Among the crowd of costumed fans and comic book artists, was Eastern Michigan University student and Echo staff writer Michael G. Petersen. At Motor City Comic-Con 2013, two films from Petersen’s zombie series, “The Last Broadcast,” were screened in the convention center’s screening room on Saturday evening.
“Chapter One: Through the Eyes of Others” and “Chapter Two: Pandora’s Dawn” screened for loyal fans of the series, comic book lovers and people who had read a widespread article written by reporter David Herndon. According to Petersen, the article made it into more than 10 papers, including AnnArbor.com and The Oakland Press.
During the convention Petersen was approached by a number of people, recognizing him from the papers and online sites.
“Having fans coming up to see me was unbelievable and I absolutely loved it,” Petersen said.
Later on he said people who had seen the films recognized him by his “The Last Broadcast” shirt he wore.
“It was mind -blowing,” Petersen said. “[The fans] said they loved the shorts.”
Petersen was, however, a bit disappointed that he wasn’t able to find the screening room in time to see the crowd’s reaction.
Petersen has been carefully crafting his zombie series for about seven years, and it wasn’t until a film project at Henry Ford Community College that he was able to start filming it. What started as a simple audio project turned into a short film lasting 17 minutes and featuring local Michigan actors such as Matthew Johnson, Eden Spring, George Seder and Clarence Olinger. These actors generously gave their time to the project. When the first installment received praise and won a few awards at local film festivals, such as the Good Friday Film Fest and Reel Michigan Film Festival, Petersen launched the second installment.
According to Petersen, there are 12 installments planned for “The Last Broadcast” film series. One and two have been completed, chapter three is in post-production, and filming of four and five are planned to be shot within the next year.
