter, Part 2
With
increasingly frequent zombie attacks on the makeshift fortification, Jason
becomes restless. He knows that he has to continue his journey across the
country. The RV encampment is not safe. Eventually they will run out of food
and water. After one final brutal attack where the camp is almost overrun,
Jason convinces Polly and another survivor named Dylan to seek safety
elsewhere.
EPISODE
7: The Road
Traveling
across the country in an RV is a long and boring process. With Dylan driving, Jason
and Polly learn more about each other’s pasts. Just as the inevitable sexual
tension between the pair is becoming too much to resist, the RV finally breaks
down. With no other real options available, the trio packs up as many supplies
as they can carry and head out on foot. But the going is slow, Dylan is
recovering poorly from a zombie bite he received at the camp and their water
supply is very low. To make matters even worse, far across the flat desert
horizon, the trio can see a large number of tireless zombies following their
trail.
EPISODE
8: The Desert
Slowly the
trio continues across the desert. They are out of water. They are out of ammo.
Dylan is poisoned and will soon become a zombie. Other zombies slowly pursue
only a few miles behind. What began as a seemingly simple drive through the
desert has now become a desperate race for survival.
EPISODE
9: Sin City: Part 1
At death’s
door, Jason, carrying an unconscious Polly across his back, arrives in Las
Vegas – or what’s left of it. The casinos have become the final citadels of
humanity in the Nevada desert. While dead dancing girls and half decomposed
lounge singers prowl the streets, the survivors of the King Arthur, Pharaoh’s
Pyramid and the Amazon casinos all wage war against each other for two precious
resources: water and women. Unwillingly, Jason and Polly find themselves caught
up within this power struggle.
EPISODE
10: Sin City: Part 2
When the
survivors of the Amazon casino stage a raid on the King Arthur, Polly is taken
captive. Jason is compelled to attempt to save her, but despite his best
efforts he finds her half-dead and mostly out of her mind from the brutal
treatment she receives from her captors. Polly dies, leaving Jason with a
renewed desperation to travel to the east coast. As zombies slowly find their way into the
casinos (through a door that Jason does not bother closing), Jason finds a
motorcycle in the street and drives off, leaving Vegas behind forever.
EPISODE
11: The Cabin
Running low on
fuel, Jason encounters another survivor who claims to be able to help - the
survivor knocks Jason out. Jason awakens in a basement, tied to a chair next to
two zombies. The zombies are also tied to chairs and appear to have died from
various types of torture. Jason is saved from this apparent serial killer when
a man from the military investigates the screams emanating from this strange
cabin in the woods.
EPISODE
12: Army
Saved from
the serial killer, but apparently still very much a prisoner, Jason, along with
a truckload of other survivors, finds himself herded off to an aircraft carrier
in the Pacific Ocean. Some of the survivors are from the recently overrun Las
Vegas casino encampments.
EPISODE
13: The Institution: Part 1
Imprisoned
onboard an aircraft carrier that has been converted for scientific use, Jason
and the other civilian survivors discover what purpose they are intended to
serve: as guinea pigs for government research scientists. Jason finds himself
scheduled to be used to test a vaccine that involves direct exposure to some
foreign elements found within a zombie’s bloodstream. Things look very grim.
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