Animal Planet has announced that it's optioned The Other Dead, the IDW comic book about a world where a zombie virus appears that only infects (non-human) animals. Sure, it sounds a little goofy at first, but consider how completely screwed you'd be if you were attacked by more than two undead squirrels at once.


Created by Joshua Ortega and Digger Mesch, The Other Dead 's weirdest aspect might not be its zombie animals — it may be the fact that President Obama happens to be a star, as one of the comic's small group of random human survivors. As Ortega described the cast to Comic Book Resources:

Into this mix is thrown our eclectic cast of characters: Tommy Romero, a 10-year old cancer survivor who's struggling with his faith and belief in life; Azrael, Tommy's older brother and a member of the Norwegian-like death metal band, Decapitated; Justina Abelinda Cortez, Az's girlfriend who's an exotic dancer and a Puerto Rican bruja/witch; Chet Wayne, a racist ex-Army Ranger who's been preparing for the apocalypse for years; and Barack Obama — yes, the actual president of the United States — who ends up in the eye of the storm, dealing not only with the hurricane but the zombie animal outbreak as well.


I wonder if Animal Planet will want to avoid the hassles that would come with making the sitting president a character in the show, or welcome the infinite amount of attention it would bring (both good and bad). I hope he's not, because I have this fear in my heart that Obama the character will be attacked by a zombie elephant at some point, and regardless of the outcome, I honestly couldn't stand to watch a minute of the political pundits discussing it.