Last week, I had covered a subject that most people find intriguing: the zombie. Several points were brought up about the metaphorical significance that a zombie has in popular culture. Today, I’m going to go in a different direction and talk about cases of people who claim that they could produce or claim that they were at one point a zombie. So how does one produce a zombie? That is the biggest question in today’s post. We recognized in the previous post that the condition to create a zombie is that a person must be dead and then brought back to life. Is that it? With that kind of definition, Jesus Christ is a kind of zombie. Several competing sources add a person who is responsible for this change, typically a voodoo priest who is able to somehow bring the victim to death (or the appearance of death) and then revive them. But there are other instances, biological diseases, that can also give a person the appearance of being a zombie. Further, there are even animals that adopt this technique of apparent death and reanimation every year to cope with their harsh surroundings. To begin with, let us look at the zombie that is made by a voodoo priest.

Some people believe that the fear or belief in zombies is relegated to a very few in this modern world. But this article here, indicates that in Haiti, the belief in the brain-eating zombie is still practiced by some. The article essentially details a Voodoo priest who was concerned about the burial of masses of people who were killed during the 2009 earthquake. So are there any real cases of zombies being produced? There is man by the name of Wade Davis who was able to track down the process of making a zombie. Rather than try to explain the discoveries that this man has made, there is a documentary that has detailed all the exploits of Dr. Davis. Here are a few clips of what he found.

It wasn’t too long before Dr. Davis found what he was looking for. A man by the name of Clairvius Narcisse underwent the process and recounts his experience. Listen to the process that Davis records from Narcisse.

One of my favorite lines from this video is the line, “You can quickly see how zombification becomes a fate worse than death.” The reason that this man is able to make this claim is the factor of physical labour. The story of Clairvius Narcisse is a stunning reminder of why anyone would want to make a zombie in the first place. Zombie masters are able to reap the benefits out of those that they zombify. So how does it work? How do these voodoo priests turn their victims into zombies, hollow shells of people who are highly receptive to suggestions and commands? Here’s a breakdown based on the research that Davis was able to find, and of course, don’t try this at home. No need to provoke a real zombie uprising … First, there are a combination of drugs that are derived from natural plant and wildlife sources. Specifically, the skin of a toad and the puffer fish. Both of these have toxins and neuro-toxins that are able to drastically reduce the amount of “lifeiness” a person has. Of course, too much of these toxins and the target victim will be dead. Too little of the toxin, and the victim will not go under enough. Then there is a burial in which the person is completely entombed. Finally, the zombie master comes with an herbal concotion that will rouse the victim as well as destroy the part of the brain that is in control of short-term memory. In other words, the zombie retains some of their long term memories, but they are completely malleable at this point. The final step is to make them mad, as in angry. It is unclear what the motivation for upsetting the zombie is, but I believe it probably has something to do with the mental condition necessary to keep the zombie forgetting who he is. Again, why do this? It turns out that zombies are actually a great labor source. Many of those that practice zombification are land owners that run sugar cane plants and the like. So there you have a zombie from the Haitian perspective. What about biology? Aren’t there diseases that have a similar effect?

Why yes there are! Some of these diseases are really pretty frightening. The first one (and probably the least disgusting) is sleeping sickness. In a BBC article found here, one of the surgeons explains the progression of the disease: “At first it will cause headaches, aching muscles and maybe itching. But in the late stages, when the parasites have invaded the brain, the signs become more obvious and ominous. Victims find it hard to concentrate. They become irritable, their speech is slurred and they stop eating. Their daily rhythm becomes disrupted to such an extent that they can’t sleep at night and find it almost impossible to stay awake during the day. It even becomes very hard for them to do simple mental tasks, such as drawing a straight line. This is an infection that carries nightmarish qualities, reducing many of its victims to a zombie-like state before they go into a coma and die. Those that do survive can be left with irreparable brain damage.” Sounds pretty terrible, doesn’t it? Here is a video that outlines some of the problems that doctors experience with this disease, but the symptoms that the doctor outlines are in line with the description of a zombie.

Another disease that everyone should recognize as a zombie-like disease is that of leprosy. Lepers are probably the most historically recognizable case of the “walking-dead.” They are experiencing necrosis of the dermal layer. Literally, lepers skin is falling off. What does it look like in its advanced stages? Prepare yourself for some true suffering. There is a reason people are terrified of leprosy and consider it a biblical disease. The modern zombie is often depicted more like a leper than they are the Haitian zombie that we have discussed from above. Look at this video and ponder why we make lepers more akin to our famous horror icon. On a personal note, I am in no way trying to spread fear about lepers; conversely, I am trying to make people aware of the diseases in our world that have been truly demonized.

Finally, there are some cases of animals that pull off a zombie trick of apparent death and rebirth. Here is a final video that showcases the “overwintering” effects of monarch butterflies. Some insects are so proficient at this technique that they are speculated to be able to live for thousands of years if necessary. Here is a website that offers more information about overwintering and insect diapause. See you all next week, start believing and pretty soon, you’ll be seeing.

This week, I thought I would cover one of my favorite mythical creatures: zombies! Now, I know that zombies have become a pretty pop-culture phenomena, but I think that there are some interesting tidbits that warrant a bit of a discussion or further delving. For the sake of this post, I am just going to cover some of the origins of zombie myths and their usage in popular culture. Next week, I will take a closer look at the zombies of voodoo cultures and some of the surprising facts that this culture keeps hidden. First, we have to ask, “What is a zombie?” The first time that it appears in Western literature according to the OED is in 1819 by a Mr. Southey, “In the West Indies and southern states of America, a soulless corpse said to have been revived by witchcraft; formerly, the name of a snake-deity in voodoo cults of or deriving from West Africa and Haiti.” The original term in the Angolan as written by Mr. Southey is the word Nzambi which he translated as a deity. So, how did we get from an islander deity to a variety of other terms? As usual, language tends to borrow a term and use it as they see fit. As I mentioned, this post is going to focus on an overview of the zombie through mythology and popular culture, but you can see that the origins of the zombie come from voodoo traditions.

Moving beyond the origins of the term, we can start looking at other ways that the term zombie was used. Often, I have heard people say, “I feel like a zombie today.” The connotation that the word has means that they are feeling tired and under the weather. They are not feeling “undead,” nor (hopefully) do they have a hankering for human flesh. The original useage of the word comes closer to what we actually think of when we hear the word, “zombie.” But that’s not all that the word has been used to suggest. Many times in our own culture, zombies refer to apathetic people. Phrases have been uttered like, “Men can be made zombies or killed.” Any factory floor has its laborers that have sometimes been described as “zombies.” A repetitive un-thinking task has the ability to “zombify” a person. The key seems to be that though the person is living, they are unable to control their actions and they end up in a state where only the basic functions of life remain to them. They can move, they can work, but they can’t think and speak. One of the more interesting and intriguing artistic expressions of zombies has to be George A. Romero’s use of them. In his hands, the zombie gained an aura of complication. What better metaphor for a modern consumer than a zombie? In the film, Day of the Dead, there is a scene where a doctor is examining zombies and finds that they run on instinct and a will to consume. Even though they do not have the ability to retain what they have consumed, they continue to consume away. In the remake of Dawn of the Dead (2004), the zombies seem to be driven by their materialistic lifestyles to the mall where they gather for no other reason that they just seem to want to consume. Whether alive or dead, these zombies are the ultimate symbol of affluenzic drive. They consume even when they don’t need to. Another angle that the zombie fits into artistically is for the unthinking masses. Unlike the consumer, the zombie in this case is one who represents the muscular part of the military-industrial complex. This usage of the term with this connotation was made explicit in Canada during the late 1930s to the mid 1940s when conscripted (drafted) soldiers were utilized for home defense. The term was used in a playfully lugubrious manner to indicate that these soldiers were already dead, they just didn’t know it. The zombie is more than a tool for horror writers and movie makers to entertain us; the symbol has general lasting power and can make a profound statement if viewed with the right attitude and mindset. Here’s a video from Day of the Dead (1985) that brings up some of the interesting possibilities of a zombie-filled world. Do the zombies deserve to be understood? Or should they just be shot and forgot? Take a look:

So what about zombies today? I’m not sure how much of the deep metaphor still survives in popular culture. There are several zombie-marches in which people dress up in major cities and simulate a zombie attack, but they seem to be a case for the zombie as a dress-up activity. Some zombie-marches have been organized around food drives, and I find this better fitted to the symbolism and connotations that go with it. Just as vampire-marches support blood drives, I find it fitting that zombie-marches should forward hunger causes or brain research. Some of the zombie marches have been nothing but a performance art piece, but it is (in this man’s humble opinion) preferable to have a cause at the bottom of the artistic endeavor. Here’s a video of a zombie march for those who have not yet seen such an event:

When the Semantink crew went to the Phoenix Comic-Convention, there was a zombie beauty pageant that judged zombies based on their appearance and behavior. Several spoof movies have been created with zombies as their chief antagonist. Far from being social commentaries, these films use the common horror symbol as a jumping off point for entertainment. Films like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead are perfect examples of zombies being used more for entertainment than as a metaphor for over-consumption or as a critique of war-time efforts. The zombie is clearly a recognizable symbol that will continue to be used in our society. Next week, I’ll look at some of the actual life cases of zombies in voodoo religion and cults. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite zombie quotes of all times; until next week, keep asking questions.

Good Morning Semantinkerers!

One week from today, the fine folks of San Diego will explode in nerdgasms as San Diego Comic Con International 2010 descends upon the down town area. While (almost) every comic convention has a floor filled with comic books, toys and other generally geek-tastic displays, what sets the SDCC apart from it’s competitors is the huge number of panels that they provide, as well as the great quality of the panels. With the programming for Comic-con being announced last week, I thought I would devote this week’s Comicopea to some of the panels that I am most geeked up about. Let’s take a look:

THURSDAY

DC COMICS WRITERS UNITE!: This panel gathers up some of DC’s biggest writers, past and present (some of the writers included are JMS, Denny O’Neil, Paul Levitz, and the always awesome Gail Simone) and has them wax about the craft of comic book writing. Writers always make for a great panel, and this panel has some of the all time greats.

DANNY ELFMAN: While people might complain that SDCC has moved too far away from it’s comic book roots, panels like this make me disagree with that argument. What other convention would feature one of the greatest composers of our generation looking at his career? My guess is none. Plus, Elfman did the score for 1989’s Batman, so he belongs at a comic convention anyway.

DIGITAL COMICS NOW!: This is the kind of panel I seek out as a publisher. Panelists include the CEOs of several digital comics apps discussing the future of comics in the digital market place.

THE EXPENDABLES: A panel devoted to what will surely be one of the bloodiest, most violent movies of the year? Count me in.

FRIDAY

THE WALKING DEAD: A sneak peak at the upcoming AMC show based on the Kirkman comic. All the preview images I have seen for this show have me interested, despite not being a big zombie nerd. I will be there to let Frank Darabont wow me into watching.

DC FOCUS– GRANT MORRISON: Normally I am not into the single person spotlight, but Morrison floats around on a cloud of ideas which I would like to see in person. Also, the panel promises “glimpses of what goes on in the mind of Grant Morrison as he crafts some of the world’s most thought-provoking comics”. If we get to look inside of GM’s head, that might be the most interesting show of the weekend.

THE JOSS WHEDON EXPERIENCE: Whedonites are some of the most rabidly loyal fans out there. The idea of seeing a room full of them with Whedon in the room tickles me. Oh, and Whedon is pretty awesome as well.
SATURDAY

WARNER BROTHERS PANEL: I don’t imagine you will be able to get into this one unless you start waiting the night before. Movies showcased include GREEN LANTERN, HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, and SUCKER PUNCH. If you can get in, it should be a blast!

KICKSTART YOUR COMIC: I am always looking for new ideas, so this panel, focusing on expanding market share should be interesting to me (and probably about 10 other people).
SUNDAY

JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE: Everyone loves the King. Yeah, the guy behind the look of the Fantastic Four, The New Gods, The X-Men, The Eternals, and so much more. The idea of getting to see a bunch of his work while guys like Marv Wolfman and Kurt Busiek talk about his impact sounds like an awesome way to spend Sunday Morning.

CBDLF LIVE ART JAM: Artists on panels don’t usually work. They aren’t the eloquent speakers that writers are, and they tend to get sidetracked. However, in the live art jam you get to watch some pretty awesome artists (Tim Seeley and Ale Garza to name a few)  battle to see who can make the coolest pictures, and it’s for a good cause. Win and Win!

I should also point out that for every panel I mentioned here, there are probably another five that I didn’t mention that sound amazing. There is really something for everyone at SDCC. If you will be down for the con next week, make sure you take some time to head out to a panel or two, just make sure you plan for a line on the bigger panels. Thanks for stopping in folks, I’ll see you next week!

Greetings!

Oh, Mondays. We have to go back to work, again, sigh. On the bright side though, it’s list time again, yay! As I was walking around in the local Best Buy this weekend, I happened upon the Mark Stephen Johnson comic book film collection. That’s right, someone at Fox has collected the movies GHOST RIDER and DAREDEVIL, and expects people to pay for this crap-tacular collection! While I would like to poop in a bag and try to sell it to Fox studios (it’s pretty much what they did), I must try to focus my into into more constructive channels. So, today I will list 10 comics that I think would make a great movie, in hopes one these get made instead of SUCK RIDER 2. I am so excited about this list, I’m even going to tell you who I think would be my choice to direct and star in my would-be films (I am going to assume that in my would-be movies that the comic book writer would write their own movie). This is going to be a bit long so you only get the first five today, and the second five I will give you on Wednesday.

1) THE WALKING DEAD: Everyone loves a good zombie movie. The hallmark of a great zombie flick is a good survivor story (see 28 DAYS LATER), which is what THE WALKING DEAD is all about, following a group of survivors as they cope with the zombie filled world around them. Imagine Christoper Nolan (THE DARK KNIGHT, MEMENTO) directing with Thomas Jane and Mary Louise Parker headlining the cast as Rick and Lori.

2) HARD BOILED: Frank Miller written comics usually turn into pretty good movies, just look at 300 and SIN CITY. HARD BOILED is about Carl Seltz, an insurance investigator, discovers he is also a homicidal cyborg tax collector who happens to be the last hope of an enslaved robot race. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Tony Scott (MAN ON FIRE, TOP GUN, SPY GAME) would direct the hell out of this. Clive Owen is a little bit pretty, but he could get the character of Carl down pat.

3) STRANGERS IN PARADISE: Before I tell you anything else about the story, let me say this: there is a character in this story who is described as “a blond, busty, bisexual aerobics instructor”. Not sold yet? How about a love parallelogram between an ex-prostitute (Katchoo), the former leader of a street gang (Yousaka), the aforementioned aerobics instructor (Casey), and a Methodist (Francine)? Darren Aronofski (THE FOUNTAIN, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) is as good as anyone at portraying the broken hearted, so he gets to direct. As for a cast, I’m going with Michelle Williams as Katchoo, James Kyson Lee as Yousaka, Sienna Miller as Casey and Leelee Sobieski (with a dye job) as Francine.

4) WE3: The pitch for this one is easy. ROBO-COP meets HOMEWARD BOUND. Fun for the whole family. I would have Alex Proyas (DARK CITY, THE CROW) direct, and cast any furry animals I wanted.

5) NEXTWAVE: Imagine if the Avengers sucked, and fought with one another a lot. It would be funny right? Such a comic is NEXTWAVE. I think this comic would actually be very well served as an animated feature (Ala THE INCREDIBLES). However, if this was going to be a live action movie, I would have Joss Whedon (SERENITY) direct, as he does an excellent job of balancing humor and action. For my cast I would have Rutina Wesley as Photon, Evan Rachel Wood as Boom Boom, Adam Baldwin as The Captain, Timothy Olyphant as The Machine Man, and Diane Kruger as Bloodstone.

That’s the first five! Come back on Wednesday for the second half of the list. Thanks for stopping in, see you next time.