Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Meagan’s Take On Zombie Pub Craw V: It’s Starting to Stink
I’m already looking forward to next year’s Zombie Pub Crawl…it’s that much fun. The first time I attended was three years ago. As nerdyness infuses almost everything I do, my friends and I always try to work something video game or comic related into our attire.
In 2007 a few friends and I went as Resident Evil characters and Umbrella scientists (I was Jill Valentine).
In 2008 we put together a huge Marvel Zombies group. I bloodied up my Elektra costume and was joined by a Thor, She-Hulk, Tony Stark, Punisher, Ice Man, Nick Fury and Ben as Fin Fang Foom. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
This year Left 4 Dead was an obvious choice. I scrounged up some of the guys from around the office to fill out the group. My husband and I claimed Zoey and Francis. Our friends Tony and Cole took Louis and Bill, respectively. My brother opted to be a Boomer and my very brave friend Leah said yes to parading around in her underwear as a Witch. Tim jumped into the role of a Hunter.
Costume prep started weeks ago when we started on props. I randomly came across red first aid kits on clearance at Target and picked up four to pin to our jackets. My brother helped me sew on the cross patches and I picked up zippers to make them look a bit more like the in-game models. From there we grabbed some bottles of Ibuprofen and I raided my sadly extensive collection of fake guns for the proper firearms. The costumes themselves took a bit more work.
Zoey: Zoey was easy enough. I modified a red hooded track jacket so that it had a collar instead. I also added the white patches up the side. I had a pair of dark jeans I didn’t mind ruining, and found the Converse sneakers at Target.
Francis: My husband and I found a “biker dude” costume at the Halloween store and started with that. I took in the vest so it fit better and added lapels and the belt on the side. The tattoo shirt was decently convincing, and I already had a pair of fingerless gloves. The day of the pub crawl he actually shaved his head for the costume…that’s dedication.
Bill and Louis: Both our friends Cole and Tony came up with their own costumes, and did a really good job. Cole had a solid beard which we combed with white hairspray. Tony also shaved his head for the costume.
Boomer: My brother worked pretty hard on this costume for a few weeks. The sweatpants and shirt were easy enough to find. He made a fat suit to go underneath the sweatshirt, cutting pillows in half and placing them on his chest, stomach and sides. I think it’s pretty convincing.
Witch: I felt bad for my friend Leah when I found out how cold it would be. We managed to sneak some long underwear underneath the white leggings to help take the edge off. I bought white cotton boy shorts and a tank top for the outfit and stained them with coffee and tea to make them look old and worn. From there, I made the claws out of Wonderflex and attached them to gloves. Once the costume and wig were on, I spent a good amount of time dirtying up her legs, knees, wig and hands. It turned out pretty awesome.
Hunter: Tim did the work by himself. Great job!
Saturday is when most of the work pulled together thanks to an awesome friend/makeup artist who spent hours working on our special infected. You can credit her for making our Hunter, Witch and Boomer believable. I also bribed a photographer (Nate of Tonic Dog Studios) to run around the crawl with us and take photos. Thanks go to him for the awesome shots!
But enough of my rambling. You probably want to see pictures. So here you go!!
Tonic Dog Studios Photos:
Other Random Shots:
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
