What If Waldo Were A Zombie?

This is a bit of silliness and mental wandering I had on Halloween night. Please allow me to explain a bit. For the past 10 years I have helped out with 92 Moose’s Free Family Halloween Party. This year I wore my Waldo costume; as in Where’s Waldo? I always hand out treat bags at the entrance. Every child gets a free treat bag stuffed with goodies upon arrival. Anyway, this year I handed out a goodie bag to a young boy dressed as a zombie. Before he took the bag he put his mask down and pretended to gnaw on my arm. After he took the bag I went to my friend Renee telling her what had happened.

“I’m not really sure what to do,” I said half chuckling.

“Waldo as a zombie? Well that’s different,” Renee said.

“This time, Waldo is gonna find you!” I said smiling.

“THAT needs to be a story!” Renee smiled.

So here we are. What if Waldo were a zombie?





Waldo wanders to all kinds of strange and interesting places. He’s been to crowded beaches, chaotic shopping malls, Renaissance fairs, and many more. What if one day Waldo wandered to a dark place. A place where a new disease was just emerging.

It was a day like any other. Waldo was out wandering about with his satchel and walking stick. Waldo was going by a small hospital with bars on the windows. He stopped for a moment to check his map. As usual Waldo was oblivious to all of that was going on around him. He always seemed to just blend into his surroundings; no one ever really paid him any mind.

It was because Waldo was so used to being near invisible that he didn’t notice the disheveled man shuffling towards him in a bloodied hospital gown. Waldo didn’t see the man until after having put the map away and the man was practically on top of him. Waldo  smiled stretching out his arm to wave at this man who looked as though he needed a smile.

That was his mistake.

The man grabbed Waldo’s arm biting it to the bone. In pain Waldo tried desperately to get the man off from his arm by hitting him repeatedly with the walking stick. After several heavy blows the man lets Waldo’s arm go, topples backwards, and splits his head open on the pavement.

“That was very strange,” Waldo thought.

Waldo takes a scarf out of his satchel wrapping the wound until he can get to a proper hospital. He didn’t want to take his chances at the hospital that crazed patient had come out of. Luckily it wasn’t long until Waldo found another hospital. Inside his wound was stitched up and properly bandaged. With that taken care of Waldo was on his way.

For about a day Waldo felt ill. He felt very sluggish and his insides ached. He vomited along the way, but he still did not let that stop his wanderings. The following day he had a hard time to focus. Waldo was hungry, craving something, but nothing seemed to appeal to him. Not the snacks he carried in his satchel nor any food he came across seemed to satisfy this great hunger within him. By the third day Waldo could think of nothing else, but the hunger within him and the dire need to satisfy it.

It was at an open air café as Waldo shuffled by that a woman recognized him. She smiled as she got up from her seat running towards him.

“FOUND YOU!” she yelled excitedly.

Waldo stopped taking notice of this woman who was a complete stranger to him. As she got closer the smell of her enticed him. Not her perfume, but just the smell of her flesh. It smelled absolutely wonderful! She was talking at him, but Waldo wasn’t hearing a word of it. The insatiable hunger welled up within him and he knew that this would satisfy it. Like the man three days ago had done to him, Waldo lunged at the woman taking a bite out of shoulder. She screamed, but he didn’t care. The taste was wonderful! It was exactly what he was looking for! Waldo didn’t stop with the woman though, oh no, he devoured the entire café.

After he’d had his fill Waldo continued his wanderings. He no longer looked at the map; he didn’t care. Waldo simply went where he could feed. In his wanderings he made new friends who fed just as he did. What a crazed man at a secluded hospital had started Waldo finished. This time people weren’t looking for Waldo, Waldo was looking for them!

That is how the zombie apocalypse started. A cheerful man in a stripped shirt with a passion for wandering anywhere and everywhere. No one may have noticed him before, but they’ll notice him now.

November is Hulk Month

A couple of years ago I decided to dub November Hulk Month for Comic Geeks Unite. Why would I devote an entire month to one hero, but not do it for any of the others? Well I have a few reasons for doing that.

Let’s start with the selfish reason: the Incredible Hulk is my favorite hero. Why? For starters he combines two other loves of mine which are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and classic monster movies. Stan Lee has said that he based the Hulk off from the classic Robert Louis Stevenson book and Boris Karloff’s portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster. I also like that not only is the Hulk a split personality from his scientist alter ego Bruce Banner, but that because of the Hulk’s brute force Banner is a reluctant hero. There is also a certain appeal in the Hulk’s unlimited strength. The madder he gets the stronger he gets making he essentially unstoppable.

Another reason is one of memoriam. It was in November (the 21st) that, sadly, Bill Bixby passed away. Bixby’s portrayal of David Banner in the television series (and television movies that followed) is one that fans compare all other actors who take on the part. Bixby was also well known from other TV series such as, ‘My Favorite Martian’ and ‘The Courtship of Eddie’s Father’ to name a couple. His representation of David Banner showed us a truly tortured soul who was a true Jack of all trades even though no matter where he wandered and what job he took inevitably his doctor background, not to mention the Hulk, would come out.

Fun fact about Bill Bixby; did you know he never let his son watch ‘The Incredible Hulk’ series? He never wanted his son to think that if his father got angry he would turn into a giant green rage monster.

November is also the month in which Lou Ferrigno was born. Lou’s birthday is on November 9. The Hulk himself, who even after the series ended has been a big part of anything Hulk. Ferrigno voiced the Hulk in the 1990’s cartoon series, as well as being the voice in the Edward Norton Incredible Hulk movie. His voice was even added to the mix for the noises and voice for Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in, ’The Avengers’. Ferrigno has also been a consultant in the look of the Hulk for both the previously mentioned Edward Norton film as well as ‘The Avengers’. Let’s also not forget Lou’s cameos in the Eric Bana Hulk film and Edward Norton’s film. In both he played a security guard, but in Norton’s Lou got a much better nod.

Fun fact about Lou Ferrigno; he almost wasn’t the Hulk. Originally Richard Keel had been cast in the role, but the director’s son said that Keel didn’t look right. While Keel was tall he wasn’t bulky enough to properly play the Hulk. Thus Lou Ferrigo got the part and made geek history.

The last reason is because the pilot episode for, ‘The Incredible Hulk’ television series debuted in November. On November 4 the Hulk came to life on the small screen. For the first time in live action we got to see the transformation of David Banner into the strongest creature on the planet. Sure his origin and profession were changed and updated, but it worked. Along with being chased by the relentless tabloid reporter Jack McGee who became the constant antagonist throughout the series. It’s the longest running live action series Marvel has ever had.

So there you have it. That is why I have dubbed November Hulk month for Comic Geeks Unite. I hope you’ll join us as we celebrate everything The Incredible Hulk.