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9 thoughts on “558 – Cotton Clad Calamity”

  1. Raznaak

    Yup, he’s a bastard XD

  2. Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)

    Are those pajamas available in XXXL in the gift shop?

  3. Otaku

    It’s been a while, so let me ask: Did we get a reason for him to WANT Susie dead? Not to backseat, but if we didn’t, I’m worried were about to move into “Stupid Evil” territory. Now, stupid happens, don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad storytelling for that to be the case here.

    You’ve just done a good job NOT having that be a driving factor, so the “Kill off the stars of my successful reality TV show.” seems shortsighted, otherwise. Oh, I guess I could be mistaken about the in-story reality TV show’s success. Like, if the company behind them is losing money, or they think a change in management at the ranch would make the whole thing more popular/profitable, then I can see the above scenario happening as well.

    I REALLY think I’m just forgetting something important, but that I don’t have time to deep dive to remind me of, hence the comment. >_<

    1. Deoxy

      It certainly has been stretched out over quite a while, but there have definitely been hints from quite near the beginning that whoever is running the reality TV show definitely wants her dead.

      But I certainly don’t recall any reason why.

      1. Clint

        Yeah it’s fair to not remember since it’s been a hot minute (many, many minutes) but if you feel like a refresher the most relevant bits would be the beginning of Episode 8 and the end of Episode 15. We haven’t explicitly spelled out exactly what The Exec means by his “side hustle” or who was on the other end of that phone call, though.

        I’m hoping that when the whole thing is eventually available it will make sense, or at least enough sense to have hung this narrative on.

        1. Otaku

          Thanks for the replies, Deoxy and Clint. Yeah, I’d totally forgotten about those things. Good to know!

  4. Evervigilant

    Seems about time for the two people who aren’t there to make a surprise entrance as the ace Susie didn’t even know she had.

  5. Scarsdale

    There’s still 3-5 people on her side that might be planning something. This guy is a megalomaniac with a god complex, so letting him think he’s the sharpest tool in the shed sets him up for a fall. Everything depends on those cameras, and I suspect their little stop over by the charging coffins had something to do with her actual plan, not the one the a-hole thinks it is.

  6. lyra

    Really enjoyed the opening of Zombie Ranch. I like the combination of the western setting with the zombie concept, it gives the story a really distinctive atmosphere. I’m a freelance illustrator and animator, and I’d be interested in seeing how some of these scenes could translate into motion, especially as a short animated teaser or character scene.

    If you’re ever interested in something like that, you can reach me here:

    IG: eve_verse_
    Email: [contact.lilaclines@gmail.com](mailto:contact.lilaclines@gmail.com)
    Discord: Lyralilac_

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558 – Cotton Clad Calamity
Posted on August 26, 2026 by Dawn

What would you call this? Armchair assassination? Merk-from-home?

Well, Suzie ain't dead (or undead) quite yet, so we'll just have to see if his gloating is justifiable.

The herd mentality

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Clint

One of the things I find most fun about the zombie ranch concept is working out how similar (or in some cases, how different) they might be to a conventional livestock herd. Obviously close enough that Suzie’s daddy, the late Jonathan Zane, was able to adapt some of the tried-and-true methods of cattle ranching to wrangling zombies, but in other ways you’d have to figure there are differences that could prove deadly if ignored.

There’s a lot roiling in my brain about this topic that I rarely find the space to cram into the comic. For one thing, we’re talking about a set-up which doesn’t exist much in nature: zombies (as pop culture usually knows them) seem to naturally want to do gather together, forming swarms far beyond the scale of the largest packs of predators such as lions and wolves. The closest examples there might be creatures such as army ants, although fortunately for humanity the zombie mobs weren’t quite as smart about cooperating or navigating obstacles.

But of course, given the western theme one big concept I keep returning to is that trail hand’s nightmare of the stampede. That peaceful mass of animals that can suddenly become a deadly, nearly unstoppable surge of force at the slightest provocation. One or two herd members get spooked and start running, and before you know it thousands of hooves are pounding the ground, indiscriminately flattening anything unlucky enough to be in the way.

Zombie ranchers are wrangling mere human-sized charges, but if you’ve heard of those tragic events over the years at religious pilgrimages, sporting events, or even Black Friday at Wal-Mart, even a “human stampede” can do plenty of damage to people and property.

Now imagine that instead of wanting that special price on a flat-screen TV, that stampede wants to eat you. This is the paradox of zombie ranching. On the one hand, you need to gather a big herd together or you’ll never turn a profit. On the other, even the most insulated Safer knows zombies are most dangerous in large groups.

Is there such a thing as “zombie whispering“, or are Suzie and her peers just plain crazy for having a job where they regularly have to climb in amongst the walking dead? Or is it a little of both?

All questions I do want to go into more as the story continues. Assuming anyone survives the current circumstances, of course…