Traditional Zombies VS Non Traditional Zombies

Traditional Zombies VS Non Traditional Zombies

By: Mr. J’s Comic Reviews

Zombies have been in media for decades now. At first they were just simple carnivorous monsters with an insatiable hunger for brains, but in recent years zombies have started to set aside their cravings for brains in favor of more heart. I separate zombies into two categories, traditional zombies and nontraditional zombies.  Hopefully by the end of the article you’ll be able to tell the difference and decide which you prefer.

Traditional Zombies

Traditional zombies are probably what most people have in mind when they first think of zombies. These zombies are horrifying undead creatures that crave brains and or human flesh. They are often shown to be savage, slow, and lacking in general intelligence or awareness.

Examples of Traditional Zombies

• The Walking Dead
• Evil Dead
• Night of The Living Dead
• Marvel Zombies
• Resident Evil
• 28 Days Later
  
  
  
  
  

Pros of Traditional Zombies

• The Scare Factor-Traditional Zombies when done right can be the stuff of nightmares, and let’s face it everyone needs a good scare every once in a while. 
• Interesting World Building-Imagine a world where zombies run rampant and people have to struggle to survive, that could lead to great character development and interesting group dynamics.
• Action-Alright not all traditional zombie movies, TV Shows, and comics have the best characters or worlds but one thing that I’m sure we can all agree on is a good zombie massacre is fun to watch. 

Cons of Traditional Zombies

• It’s way overdone- Like I said zombies have been around for decades and with that fact pardon the bad pun, but zombie stories have been done to death.
• Predictability- Let’s face it we all know 9 times out of 10 if it has to do with zombies things will end in either one of 2 ways either everyone dies in the end or a cure to the virus is somehow found or created. 

Nontraditional Zombies

Nontraditional zombies are still a relatively new concept. These zombies are actually self-aware. They are far less savage. They can actually think for themselves, and that helps transform zombies into much more complex and interesting characters that are just dark misunderstood creatures. In many ways zombies are the new vampires.

Examples of Nontraditional Zombies

• iZombie
• Revival 

Pros of Nontraditional Zombies

• Shakes the genre up- Nontraditional zombies bring new life to a genre that many people would argue has become oversaturated. They turn the genre on its head by often making a zombie or zombies the main character of the show or movie rather than just being monsters. 
• Interesting character development- With this change in the genre and the shift focused on the zombies this could lead to interesting character development forcing them to face unique dilemmas. What does it truly mean to be a zombie? Will society accept them? These questions could all lead to gripping stories that could be just as fun to watch develop.

Cons of Nontraditional Zombies

• Hard to find- This concept within the zombie genre is still relatively new, so if you’re looking for material unless you know where to look it could be hard to find
• Not for everyone-This is a more obvious con. Nontraditional zombies are usually better suited for more character driven type stories, and if you happen to prefer something more plot driven traditional zombies may be more up your alley.

Well now that I’ve explained these concepts and given pros and cons for each tell me some of your favorite traditional and nontraditional zombies in the comments, and tell me which type of zombie do you prefer?

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