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[cdrcjsn]

I don't know if this comic exists.

I saw some links about a real life movement in the US where people are actively preparing themselves for some sort of nationwide disaster (pandemic, nuclear war, zombie apocalypse, 2012, etc).

I got to thinking that it would be interesting to see a family dealing with the stresses of preparing for something that might never come. It'll be like a comic dealing with some sort of apocalypse, but without the apocalypse.

Before I do any more work on this subject, I wonder if it's been done before. After all, post-apocalyptic comics are pretty much an entire genre of their own and I'd be surprised if nobody has at least touched on the subject.

Have any of you seen a comic similar to this concept? A pre-apocalyptic comic?
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[4LS]

Nope. Do it! I'd give it a read.
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[smbhax.com]

It's new to me!
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[Spencey]

Sounds epic. You hear a lot about post-apocalytic worlds, but pre would be an interesting story. Do it!
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[cdrcjsn]

The more I look into this, the crazier the drama I find.

I was on a forum doing research and some of the topics that were actually brought up included:

1) Someone was wondering if they should tell their extended family that they've prepared for a large disaster. She's worried that her sister will bring her family of 6 to try to live with her in case of disaster, but she only has enough supplies for her own family of 3 to survive and don't think she can turn her sister away if she shows up at her door (and thus endanger everyone by short supplies). She's failed at getting her sister to prepare herself, and is thinking that not telling her and letting her fend for herself in case of disaster is better than having to face a choice in the future.

2) A father overheard his daughter's boyfriend remark that he knows where to go when the crap hits the fan (after he was shown the family's stock room by the daughter-which pissed off the dad, btw). The father is asking the forum community if he should threaten the boyfriend now to stay away when disaster strikes, or if he should just be quiet and turn him away in the future at gun point. He's worried that if he warns the guy now, he might turn violent in the future and come prepared for murder.

Crazy drama! And I haven't even touched on the crazy theories that are causing these people to hoard and prepare.

Some are rational, i.e. if you live in hurricane country, then the chances are relatively high that you can have public utilities (gas, electricity) cut off for weeks at a time so it makes sense to prepare (likewise in blizzard country).

But some of these folks fully expect civil war in the US, secret bio-engineered terror weapons (nobody has said zombies yet, but I can't help but infer this is what some of them are talking about), and 2012 theories (overactive solar flares and sunspots are a common theme).

And then there's the whole culture aspect of it. It's very much a renaissance of craftsman, old west frontier style of living where some folks are teaching themselves to make soap and candles from lard and tallow (pig and cow fat respectively) and other sorts of homemade household goods and preserved foods.

Oh, FYI, Costco actually sells a year's supply of emergency ration for around $1000. Enough supplies for one person to live on for one year (minus the water). So this movement isn't restricted to people living out in the boonies.
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[Casual Notice]

People in the boonies actually have less to worry about in the case of worldwide disaster. If you have access to wide spreads of land then the main problems with societal collapse aren't an issue. People living in suburbs are the most at risk, since they are likely to be spared an act of mass -destruction (nuclear war, riot, etc) but have neither access to land for growing crops/hunting nor access to large supply stores within easy access.

If you have cable, History Channel had a very good show about immediately post-collapse difficulties for a suburban family of three (I forget the name) which might help you in your planning for this.

If you want a post-apocalypse scenario that would have worldwide society-crushing consequences without being an ELE, look into the Yellowstone supervolcano and the probable effects of its eruption.

Nihilists, by the way, are funny as hell, and easy to get riled up.
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[cdrcjsn]

I'm not sure at this point I want to include an actual apocalypse, except maybe as a way to end the series.

The real story is in the people preparing themselves, both materially and emotionally for a possible apocalypse.

Oh, and I did watch that one history channel show where they showed a family dealing with what might happen in a pandemic, one large enough to wipe out a significant portion of the population. Pretty scary stuff.
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[justender]

I'd read a comic about this.

And yeah, the two scenarios outlined are both very valid points for survivalists.

Plus ya know, where do you buy your ammo or supplies (or gun lockers) for that matter, since those businesses may all keep records (or even just to take delivery on that stuff from costco, even).

Something that's been on my mind, if you don't have a set-date for the apocalypse (see religious freaks), a survivalist needs to take into account how to use their stored goods in their 'regular' life. Mormons run into this problem with their stored food. If you don't use your supplies, then it's just wasted money/income.

Also, how to contemplate what society would look like after TEOTWAWKI.

For example, one guy pointed out to me that you would never want to sell guns or ammo after the bomb. That's stupid. But many casual survivalists just buy a bunch of guns / ammo, and figure they'll trade it for what they need.

[iaviv]

Sounds good. I'd read that.
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[wendyw]

justender wrote:

Something that's been on my mind, if you don't have a set-date for the apocalypse (see religious freaks), a survivalist needs to take into account how to use their stored goods in their 'regular' life. Mormons run into this problem with their stored food. If you don't use your supplies, then it's just wasted money/income.

Surely you'd be fine as long as you just constantly used the oldest stuff first. Don't have separate supplies for use and storage. Treat them as the same thing and just make sure the oldest ones are at the front of the shelf and replace things as you use them so the supply self never runs low.

Much like keeping the shelves in a shop stocked up really.
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[vulpeslibertas]

one guy pointed out wrote:

you would never want to sell guns or ammo after the bomb

I'd debate this point. Guns are one of the really useful tools in a post-apocalypse environment. As such, those things would be tremendously valuable.

Of course, you'd want to make sure you had enough for your own use and defense. Certainly you wouldn't want to sell them to people you thought might use them against you, but when all that's been considered, I wouldn't be surprised if bullets were used as currency after an apocalypse.

If a family stored a rifle (and I dunno, maybe 500* rounds of ammunition), that might keep a family fed for a year in the wilderness i.e. - It's basically a year's income. But you can buy it pre-apocalypse for less than $500. That's a lot more space-efficient than trying to store food or water. A family preparing for the end of civilization needs the basics, but once that's covered for your own family, a little extra stuff for barter wouldn't be a bad idea.

*EDIT: Your mileage may vary. If they're waiting until the end of the world to buy a gun, then they probably aren't a very accurate shot.
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[justender]

Quote:

Surely you'd be fine as long as you just constantly used the oldest stuff first

Only if all you eat/consume is the stored goods. And assuming you're only storing for the number of mouths that is currently in your household. ie: Not for sister and her 6 family members. Otherwise, you're constantly going to be behind in your consumption rate.

I mean, taking the Costco thing (shelf reliance), nobody wants to hand-grind their own wheat everyday of the non-apocalypse.

And that's assuming that the shelf-lives don't get you. For example, bleach has a half-life of 6 months.

[vaslittlecrow]

I am in favor of this idea.
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[Casual Notice]

WHile wendy is mostly correct with her comments about stock rotation, there are a few points I feel I should make.
Properly treated and stored

• canned (that is sterilized and sealed in a jar, not necessarily held in a tin can) good are good for six months to two years if they aren't opened
  
• pickled goods are good for up to six years
  
• dried, salted meats are good for up to five years
  
• meaty fruits and vegetables (apples, pears, most roots and tubers) are good for up to ten years
  
• dried fruits and vegetables are good for up to twenty years
  
• cereal grains and seed-based spices can last for centuries (millet berries capable of germination have been found in Egyptian tombs)
  
• honey, vinegar, and 100+ proof liquor never go bad

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[vulpeslibertas]

As far as saved goods goes: Besides eating them yourself, you can donate them to food banks, take tax write-offs, etc. This will help with the financial loss. And really, if you're only eating 80% of the food you've saved, then that's still only a 20% loss.

Realistically, anyone who plans on living off of canned food after the End is probably wrong. It's too hard and too expensive to store. It costs too much, takes up too much room, eventually spoils. Anyone who really wants to survive the apocalypse needs to have two plans:

A. Short Term Plan - Stockpile canned food, gas, living necessities for a few months up to a year. This should only serve you in the initial turmoil, and may help you move out where you can survive on your own (i.e. 500 miles of gasoline and a map). This plan should really be focused on surviving the immediate effects of the Big Bad Event: Treatment of radiation sickness, anti-alien tinfoil, bio-hazard masks, zombie repellant, etc. You really shouldn't expect to live off of this plan, this is really just the escape plan.

B. Long Term Plan - Stockpile guns, seeds, tools that will help you make new food after the initial turmoil blows over. Have a cabin somewhere in the boonies with an acre or so of farm-able soil. Practical hands-on training in survival conditions. This is your long-term survival plan, of course this all depends on what cataclysm you're trying to survive and exactly how world-ending you're expecting it to be.

PS - One aspect of such a comic could deal with how people sort out all of the phony advice from the genuine stuff. For example, of all of this advice posted here, I really doubt any person posting here has actually ever survived the end of the world. Leastways, I don't think I ever have. Grain of salt.
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