There was plenty of discussion on the Resident Evil 5 racism debate back in August 2007, but of course that was reignited a few weeks back with the game so close to release. It’s good to see the game intact, I feared Capcom would cave to the political pressure and change the premise of the game despite there being nothing racist about it. It’s good to see that most people agree it’s not racist, it’s just a darn good game.
I didn’t even notice they were black when I was playing the demo. I guess it makes sense, considering the location. I’m on the “it’s not racist” side of things. I don’t judge people by colour, and frequently don’t even notice race. I think it shows that Capcom doesn’t care about race either to be able to do something like this. When I’m shooting some zombies, I’m not going to be worrying about where they’re from, just whether or not their heads are going to sprout odd creatures!
They should have made a black character, just so that it’d be even
you know, i think that people need to lay off w/ racism. its a game people. if you think its racist, then DONT PLAY IT. and for those who don’t, enjoy the game. this is ridiculous. ncg.
Haha, nice one guys. A few friends and I worked out the string for Zombie Game/Movie deaths and it basically goes like this:
1. Ethnic minority
2. Useless guy who split up with the group earlier and comes back infected
3. Butch girl
4. Troop leader/Old man who sacrifices himself bravely
So yeah, that’s the result of 6 zombie/plague movies in a row, as well as a zombie plan for our original home towns.
This is the type of comic I like. Simple and satirical. Now for the obligatory NCG.
That badge on Chris’s shoulder looks like a pot of honey to me. You know, like the Winnie the Pooh kind? Thanks guys. Now whenever I see Winnie the Pooh, I’ll think of zombie genocide.
Haha, nice comic! The logo is really cool too! I’m pretty excited for RE5, but I feel like I should at the very least beat RE4 first.
The controversy surrounding this game is just stupid, if you ask me.
I don’t remember Spain complaining when Resident Evil 4 was released.
NCg. I don’t/haven’t played Resident evil, but i always enjoy making fun of politically correct people.
Much better shading on the muscles this time, Ray. Although the bottom portion of the upper arm does some wonky things in regards to lines. Just remember this rule when drawing muscles…
What Would Sam Keith Do?
They are in Africa. In an African village. With mostly Africans who live there. *Sarcasm* So of course it’s rascist! They should have just completely re-did the game so it took place somewhere else in response to my complaints! *Sarcasm*
Ugh I can’t believe people think this is racist. When I heard about it I was thinking “They’re in an African Village so of course the zombies are going to be African!” People these days… NCG!
I as an African American think the entire racism outcry here is insane. Though I admit that blacks have not had the spotlight like white characters, there have been times where you could play as a black character who took on the endless waves of white baddies. Do we count that as racist? 99% of the games out there have strictly white enemies or a mutation of humans. and how games are going now you can choose the race of your character. should we make all the baddies black if I make a black character? no that would be stupid. Now if you excuse me I am going to go shoot some more zombies..
I love the comparison of the media with a zombie herd! BRILLIANT!!! Now whenever I think of the media, I’ll think of a zombie herd! GCG!! đ
Don’t listen to her RE5 Dude! Who cares about the media? Shoot those zombies! đ
I really like the art in this weeks comic. Good work Ray.
Man are you lazy Ray. Flipping the 5 around to make it look like a 2? Really? You should’ve just left the normal 2 there. Uber-fail man. Way to go.
Hmmm…
My first reaction is that you’ve kind of over-explained the joke. I think the last panel would have worked better if it stopped after “The media would eat me alive”
That said, it’s a good strip. I like the art, the finger count checks out ok, the menacing blurry background zombies work well.
I give this the official NCG stamp of approval.
So basically what you’re saying is that this logo used to be good?
I quite like the RE5 5 up there next to the umbrella logo.
That’s hilarious.
This really seems to be the consensus about the game. Can’t help but feel there is some truth to it. I am however very much so looking forward to playing the game, as I am a huge fan of the Resident Evil series.
*Sings along to theme song*
Upside down-ish 5 p Start!
I like how you made fun of capcoms weak attempt to make it okay by created a black girl.
Is it? He just burned you. Well Good job the comic looks very nice.
Also If I had a gun then I would just shoot everything (media and zombies)…and that’s why I live in a mental house.
Hmmmm…didn’t really care for this one. Guess I’m really the only one. Sorry. On the bright side the podcast this week was really good.
Me neither, the logo gave us enough fodder though,
*continues singing*
Upside down-ish 5 p Start!
Upside down-ish 5 p Start!
do do do doo dodododo
*singing fades as I’m escorted by security*
Which era? The good one that was actually scary or the crappy action-shooter one that featured mini squeaky-voiced napoleon guy. I’m tired of people giving this series so much credit for ruining itself.
NCG, but I’m sorry, the term “zombie” is not a very politically correct term for todays society. We much prefer to call them, “Less than alive, but still slightly functional” peoples. For calling them zombies, your being insensitive to them, and thats wrong and hurtful. Less than alive, but slightly functional peoples’ racist!
I mean, they aren’t just brain eating cannibals you know! They have feelings to! Like hunger, and anger! Look at Nemesis, I could of sworn he shed a tear as he was killing all his victims. You’re lucky the population of non-ignorant people in the world aren’t eating -you- alive like they did when they realized that the Spainards in Spain were the only enemies in RE 4 and the obviously stereo typical character of Luis and Salvadore.
Sorry for double post, but Capcom was forced to put in a main black character (Sheva) so they didn’t have to pay millions of dollars in a lawsuit. The story was suppose to be about Chris vs. Wesker, but they had to change almost all of the story and gameplay to encorperate Sheva as a main character (now a chunk of the story is about Sheva.)
Sorry Tim, Capcom did indeed change the premise of most of the game in order to not be sued (there wasn’t suppose to be a partner, but now it’s a huge part.)
But these kinds of changes did become great things (like how the original premise of RE 4 became a series we know as Devil May Cry.)
There goes comment of the week…
Yes! I was right for once!
*You got a secret bonus point!*
me: 1 them: 0
However, it does look like he’s not gripping the gun but rather clapped his hands on the gun….
is what I WOULD say if I was nit-picky, but this comic made me LOLOLOLOL (im still not sure what that whole thing stands for, but Im pretty sure I did it anyway) so much, it deserves a gazillion free passes. and I actually LIKE the upside-down 5 for the logo. ECG! (Epic comic, guys!)
Funny, except for the fact that they are no longer zombies at all. They’re Ganados now, parasitically controlled creatures created from human beings.
HAH! all this politically correct crap (please let me say that….. i’m getting ticked off!) is going too far. for gosh sakes, we have a black president, and they want to play the race card? sorry folks thats just not gonna cut it. I do believe that this comic was funny, but all of the negative controversy has just made it stink on ice. excellent art work ray, you got the fingers down right, but now im all fired up. ITS A GAME! if everyone thinks its so bad, let it rot on the shelves! (heh, a zombie pun, “rot” get it?) Jeez, you people need to chill out.
It’s been confirmed that there are zombies in the game. I was just refering to the racist comment about zombies in the comic, not the game in general.
BTW, Lickers were confirmed! Capcom -does- love us!
Of course they do. Just take a look at the Ace Attorney series. XD And Okami. đ
Ryman, you realize you missed a perfect Beetlejuice reference with “We prefer to call them living impaired,” don’t you?
roadjcat, sooooo Capcom loves us with Okami by firing the guys who made it and removing their names from the credits? Sorry… comapnies screwing workers out of credits is a pet peeve of mine…
No I didn’t. I’ve only seen Beetlejuice once when I was six though, so meh.
Would of been perfect though. Still, you need to stand up for Zombie rights!
Careful, if you say Beetlejuice one more ti… aw, crud.
Source? Lickers have been known, but they are still NOT ZOMBIES. Man how many times do people have to hear it before they get it?
Fine, then just Ace Attorney. And technically still Okami…even if they don’t love the people that made the game, they still like us. XD
*struggles out of graze* bout time, between my internet randomly cutting out, me thinking of something clever to write and then having the internet cut out again and me forgetting, and google chrome not liking this site I’ve been trying to leave a comment on anything since last week! anyways, very nice comic đ I can just see the backlash
*Chris is seen leaving a court*
“CHRIS! CHRIS! any comment on as to why you slaughtered all those black zombies?”
“yes, I blame the media!”
*BeetleJuice appears*
BeetlejuiceBeetlejuiceBeetlejuice
*BeetleJuice disappears*
There, I fixed it…
OR DID i?
BeetlejuiceBeetlejuiceBeetlejuice
*BeetleJuice appears*
BeetlejuiceBeetlejuiceBeetlejuice
*BeetleJuice disappears*
i could do this all day đ
You know I was gonna make a joke about other “racists” characters,but It’s late and I can only think of like Mario as an Italian, but my brain is melting and I can’t think of too many more, (hopefully, I won’t get facepalmed by other commenters for not thinking of something obvious), so I’m not gonna make the joke. Oh well your loss.
YAY for SELF-CENTERENESS
On another note, why if all the zombies are to the left of him is he point the gun forward. And for that matter why doesn’t she help him? Does she want to be eaten by a horrid swarm of zombies. Is she suicidal and rather then admit to her issues is seeking to end her life by zombiecide, or rather is she just trying to be some useless sidekick like Chip.
(for comedy purposes, imaging this in the whiny Chip Voice)
“Hey Chris, press A to shoot you gun. Watch out there are zombies attacking you. Hey look! they are eating your flesh and killing you. OH MY God, now there doing the same to me. Screams…………….. Do you want some advice?”
Ganados? Zombies? What do they all have in common?
The only want one thing…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6vnM9I7HIo
Actually, he’s holding the gun in the other hand (the one with the finger on the trigger) and he’s just steadying his aim with the one pressed against it.
Looks like Ray used this source image:
http://images.playfrance.com/5/2082/zoom/6835.jpg
And I have to say I think he did a great job of 2pstartifying it.
(What? 2pstartify totally is a word.)
Consider me rising from my grave. I joined from the comic of Avoiding Controversy. I love these, and I have listened to the podcasts from 51 up. I love the comics and the designs are great! Keep going guys! You are my favorite comic site!
I feel that the funniest part of the comic is their faces. Perhaps the newly announced Resident Evil game for Wii will have Mii support as well.
Sheva doesn’t have to do anything. Chris Redfield makes the Majinis cry in horror everytime he pulls back his arm….let’s just look at the facts:
1) He can slam revolving doors.
2) Chris Redfield destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
3) Chris Redfield’s calender goes from March 31st to April 2nd because noone fools Chris Redfeild.
4) There is no ‘ctrl’ button on Chris Redfield’s computer. Chris Redfield is always in control.
5) Majinis’ heads don’t explode because Chris Redfield punches them; they just happened to hit their self destruct button to avoid such a horrible death.
6) Remember the Umbrella Company? They decided to quit after watching a trailer of Resident Evil 5.
7) Chris Redfield can eat just one Lay’s potato chip.
8) Chris Redfield is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.
9) Apple pays Chris Redfield 99 cents every time he listens to a song.
10) Chris Redfield can kill two stones with one bird.
Funny, I thought that that was Chuck Norris. 0_0 OMG what if Chuck Norris was in a resident evil game. I demand a webcomic about it!!
No wait thats silly, Chuck Norris would be in a videogame, he would be a videogame!
Am I the only one who sees the few comments before me, and one higher up the page, going way outside of the comment box?
What?
It’s comments like these that get me riled up the most (no offense Doopliss), comments that don’t really say anything at all. Not adding to the conversation, not saying anything about this comic in particular, just rising for the sake of rising.
Anyway,
1. Chuck Norris is fail. He’s the new “That’s what she said!” except that “That’s what she said!” is so old and out of use that when used correctly can be funny.
2. They’re still not zombies.
dj,
We actually love hearing from Grave Risers because it’s hopefully just the beginning for them! Soon they will join the ranks of the 2P START! faithful commenters, so be patient!
Tim, that makes it sound like your raising an army of 2pers to take over the world!
Or….atleast overthrow Ray and become the supreme ruler of the website.
Wait…it’s kind of an irony that Tim came up with this comic because of the whole “little black boy” ad Ray came up with during the 2pstart elections.
The Rise From Your Grave segment promotes the expansion of the 2P start fan base and participation in the 2P start community. Isn’t that a good thing? It doesn’t always have to be about us long time fans. Besides, many comments are nothing more than “NCG guys!” anyway.
The definition of Zombie according to Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry:
zom·bie
Variant(s):
also zom·bi \?zÀm-b?\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole zonbi, of Bantu origin; akin to Kimbundu nzĂșmbe ghost
Date:
circa 1871
1. usually zombi a: the supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into and reanimate a dead body
b: a will-less and speechless human in the West Indies capable only of automatic movement who is held to have died and been supernaturally reanimated.
2 a: a person held to resemble the so-called walking dead; especially : automaton
b: a person markedly strange in appearance or behavior.
3: a mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice.
These zombies clearly fall under definition 2a.
So, a Zombie can drink a zombie without it being canibalism!? Brilliant!
Dr. Oswald, they are not considered walking dead. They not only think, but do things that walking dead are not considered even able to do. Like pulling a trigger and organizing into groups. So no, still not zombies.
Four Words – Talk to the Hand
Oh ya, he went there baby
đ
It says “resembles walking dead,” not “is walking dead.” Learn to read before you type. They could also fit under 1:a and 2:b.
Ignore the end of that last comment, that was an accident.
Are we talking about the zombies in RE5 here? As I see it, this entire comment board for this comic is talking about the same thing: zombies and commenters who RISE from their GRAVE (aka..ZOMBIES)
I guess “Rise from your Grave”-ers by definition fall under 2a. Though I venture to guess many of us fall under 2b. đ
XD That’s awesome.
Also, GX, if you are reading this, keep up the good work with the Spindash! Keep it up with the podcasts, and I hope you manage 10 more! (And don’t stop there, kay? >_>)
I thought that the mixed drink definition was funny to.
Actually, I think dj75728 has a good point. What we might consider a “pure” zombie certainly would not be able to understand what a gun is, let alone use one, nor are they capable of organization without a higher intelligence to give them commands. That could be a deal breaker for some people. For me it is not.
However, there is one very good reason to refer to them as zombies, especially in casual conversation. dj75728, if you told me that in RE5 you fought a bunch of Ganados I would have no idea what you were talking about. “Zombie” is a generic term that anyone can understand. Even the RE creators have referred to them as zombies. You may know all the technical terms from resident evil lore, but the rest of us don’t know or care. You asked earlier how many times you have to tell people they aren’t zombies before they learn. I don’t mean to be rude, and please don’t take it that way, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that you could yell and yell until your dying day and no one will ever listen. You would do better if you didn’t waste your breath.
You’re assuming he still breathes. Personally I haven’t taken a breath since that field trip to the Umbrella laboratories when I was at school.
Now if you excuse me, I have to go and debate the correct terminology to apply to an intelligent and highly mobile walking dead creature with my rotting friend over a nice plate of brains.
Mmmmmm…. brains.
Ganados or whatever they are, they’re just monsters now. And no, I don’t know all the RE stuff, I’m not actually even a fan.
It says âresembles walking dead,â not âis walking dead.â Learn to read before you type. They could also fit under 1:a and 2:b.
Maybe you should learn to read as well as they’re not being controlled by any mystical force. It’s a parasite, and they’re not dead anyway. So 1:a goes out the window. Also 2:b is incredibly general. Heck, even Ray with his silly hair would fall under that category
Fixed my post, don’t know why it went stupid.
Ganados or whatever they are, theyâre just monsters now. And no, I donât know all the RE stuff, Iâm not actually even a fan.
Maybe you should learn to read as well as theyâre not being controlled by any mystical force. Itâs a parasite, and theyâre not dead anyway. So 1:a goes out the window. Also 2:b is incredibly general. Heck, even Ray with his silly hair would fall under that category
Incredibly general, yes. But isn’t that the point here? Zombie is a general term for anything that (like in 2a) resembles the living dead, or (like in 2b) shows strange appearance and behavior. They are zombies as much as they are “ganados,” which means livestock or cattle and is used as a derogatory term. It’s supposed to imply that they are mindless pawns or cannon fodder, and they’re under the control of their master. As far as the “mystical force,” quite often they are commanded through a sort of “hive mind.” 1a says “according to voodoo belief,” so it’s talking about a specific set of myths and stories and we can rule that one out. However, you can’t say they’re not dead. Once the parasite grows and becomes an “adult,” it takes complete control of the victim. And when you blow their heads off and they keep coming, they definitely can’t live without a brain. Also, the grey things (I forget the name) in chapter 5 of RE4 were dead before the parasites were implanted into their body.
Whatever, obviously you’re the type who likes to argue so I’ll stop since it doesn’t seem you’ll be giving. I’ll keep saying that they’re not zombies, and you can call them whatever you like.
Wow; and I thought I was anal retentive about technical terminology. Yeesh. I haven’t played RE4, I have no current plans to play RE5, but I can tell you this: ResidentEvil = Zombies. They might have become zombies because of something other than the T-virus, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t zombies. As far as I can tell, ganados is just another word for zombies, and freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
Also, great comic. I always enjoy the artwork / visuals, and this one was very funny as well
It’s ridiculous how it would be considered even remotely racist! So killing Spaniards is not racist but killing Africans is? Or even killing white people in previous Resident Evil games.
It is sad that there is so much ignorance and it has a huge influence range i.e. the media.
There are white people in Africa too and you do kill them in the game too.
Sorry for that rant, but stuff like that are just plainly illogical.
Great comic strip by the way đ
Left 4 Dead “zombies” are technically infected. People just call them zombies anyway, despite the infected being faster moving and not craving brains. “Zombie” is just a common term used to discriminate– I mean, describe people who are not people anymore and are just roaming around mindlessly. Oh and they want to kill you too.
RE5’s common enemy is actually infected, but the term “zombies” can describe them too.
Image
Just like the elderly at the mall, just wandering around mindlessly
In Resi 5, they call them Majini, which according to a random google search means something along the lines of “Evil Spirit.”
I guess I do like to argue sometimes, but only when it’s something I like to talk about. Also, in the game, Chris says, “That thing didn’t move like any zombies I’ve seen.” I just mentioned that as a bit of random information, it doesn’t really support either of our arguments. Don’t accuse me of trying to continue arguing!
If I haven’t already said it, I like the way this page came out! And Resident Evil 5 is fun, especially with a friend sitting beside you.
I think its funny how us 2p Starters are more up in arms over the definition of Zombies, which are non-existant creature, then we are about the uprising over people feeling that the game is racist.
I realize both are discussed but, I mean there are like 30-40 (I didn’t count) comments discussing whether or not Zombies is an accurate description.
Just Sayin!
That’s because there is no debate over the racism in the game – it just isn’t. It doesn’t take many comments before you run out of ways to point out that people are silly.
And once that’s been exhausted there’s really only the different types of brain muncher left to discuss.
Personally, I’m in the camp that thinks it’s fine to call any brainless humanoid who’s trying to feast on my flesh a zombie. If you get too strict on the word then none of the RE games had zombies at all (and neither did night of the living dead) since zombie was originally only a wandering dead brought back to life by a practitioner of voodoo.
The term has expanded in scope many times over the last couple of hundred years, and I think it’s perfectly acceptable to consider RE4 and 5 enemies as sub-groups of zombie.
Wikipedia has a very good treatment of zombies here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie
I suppose, but I mean is this the issue which has us the most up in arms. to quote Shakespeare (oh ya I’m going there) “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
I think its funny that we think calling the game racist is deemed “silly” but this discussion about what to call zombies has been approached in such an academic and educated manner that it seems to be something of genuine concern to the readership.
Hey, we have to have priorities.
Actually, the game isn’t racist at all. Why does it matter what color the zombie is when you shoot it? They’re still trying to kill you. Also, no one else complained in the last resident evil games when we were killing white people, and i didn’t hear alot of complaints about the guys speaking spanish in re4. EVERYONE’S GETTING A TURN.
(P.s. : plus its not like they shout the N word and T-bag the guys with every kill)
(P.p.s. : im black and what i’ve played of the game is awesome.)
That’s only because Halo has the patent on racism and tea bagging.
Seriously, every time someone shouts a racist or homophobic slur over multiplayer voice chat in any other game microsoft gets a dollar. That’s why they’ve put so much research into voice recognition.
I’m shocked that racism isn’t applied in a different way, actually. Chris shooting black zombies isn’t racist (argue with zombie if you like, but it’s a moot point). However, these are the most sentient zombies shown by RE, and they are black, and controlled by Wesker, who is white. That seems to directly display slavery, but I haven’t heard that point made. Maybe because the game doesn’t present it as a good thing, but (last I saw) annihilating zombies isn’t really a good thing either, just a necessary one.
Yeah, right… KILL IT!!! BWAAHH!!
haha
Lol
Ah too true… LOL
The game is in Africa. Do you really think the natives would import white people just so you could kill someone whose skin was a different color?
I hate the world being overly PC and I think it’s time we all stopped.
It’s not racist. It’s Africa. Capcom would’ve generated even more controversy if all the zombies were white. “THERE’S NO BLACK PEOPLE IN AFRICA NOW? HOW DARE YOU!”
Seriously, all this controversy was stupid and pointless. But this comic is great!