We all know it’s coming. No one knows when, and no one knows how, but we all know that one day it will happen. There is no doubt that one day the dead will rise from their graves and start attacking the living. But what is in doubt is your ability to deal with it. Do you have what it takes to survive the onslaught of hordes upon hordes of undead ghouls knocking down your front door? Well the key to survival is knowing your enemy, and there’s no time like the present. So before that fateful day falls upon us, do yourself, and your loved ones a favor, and get researching. Below I’ve compiled a helpful list of some of the most informative zombie teaching aids available. Keep reading if you want to make it out alive.

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks - This book is the most exhaustive source of zombie information you will ever find. Covering everything from weapons and self-defense, to transportation shelter, it is nothing short of an absolute necessity. In addition, the book features a detailed look at the psychological aspects of the zombie, teaching readers how they act and think. This information is essential to those planning a defense against a zombie siege.

For more information, you may also want to check out Brooks’ other books, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks.

The Walking Dead - Now that you know the basics of zombie survival, it’s time to learn about another, much more unexpected enemy: your fellow man. That’s right, under stressful conditions (such as those caused by a zombie infestation) people can become unpredictable, violent creatures. This graphic novel series can help make you aware of some of the dangers you can expect from your supposed allies, giving you a better chance at spotting and avoiding such complications.

Dead Rising & Resident Evil- After learning about your enemy(s), it’s now time to put your skills to the test by pitting you against thousands of relentless undead. In Dead Rising for the Xbox 360 (and soon the Nintendo Wii) you will be place in a shopping mall filled to the brim with zombies. The location gives you all sorts of opportunities to use your newly found knowledge, as nearly everything within the mall can be used as a weapon. But its up to you as to what will be the most efficient and effective against your enemies.

But if its marksmanship you’re worried about, look no further than Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles on the Wii. Played from a first-person perspective, this game puts you right into thew action, which consists mostly of shooting zombies in the face. And that, my friends, is a valuable skill.

28 Days Later - While our undead foes are traditionally slow, in terms of both speed and intellect, there is always the chance that they may have involved. This documentary showcases just such an event, in which zombies have become much faster and much more aggressive then normal. Though the chances are slim that an outbreak will consist of these ghouls, chance favors the prepared mind.

Andrew Webster is a freelance writer based in Toronto who covers comics, movies, videogames, and anything else that will rot out your brain. Check out his personal site to read more of his incoherent ramblings.

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So folks, Orion Xia resumes updates at WebComicsNation on Monday, August 25. We will continue to post new pages on Mondays instead of Fridays from now on.

Thanks everyone for hanging in there.