They're created through a number of means. Some are diseases, that if bitten will turn you into one of them. In more traditional portrayals, voodoo magic will bring someone who's passed back to our world. Other views have simply said Satan told people to get out of hell. Stephen King most recently had a unique concept of cell phones turning people into them. All of these, for the most part, lead to the same conclusion, a plague of humans, neither dead nor alive, but in state of savageness with a hunger to eat while they slowly decay.

This is a genre that has had a huge following for years in the horror community. One such fan is James Farr, who took the ideas of zombies and came up with a revolutionary idea: a zombie with a mind. Through his gift of drawing, he would create the Xombie series, which as each episode was created, grew an even larger fan base. He agreed to do an interview with me, so let's get to know the man behind the series.

Drew: When did you take your first steps in doing it?
James: My parents bought me a time-lapse video camera - a huge and heavy thing back in the late 80s. I used that to create clay animation, and other stop motion work using poseable toys. Think Robot Chicken, only not as funny. Once I hit college in 96, I discovered Flash.

Drew: Who where your inspirations?
James: Jim Henson and the Muppets were hugely inspiring to me in terms of creating ones own world, populating it with characters and watching it grow. That might explain Dirge's vaguely Muppet-like eyeballs. Others like Adam Warren, Craig McCracken and Brad Bird really inspired me in terms of style and narrative. And cinematically, there are just too many to mention.

Drew: How long have you had a love for Zombies?
James: I saw my first zombie film when I was 10. It was the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead with Patricia Tallman - who would later be kind enough to write a piece for my first novel. Ever since I saw her running to that abandoned farmhouse, I was hooked.

Drew: Also just to ask on the side, if anyone researches you will learn you also have a love for Transformers, how long have you had a love for it?
James: Since I was 5 or 6, and watching the show on Saturday mornings. That's another property I've been fortunate enough to work on now that I'm grown. You haven't lived until you've written lines for Optimus Prime.

Drew: And just to BS for fun, what'd you think of the Beast Wars series (both Toys and Show)? I ask because it's my favorite section of the entire series.
James: I find it depends on a person's age. I was in my mid teens when that really became popular, so it wasn't really as impactful for me as the original incarnation. I remember Waspinator getting booted around, though, and that was always hillarious.

Xombie

Drew: The basic premise of this series is that in a world where the dead roam, there is one who is among them, but at the same time not. How did you come up with this rather unique concept?
James: It was mainly a reaction to something I always wondered about. What's going on in a zombie's mind as it roams the earth, chases people, attacks them, etc. Do they have memories? Do they know what they're doing? And what if one of them did? Would it still choose to be the way that it is, or would it try to resist its urges and be - essentially - a good person.

Drew: Can you give a time line for the basic premise of the series, both the animated and comics?
James: The main timeline really kicks into gear in or around 2042. The comic takes place 10 years later in 2052.The upcoming animated film is somewhere in between. And the upcoming live action theatrical film takes place in the present. So we're jumping around a bit depending on the medium.

Drew: The main city in which this series is built around is Destiny City, a fictional metropolis, where exactly is it located?
James: Destiny City is basically a fictionalized version of Washington D.C.

Drew: The original series is 10 episodes long (11 since 5 is a 2 part episode), did you imagine your series would get this far?
James: Always hoped, but never knew for sure.

Drew: You've also had some amazing soundtracks for the episodes, some from numerous films and others more original, what sources are they from?
James: All from my own personal collection of soundtracks and scores. Due to licensing issues, most of that music had to be rescored for dvd. But a few of the artists were actually kind and cool enough to let me keep it.

Drew: What separates your zombies from ones we've seen in the past?
James: The source of the zombie plague is definitely a big difference, and that has been hinted at in the novel, comics and upcoming film. So we'll find out the answer very soon. Beyond that, I can't say too much without giving it away.

Drew: You also have done animal zombies, was there any particular one you just had to do?
James: Cerberus is actually based off of my favorite childhood dog, Paws - a massive German Shepard who my family adopted from a retired police officer. Aside from that, I am horrified by underwater monsters - so the zombie sharks, squid and whale were total no brainers. A zombified ocean is not where I would want to be.

Dirge - a Night of Rottingham

Drew: The main hero for this whole thing is Dirge, rather tall zombie who can think when we first meet him. Were there any inspirations for his personality?
James: Dirge is the most jaded, sarcastic part of me. As such, his dialogue is insanely easy to write.

Drew: When we first meet in him the original first episode, he face and outfit was different from how we see him today, along with his weapon, what made you decide on the changes?
James: I jumped into the animation process before I'd really figured out who my characters were. As a result, they gradually got fine tuned over the course of production.

Drew: Who does the voice for Dirge and how did you attain his amazing talent?
James: Dirge is voiced brilliantly by Geoff Edwards -- a fantastic voice actor based in Canada. We had worked together previously on another animated project of mine, and in addition to being insanely talented, he was always a joy to work with. I plan on using Geoff for every animated project I ever do. You can visit his website at geoffedwards.ca.

Drew: Of all the action we've seen Dirge in, what would you consider his most bad ass moment?
James: Episode 4. When he power-swings his shovel into the zombie raptor's head, knocking it 20 feet backwards into the T-Rex skeleton. Maybe not the biggest moment. But still my favorite.

Zoe - She's got some rotten friends. Literally

Drew: The other star we follow from the beginning of the series to the end is this child who some how wakes up on the beach with no memory, what inspirations did you have for her?
James: Zoe is our window character. As she explores the strange world around her, we explore it with her. When she makes a discovery, we make a discovery. She literally had to be there to make the story work, and her personality is based on various friends of mine. Most of them cute but stubborn.

Drew: Where did you get ideas for her appearance of 6 years old?
James: I was watching a lot of anime while doing her initial designs. By the time I published the first novel, her appearance had evolved quite a bit - currently more of a manga hybrid than an anime character.

Drew: In the comics, she's 10 years older and in her mid teens, where did you get inspiration for her appearance there?
James: Nate Lovett is a brilliant artist who designed the teenage Zoe. Typically in comic books, your female characters are required to be smoking hot. As such, Zoe got an upgrade during pre-production.

Drew: She's had 2 voice actresses (maybe 3, I'm not sure) do her voice through out the series, who where they and why the changes?
James: A series of very sweet, brilliant girls. It's difficult to secure good voice talent on a shoestring budget, and since the show spanned over 4 years of production, those actresses got older, their voices changed, etc. New talent had to be brought in every few episodes.

Nephthys - Scythes the limit

Drew: One of your more.interesting character creations, where did you come up with her personality?
James: Nephthys is the counterpoint to Dirge. Thoughtful, hopeful and very religious. Dirge is her polar opposite. She needed to exist to -A- look incredibly hot, and -B- give Dirge a chance to change.

Drew: There's a huge difference between Dirge and Nephthys, as one looks more traditional zombie while the other.doesn't, how did you come up with her look?
James: The look reflects their personality. Nephthys looks to the future and sees hope, renewal and potential beauty. Dirge sees hopelessness, wastes of time and endless annoyances. He therefore possesses a very gruff and unsettling exterior, whereas Nephthys is fair, attractive, and - depending on one's point of view - potentially beautiful.

Drew: Who does the voice for Nephthys?
James: Alison Rupert. She's wonderful.

Drew: Her voice comes off as a Russian accent, what exactly made you decide on that?
James: Nobody really knows exactly what an ancient Egyptian sounded like. It is definitely exotic, but not necessarily Russian..

Chimera - A new species, Zombiesaurus

Drew: Another interesting concept, a Zombie Dinosaur, what inspirations did you have for this?
James: Dinosaurs are awesome. Zombies are awesome. It was a match made in heaven.

Drew: Your dino here is more accurate to the real beast, was that part of your goal to have it proportionally accurate as opposed to the ones famously seen before?
James: Exactly. I didn't address the presence of feathers, since most viewers might have been confused by that. I assume that even if she did have feathers at one point, they've long since rotted off.

Drew: She engages in a battle in Episode 6 with the outcome not seen, but is seen at the end of the Episode 10, what exactly happened in that battle?
James: That little detail is hidden safely in the book - Xombie: Dead On Arrival.

Other Characters

Drew: In the comics (which I've yet to get, but it's on my to-do list), another smart zombie arrives, Gallows, what inspirations did you have for him?
James: Clint Eastwood, Roland from the Dark Tower cycle, and a dash of Captain Malcom Reynolds.

Drew: Would you classify him as a Hero or a villain or both?
James: No character in my universe is inherently evil. They each think they are doing the right thing - from their specific point of view.

Drew: There are also some unique enemies, giant monster like creatures in armored suits, what are they called and what inspiration did you have for them?
James: Those are the Bloodhounds - a form of xenopod - and they tie in with a pretty big secret regarding the zombie plague.

Future of Xombie

Drew: You've finished the webisode series and comics, what's next on the series of the Xombie?
James: The upcoming Halo 8 film, Xombie: reanimated. The upcoming animated film, Xombie: Dead Man's Hand. And the upcoming live action film from K/O Productions.

Drew: Some huge news was recently announced; Xombie would be turned into a vast movie that was picked up by Dreamworks, how did this come about?
James: Getting Hollywood's attention is like flagging down a 747. It takes a pretty big fire to get their attention. But once they had the comics in hand, they really got excited about the core concepts.

Drew: When the news broke out, the fan base was higher then Mt. Everest.then they crashed and burned when they heard the changes, what was your reaction to the fans reaction?
James: I remember the fan reaction to Heath Ledger being announced as the Joker, Christian Bale being announced as Batman, and Optimus Prime being changed to a long-nose Peterbuilt. Sometimes it's hard to understand why a decision is being made until you see it up on screen.

Drew: If the live action film was made that followed your series scene for scene, who would you have cast for the main characters?
James: Sean Bean as Dirge, Haifa Wehbe as Nephthys, Annasophia Robb as Zoe, and Doug Jones as everyone else.

Other Series

Drew: You've recently began work on a Transformers Animated series, as a fan you must have been thrilled, how did you get on board?
James: Xombie has helped open a lot of doors for me, including doors into Hasbro.

Drew: You've also had done a comic series called EV, what's the story behind this series?
James: I was asked to write a 160 page Manga for TokyoPop - about a teenage girl who is drafted to be the sole political representative for planet earth. eV is the story I came up with.

Drew: For years, you had a planned series called Call of the Cryptids that's been on permanent hold, will this see the light of day someday?
James: Absolutely. Still in the works.

Drew: Along with Call, you've also had a spin off series for Nephthys, is there any plans for this seeing the light of day?
James: Eventually, yes. She factors heavily into the future Xombie animated films and comics.

Drew: I do recall seeing other cartoons, some short, being made by you, what other animations have you done?
James: Tons. 99% of my work never sees the light of day, as it's typically for internal studio use. But my next comic book series will have an animated tie in, so we may be seeing that online early next year.

Drew: Is there any work in the future that isn't Xombie related for us to watch for?
James: Deke Tiki is my next big project. Coming very soon.

And as usual, I do my random fun questions

Drew: Favorite Drink? Alcoholic or not doesn't matter.
James: A Zombie - of course.

Drew: Favorite game system and game for it?
James: Xbox 360 / Batman Arkham Asylum.

Drew: Favorite Film Genre and film for it?
James: Sci-fi / Serenity

Drew: Favorite swear word?
James: Beans.

Drew: If you could live off of a food till you die, what would it be?
James: Curry chicken.

Drew: Favorite Book? Fiction or not, it doesn't matter
James: Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams

Drew: Current Religious stance?
James: Logical

Drew: Places you would like to visit in the world before you die?
James: Live Forever Incorporated

Drew: If you could do something else besides write, draw and direct, what would it be?
James: Puppetry.

Drew: James.do you like movies about gladiators?
James: Yes, captain.

Drew: And finally, what would you like to say to your fans, new and old?
James: Thank you for all your support and kind words over the years. I really hope you enjoy what we're cooking up next.

That was James Farr, creator of the much famed Xombie series. If you wish to know about the series, visit http://www.xombified.com/ to watch and learn. For more stuff outside and more about James himself, visit http://www.jamesfarr.com/ as well.

Buy his shirts, buy his books, buy his DVDs, they're well worth it. I know, I've been a fan for over half a decade.