"Ink," the origin and meaning of his tattoos...

[Witch_Doctor]

It gets better and goes deeper.

On the back of his hand (and on his middle finger) are a series of lines and dots. To me, these look like one of, or a combination of:

The Celestial/Angelic Alphabet: (WIKI)
Documented (Created?) by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa in the 16th century. Derived from the Hebrew and Greek alphabets, and purported to be used for communication with angels.

The Malachim: (WIKI)
Same guy, also derived from the Hebrew and Greek alphabets. Still in use to a limited extent by the Freemasons.

The Transitus Fluvii or "Passing the River alphabet" (WIKI)
Same guy again. Derived from the Hebrew alphabets. It is described as an occult alphabet.

These, combined with others are found in/on the magical incantations of wards, talismans, curses and the like in many faiths such as early Judeo-Christianity and Druidic/Paganism. It seems that Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa may have building on King Solomon and the incorrectly attributed Key of Solomon, around which there are many legends of magical power relating to the summoning and control of spirits and demons.

Then there is the Snakes and the Bacteria. I'm at somewhat of a loss to explain these. The snakes could be a reference to the Original Sin, where the Fallen Angel Lucifer, in the form of a snake, persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

As for the bacteria, I don't know if it is a generalized representation or meant to be a specific strain. While looking them up I was struck by the idea that the bacteria may be responsible for secreting the above mentioned chemicals. Perhaps a Molecular Chemist and a Bacteriologist could shed more light on this.

I wonder... it this meant to be indicative of the fusion of science and religion? The combination of the occult with technology that brought about the zombie holocaust? This adds another layer to the already mysterious question of who is this guy?

Awesome find on the Benzine Rings. I had been racking my brain for months trying to see if there was a connection to Tetrodotoxin which is the toxin in Puffer Fish used by Voodun to create zombies. By way of a misspelling I came across Tetradioxin and a few mouse clicks later to this picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2,...tuted_PCDF.svg Going from left to right, the fourth and fifth images look pretty similar to the artwork but they make absolutely no sense to the story. I found a dead end there, but your search shows more promise.

As for the snake symbols, there seems to be a straight forward connection to Voodoo. In fact, perhaps this thread should be merged with Chapter 27's Episode Artwork Has Voodoo Images thread. Does anyone remember this little gem posted by Eviebae?



This is called a veve. This is the same image on the hand closest to the fingers. The veves are symbolic representations of spirits of the Voodoo pantheon. The one on Pinstripe's hand is one of the veves for the deity Damballah-Wedo. This is the creator deity. But Damballah is a Divine Watch Maker type of creator. He creates the universe then takes no active part in running it. The intermediaries, or forces of nature, are the lower deities called Loa. They are analogous to saints or angels. Hold on to your hats... There are several FAMILIES of them!

First, know that Voodoo, like all religions, have many elements that vary from different practitioners. Here are a few interesting things about the Loa.

• Each family of Loa have unique traits.
• One family, The Petro Loa are generally the more fiery, occasionally aggressive and warlike Loa, and are associated with Haiti and the New World. They include Ezili Dantor, Marinette, and Met Kalfu.
• Marinette is a cruel and vicious loa...While she is feared and tends to ride those she possesses violently, she can also be seen as one who frees her people from bondage....Her Catholic counterpart is the Anima Sola (Forsaken Soul) who can either free one from bondage or drag you back. Her colors are black and deep blood red. Sound like anyone we know?
• Papa Legba is the intermediary between humans and the Loa. This is one of his veves. http://altreligion.about.com/od/symb...es/Legba-2.htm Notice that this is the same as the image on the lower part of Pinstripe's hand, nearest to the rist.
• Papa Legba is well represented in pop culture. In 1982, Elton John released a UK B-side titled "Hey, Papa Legba," with lyrics by longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. The musical groups Talking Heads, The Smalls, Angel, Sun City Girls, and Sun God have also made songs named after him.
• In the 1986 film Crossroads, blues musicians Robert Johnson and Willie Brown sell their souls to a "Mr. Legba" at a Mississippi crossroads.
• Later in the film Legba takes the name "Scratch".
• IMDB link to Crossroads movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090888/
• 'Scratch' is a nickname for the Devil.
• There are even Loa twins in Vodou, the Marassa Jumeaux are the divine twins.
• Season 3, Chapter 27, "The 31st" If you divide 27 by 3 you get 9. 9 + 31 is 40 and... OK, I'm just fucking with y'all now. :-)

What can we make of all of this? Personally, I don't see these as being much in the way of any insight to the story's plot or zombie origins. I think these are symbolic elements of the story. Icons that ground some of the characters to mythological motifs. Perhaps, and I sort of hope, that the story is being told in a manner influenced by the works of Joseph Campbell. The characters represent archetypes of heroes and villains, angels and demons, sages and fools. The use of symbols does not mean that the story has a supernatural factor. It only serves as a way to connect the characters to the larger forces that control the lives of the subjects of the story. Perhaps, also, we will never know the great details of the scientific reasons behind the outbreak. This is also a hope of mine. Our heroes are learning quite a bit about the zombies and their nature but not enough, yet, for it to turn into a 'Star Trek-esque' work of science fiction. We've been spared the Mr. Spocks and Cmdr Datas with their super brains and scientific explanations. That works well in Star Trek because the science is so far into the future that anything they say can be made to make sense. Can't travel faster than light? Well, just go to warp speed. Pesky quantum physics getting in the way of a a working transporter? Just connect a Heisenberg Compensator.

'Star Wars' started out by telling a fantasy story without trying to explain away the mysteries with too much science. Do you know what happened? Midi-freaking-chlorians!