Comments on: Phoenix Comicon: Max Brooks Rips on Attendee

By: Ryan Comstock

Ryan Comstock — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:52:00 +0000

I’m curious what kind of answer you were expecting though? ‘cus, I mean, from a creator standpoint it would be easier for me to make up a whole new virus/bacteria/whatever, call it “top secret” and “hidden from the public” or whatever and give it the rules and properties of something that can raise the dead and cause a pandemic. That would be easier then it would be for me to say this is an “evolved mutation” of something already present on Earth. At that point you are treading on something real doing something fake (and the backlash from that) rather than something fake that COULD be real.

The closest thing you can get to the living dead is through voodoo Haitian black magic. Potions created using the poisons from Pufferfish skin can cause a “walking dead” like appearance. Watch “The Serpent and the Rainbow” and read the books that was based on. Those are based on real studies on real cases.

By: Ryan Comstock

Ryan Comstock — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:12:00 +0000

As I said on the YouTube page… Why is it, out of an hour or so panel, THIS is the only video online?! Seriously, I can’t find any other portion of his panel then this “attack”. The video almost acts out of context, if you hadn’t seen the rest of the panel, and comes off seemingly mean HOWEVER this is largely his sense of humor. He is not his dad, he doesn’t do slap-stick. I found this to be funny and so did the majority of the crowd as I continued to hear people laughing-out-loud (which is also clearly heard on the video). After the attack, another question or two later, someone else asked a question and Brooks started off with “Am I gonna have to act angry again?!” (or something close to that affect).

I seriously dont see what else was to be expected from this question?! An honest “I made it up?” or what? The book acts as a factual book while it sits in the “Fiction” section of the book store. The books largely play up the fact that real world events were, more or less, caused by a zombie outbreak of some magnitude. Because there is no virus or bacteria that will bring the dead to life with a hunger for flesh, I could see why he decided not to say “It’s Mad Cow, evolved”. It’s far easier to come up with a “new virus” or an as-of-yet discovered virus or one that is “kept secret by the government” or whatever. He answered the question while not answering it and I feel it was a B.S. question anyway. “Oh! You’re here to bust my balls!” shoulda been a good indicator of humor to come.

By: Bercley Lloyd Fernando

Bercley Lloyd Fernando — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:19:00 +0000

Ouch, seriously. Funny as ‘ell.

By: Rob Morris

Rob Morris — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:04:00 +0000

Good catch and, again, thanks for popping in to clear the air.

By: GypsyKylara

GypsyKylara — Mon, 30 May 2011 04:27:00 +0000

And by Our Official Statement, I mean my friends and I not the Zombie Research Society

By: Rob Morris

Rob Morris — Mon, 30 May 2011 03:38:00 +0000

Thanks for popping in to clear the air, Kylara. We appreciate you taking the time to make sure everyone has all of the facts!

By: GypsyKylara

GypsyKylara — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:53:00 +0000

I would just like to say that i am the fan Max Brooks “ripped on” at
Phoenix Comicon. I was not a plant. We just honestly wanted to know why
Max Brooks included fictional elements in his book. Yes it is about
zombies, but it is a serious survival guide. If Max Brooks is trying to
make a real survival guide, why did he include fictional elements, such
as the solenum virus, so honest question.

Our Official
Statement is, we weren’t trying to start anything with Max Brooks. We
were just curious. But we think he did a very good job sidestepping the
question without answering.

By: MikeHunt

MikeHunt — Sun, 29 May 2011 10:22:00 +0000

Why include fictional elements in the book? It’s a zombie book! Its fiction to begin with.

By: Rob Morris

Rob Morris — Sun, 29 May 2011 08:23:00 +0000

I was in a very good position when she walked back to her seat…she was about 15 feet from me. She didn’t look too happy and the people she was with seemed to be trying to comfort her a bit so if she was a plant they did a really good job of making it look like he tore her a new asshole, on the real.

By: Kieth anderson

Kieth anderson — Sun, 29 May 2011 05:32:00 +0000

BIG fan of MB, I was in the room, but I have to admit after watching my own video of this, I can’t tell if she was a plant or not. If not, gawd dayum MB, that was f*****g ruthless.