Xombie (Web Animation)

Xombie is a Flash animation and comic book series by James Farr. A 6-year-old girl, Zoe, wakes up on a beach with no memory of how she got there. When she wanders into a cemetery, she discovers why the place is so deserted. Zombies begin rising up from the ground, and gather around her. As the zombies close in, a lone figure enters the scene, and proceeds to summarily OWN the gathering zombies...with a shovel. This lone figure is Dirge, a "variant", a zombie that retains cognitive functions, but no memory of who or what he once was. He decides to escort Zoe through miles of zombie-infested wasteland, accompanied by a zombie police-dog called Cerberus, to a nearby human settlement.

Along the way to the Acropolis, Zoe and Dirge gain new allies: Nephthys, another variant, dressed like a mummy and wielding a scythe with ninja-like ability, and Chimaera, a zombie Velociraptor from the Natural History Museum. They also learn more about the origin of the variants, and meet new enemies, the "Hands of God", Cthulhoid cyborgs/aliens that know a lot about Dirge.

The comic book continues the story, picking up 9 years after the events from the original animations. Disaster has struck the human settlement, and Dirge is the only one who can help. We gain a glimpse of the human settlement's culture, a rigid theocracy, ruled over by a half-mad, babbling priest named Ammon. We find out /much/ more about the zombies and the aliens here, as well as hints about Dirge's former past.

As of September, 2009, Dream Works is pursuing the rights to a live-action movie.

The videos are available from eXploding Pickle, a Flash animation site. See below for a numbered list.
 * 1) Chapter 1
 * 2) Chapter 2: Cadillacs & Cadavers
 * 3) Chapter 3: Grinding Organs
 * 4) Chapter 4: Relics & Reptiles
 * 5) Chapter 5 is split into two parts:
 * 6) Chapter 5.1: The Exhibit, Reel One
 * 7) Chapter 5.2: The Exhibit, Reel Two
 * 8) Chapter 6: The Hands of God
 * 9) Chapter 7: Thunder & Light
 * 10) Chapter 8: Death Under Wraps
 * 11) Chapter 9: Falling Forever
 * 12) Chapter 10: Hallowed Grounds

This series provides examples of:
 * Affably Evil: Mr. Gallows (arguably Faux Affably Evil).
 * Alien Invasion:
 * Actually, Word of God states that those aren't aliens in the traditional extra terrestrial sense
 * Berserk Button: Dirge (Zoe), and Zoe (Dirge).
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Zoe (several times). First, she takes Dirge's shovel and re-kills a by . Next, she . Finally, in the comic, she . You do not mess with this girl.
 * Bulletproof Vest: A modified variant appears in the comic (Dirge . "What's the matter, lose something important?" - Dirge
 * He also wears a big metal collar, eliminating the advantage of cutting off his head.
 * Children Are Innocent: It started out, but soon averted with Zoe.
 * Church Militant: Father Ammon is head of the religious in the human settlement, and is your standard, run-of-the-mill traditionalist fanatic that views all zombies as EVIL EVIL EVIL!
 * Circus of Fear: In Chapter 3, Zoe & Dirge end up in a zombified circus.
 * Daddys Girl: Zoe and Dirge, to some extent (more so in the comic), although Dirge is more of a "surrogate father".
 * Deadpan Snarker: Almost everyone gets at least one moment, even 6-year-old Zoe.
 * Disappeared Dad: At the beginning of the comic, we discover that Zoe's dad has been dead for an as-yet unstated length of time.
 * Dog Dies At the End: Subverted.
 * Faking the Dead: plays dead when
 * She earlier actually jokes with this trope. Where after a car crash, Dirge asks if she is alright. Her immediate reply is "Arrg... Brains"
 * Improbable Weapon User: Dirge uses a shovel as a weapon, and is more awesome with it than many other characters would be with any conventional weapon.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Necessarily Evil:.
 * Not Using the Z Word: The entire series is called "Xombie" after all. Ironically however, in the series they are never referred to as Xombies, just Talkers and Variants.
 * Mostly because it's pronounced exactly the same and thus you'd have to waste time clarifying anyway.
 * Our Zombies Are Different: Dirge, Nephthys, and
 * Outlaw: Mr. Gallows from the comic (also has elements of The Rustler).
 * Pint Sized Powerhouse: Zoe, to some extent.
 * Sacrifice: Subverted twice.
 * Shout Out: If you look in the endless hoard of zombies, you can see Waldo.
 * The Virus: The Nekrosis Virus responsible for the Zombie Apocalypse.
 * This Is Sparta: in the comic, when
 * What Could Have Been: Dirge's weapon was originally planned to be a helicopter blade.
 * What Have I Become: Dirge, and later
 * You Fail Biology Forever: Too much to list.
 * You Fail Geology Forever: Dinosaurs were not found in the Ice Age, nor were they found frozen in mud to such a great point of preservation.
 * Zombie Apocalypse
 * Zombie Apocalypse