It is that time of year again, folks. You know what I mean: your neighbors have started putting up their Halloween decorations, dentists across the nation are diabolically rubbing their hands together in anticipation, and zombies will soon walk the earth.

Wait…what?

That’s right. George Romero will finally be recognized as a prophet when zombies flood Dearborn at the end of the month. Don’t blow all your savings on shotgun shells just yet, though. These zombies are a rare breed: they are more interested in taking your charity than taking chunks of your flesh.

As part of the much larger 2010 Detroit FanFare comic convention, the event’s first Zombie Walk will kick it off bright and early at 8 a.m. Don’t know what a Zombie Walk is? IT’S A REVOLUTION! No, not really. Actually, it’s simply what happens when someone decides to round up everyone who has ever had the compulsion to dress like a decaying corpse and asks them to descend upon a chosen public area at the pace of your great-grandmother.

If you have ever wanted to be part of a horde of living people pretending to be dead people who have come back to life to eat living people… this is your moment.

Starting from the parking lot next to the Hyatt Regency, people doing their best impersonation of “rotting” will circle a mile with the hope of shattering the Guinness world record for largest Zombie Walk (this actually exists, Scout’s honor). The current record was established during a Seattle event that took place earlier this year and attracted 4,200 confirmed participants.

However, if breaking records isn’t your bag, or you are just too ashamed to admit to your friends that you have a secret wish to rise from the grave, there is still a very good reason for you to show up.

In conjunction with the Zombie Walk, there will be a drive held for donations and canned goods for the Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Gleaners is a stupendous local organization that spent last year getting over 30 million pounds of food to the people who need it the most, and they are asking that the walking dead give what they can to contribute to the cause.

For the heartless automatons that were swayed by none of the above, fret not. These particular activities are far from the only things Detroit FanFare 2010 has to offer. The entire event takes place over the weekend of October 30th and 31st at the aforementioned Hyatt Regency. In addition, the Red Cross is teaming with local comic book stores to distribute free comics in exchange for donations of blood or money on Halloween eve. There will also be a number of panels held on both days by comic book artists of both local and national esteem, the highlight of which is sure to be a much-ballyhooed appearance by the legendary Stan Lee.

So keep your zombie gear on; you may actually have to take a chunk out of someone to procure a seat.