Zombies Have Jumped The Shark

Michael Bane pretty much said that a while ago on his podcast. And what a torture it was when the Fonz did jump the shark, but I had my doubts earlier when I discovered that the Fonz's real name was Henry Winkler. But I digress. 

I like the zombie stuff.

Hornady Zombie Max

 

Talo Ruger LCP Zombie Slayer

Chris by Zombie Industries

I'm all for zombie ammo, guns, and targets. Fun stuff. "Shawn of the Dead" would have been a very short story, if they had this stuff available.

But where did the firearms zombie craze come from? The first time I saw zombies and firearms together, I was watching a TV show about three-gun matches. It looked fun - cute. But who came up with the idea? Zampires were popular at the time, but was the erotic nature of vampires too much for the gun crowd? Or are zombies an analog for the aliens of the 1950s? Do they represent our anxiety about the economic crisis?

And do we run the risk of looking at fellow humans as zombies, when the chips are down or the shit hits the fan? If we think of our opponents as zombies, do we dehumanize them? Or did they dehumanize themselves when they became assailants, invaders, carjackers, or burglars?

ADDENDUM:

And how cool is this!?!:

EOTech XPS2 Zombie Stopper and reticle

Found it over on The Truth About Guns in Chris Dumm's Zombie Shot Show Report.  I'd love to have a holosight with a biohazard reticle, but not for $500.

Chris Dumm also wrote about how zombies had jumped the shark. Maybe the zombie industry has hit it's sweet spot: everyone is making zombie gear, and everyone is talking about the zombie industry's demise.

Earliest known firearms zombie shark jump reference:
Say Uncle's "Since the zombie shark has been jumped" on October 18, 2011.

ADDEMDUM II

I thought I was ready for The Zombie Apocalypse:

But then I found this on helablog.  

DoubleStar Zombie-X AK-47