Eleven seasons… eleven years. Only now do I speak out? … Why not? I have nothing else going on.

The Walking Dead (TWD) has a storyline that is surprisingly short, canonically. Only around 12 years from the zombie outbreak to the end of the original series.

“Who run the world?!” – Engineers! (Keep repeating that chant.)

This FACT had me somewhat critical since the main series ended. Why haven't the engineers rebuilt the world yet? Instead, we have shanty towns where people tape chisels to broom handles for their "ultimate defense." Bad guys take the hero's gear because, apparently, they can't make more? They all live without electricity?

No electricity? Absolutely, unbelievably, unconceivably, unconscionably, unfathomably unrealistic in a world with engineers!

I set out to solve this problem one evening with my close friend, Johnny Walker. And I believe I did.

What is around in this universe?

- The walking-dead… aka zombies.

- Abandoned cars in various conditions. Sometimes bigger trucks and vehicles.

- I'm going out on a limb here… I suspect there's a lot of exercise equipment lying around unused, just like today! The only thing they're good for is drying clothes and holding the un-alive at bay with the shin-smashing protrusions. That is UNTIL NOW!

I made v1 of this perpetual motion machine over 10 years ago. Since then, there have been countless Walking Dead spinoffs. One called Fear the Walking Dead actually had zombies walking endlessly on a spinning generator of sorts for refining gasoline.

Another series called Dead City features a character who was an engineer, I think an electrical engineer, who reenergized part of Manhattan in New York. As I said, engineers would revive society. This character did. Groups were fighting over the technology. Far more realistic.

In Dead City, they used zombie bodies falling apart to produce methane that was then burned, indirectly producing electricity. In a later season, they made a microbial-fuel cell from zombie parts. The fuel cell probably wouldn't produce much power, in reality. But they obviously realized us engineers would be experimenting with all sorts of ideas.

I think, in that universe, my idea is the best. The zombies are themselves perpetual motion machines, essentially magical creatures. They run forever. George A. Romero's Day of the Dead showed that the zombies could be nothing but a nervous system with eyes and still function. So, you know, magic.

Fun fact: The Walking Dead universe originally took place in George A. Romero's Dead universe. TWD was originally going to use the Night of the Living Dead title! 

Yes, I have watched everything TWD. Of course, I have a ton of other “Engineering the Walking Dead” ideas. If you liked this one and want to see more, say so in the comments below.

This is week 3 of the Halloween series. See the rest of my toons at the Engineering on Friday comic gallery.