We all have those faint dreams of what we’d do in a zombie apocalypse. Just how things would go down if we were in a state of complete control. Everyone has their over-prepared checklist of things they’d do, places they’d go, and people they’d save. For Double Take’s universe – this is decidedly more difficult to imagine.

This comes from a “different” approach to telling zombie stories. Often we’re treated to one side of a story. The narratives always slide into familiar territory – a fixed perspective with a given protagonist and their set of goals. Well, with the Ultimate Night of the Living Dead things are a little different.

You know those big universes filled with superheroes from Marvel and DC. Well, imagine if those universes were just different books in the same zombie apocalypse. Yeah, it’s not about one perspective anymore – it’s about ten. The books in the Big Bang imitative are meant to share a unique world, but show the different kinds of people who inhabit this apocalypse.

It’s worth mentioning that these books are meant to function on their own, but read together will give you a fundamental understanding of a world in ruin. It’s hard to embody that bigger world in just one book. With my own book, “Race” I was briefed continually on the larger mechanics of the world. It was imperative that I understood just how the world works. I was given an “escalation schedule” that broke down, in detail the events of the first three nights, beginning with the titular Night of the Living Dead.

Here’s a taste:

Sunday – April 24, 1966
Midday
Murders start.
Murderers band together.
4:00pm
Local Posses begin to form.
LBJ deploys Z-Men.
Radio/TV signals start to fail.
5:00pm
Road blocks are set up within and around the affected area.
Like most crises, however, life for most goes on as usual.
7:00pm
Federal government learns of zombies. They decide to deploy “advisors.”
Advisors reflect those deployed in the early days of Vietnam and other late 20th Century conflicts. Helicopters fly overhead.

This should show you just exactly how detailed everything fits into the framework of a shared universe. My story had to fit within a specific timeline that adhered to what was laid out here.

Previous to this, my idea was just to throw my story into their world. Perhaps this was ignorant of me but writing a story in a shared universe isn’t that easy. You know, if DC kills off Bruce Wayne, and you want to feature him in “Superman” well that’s too bad. You’ve got to go with the pulse of the universe.

Now, I know it’s not that groan worthy. It’s more to the idea that you need to learn the rules and the how’s and whys of these “zombies.” Once I had the escalation schedule it provided an incredible backdrop to the world of my writing. I knew exactly what was happening 50 miles away with a certain degree of intimacy. And, the best part is, as the events of my book begin to unfold they are weaved into the larger canon of the universe.

Suffice to say – there has been nothing like this in the zombie genre – ever. It’s why we’re all so excited at Double Take, and it’s why you should be too.

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This Zomblog will run every Monday and Friday until I run out of things to say about zombies. 

Until then check out Double Take’s blog – Double Take Universe to keep up to date on the incredible comics that will be coming your way in September. And their Kickstarter Just got FUNDED.