AMC-The Walking Dead

[ohsobitter]

I recently started watching this series and I'm pretty much caught up on the details, except one.

How did everyone turn into zombies, and why have some people died and mummified so quickly?

I understand it's based on a comic book, so if anyone has read it that can clue me that would be great!

[Aethian]

I've looked on the site following that and I can't find that info out either. All I know is that it has something to do with Dr. Jenner.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I have read the books and I don't recall that they have explained it so far. I have not finished I think I 'mhave on book seven or something like that. Its a long series.

[ohsobitter]

Thanks. I thought I was losing it when I couldn't find out anywhere online.

[Mytical]

Still not exactly sure but (CAUTION SPOILERS AHEAD)












When they were in the CDC Center they learned a little. It is either a virus or similar that acts like Meningitis. Probably weaponized something or other from the Military. That is a common thing.

[Sapphire Silk]

All we know is that a mysterious illness infected many people. When they died, they rose as zombies. Those zombies can infect normal people with scratches or bites.

People who die natural deaths, who are not infected with this virus do not rise as zombies. Their bodies decompose normally.

There have been several scenes of troops firing indiscriminately at civilians fearing zombies, or of people "opting out" rather than get infected and become zombies or get eaten by the zombies.

[Aethian]

or of people "opting out" rather than get infected and become zombies or get eaten by the zombies.

The farm couple where the sheriff got the horse from?

[fma_fanatic]

I posed this question to the manager of the comic book store the husband and I get our comics at today. He said that it has never been explained in the graphic novels and as far as we know, has not been explained in the tv series.

The CDC episode shows how the virus acts on the human body, but no explination as far as we know about how everyone turned into zombies.

[Sapphire Silk]

The farm couple where the sheriff got the horse from?

Yep, that's the one

The whole subject is so incredibly corny and overdone . . . and yet it is like a train wreck. You can't turn away.

I don't find the subject particularly original, the writing particularly good, or the acting particularly good. The special effects are also fairly run of the mill.

And yet I keep tuning in every week.

I glanced at some early issues of the comic when it first came out and had the same impression, so I haven't followed it.

A few weeks ago, while sitting with Mom in the hospital, I pulled out the new Superboy #1. My brother laughed at me and said, "what are you, four? You could at least read graphic novels like the walking dead."

Of course, he didn't see the big stack I had that also included graphic novels like Unwritten . . . though not the Walking Dead.

[Aethian]

I know I got gripped by it but I also felt like I could walk away and be fine with it. The story isn't new but it's also not going to end like most movies in a hour and a half. Which is why I think people do keep tuning in. We're getting more of the story.

That and there are the fan clubs now.

[Greenday]

I'm so pissed. AMC won't let me load videos from their website out here. I love the show and can't catch it out here.

[BlaqueKatt]

How did everyone turn into zombies, and why have some people died and mummified so quickly?

why does there need to be a reason explained?
explanations are not always necessary, and tend to detract from the story in many cases. Life doesn't always hand the causes for things tied up in neat little packages, and I for one prefer stories that don't try to, it's slightly insulting IMHO.

where did the "cloverfield" monster come from? does it matter? there are tons of theories, but nothing "official", is it necessary to know, does it change anything, or would having an "official" reason kill the fun of the speculation?

perfect example of the unneeded explanation, the movies REC, and it's american counterpart Quarantine.

I figured out in the first 15 minutes or so<spoiler> inside the building it was some sort of super-rabies, <end spoiler>yet they "explained" everything at the end of the movie.
It's the equivalent of saying, "you're too dumb to figure this out/use your brain/imagination at all, so we'll spoon feed you the explanation"

[RecoveringKinkoid]

What I really love about the book series is that pretty quickly, it becomes less and less about the zombies and more about the characters. The zombies become part of the landscape. You could replace the zombies with just about any sort of deadly dilemma and the story would still work.

It really is an amazing bit of storytelling.

[blas]

Totally obsessed with the show. Had my family watch it with me tonight as well.

Can't watch the minisodes, unfortunately, my computer doesn't do videos right now, it's so far gone and working like crap

[MaggieTheCat]

People who die natural deaths, who are not infected with this virus do not rise as zombies. Their bodies decompose normally.

Spoilers:

Actually, according to Robert Kirkman (Issue #042):

"...the rule is: WHATEVER it is that causes the zombies, is something everyone already has. If you stub your toe, get an infection and die ... you turn into a zombie. UNLESS your brain is damaged. If someone shoots you in the head and you die ...you're dead. A zombie bite kills you because of infection, or blood loss ... not because of the zombie "virus.""

The couple in the pilot episode, if you recall, blew their brains out, so they didn't rise. But if someone else was killed due to a gunshot wound not to the head -- or any other reason that didn't damage the brain -- they would rise as a zombie, even if their death didn't involved zombie bites/scratches.

This may be different in the TV series, but that's how it is in the comics, at least.