We all know zombies eat brains, tend to lurch more than walk and prefer their clothes in tatters rather than form-fitting. But who knew they loved a good stiff drink once in a while?

Apparently they do. And if you don't believe it, check out the crest of Federal Hill on Saturday, when a free pub crawl euphemistically labeled the first Baltimore Walk of the Dead is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. For the next 10 hours, scores of the restlessly deceased will be pounding the streets of South Baltimore, lurching their way from Federal Hill to Canton and stopping in the occasional bar along the way. (After 8 p.m., only those 21 or over will be allowed to continue crawling.)

And for those really into the zombie thing, the fun can continue into Sunday as well, when anyone dressed as a zombie gets into the 11th annual Baltimore Comic-Con for free. They can even take part in the con's costume contest, where a new category has been added this year: Best Zombie.

"Really, it's just a networking event for getting people together," says organizer Jon Mazzetta, whose job among the living is working for a Baltimore information technology firm. "The idea was just to get a lot of people together, have some fun and raise some money for the bars and the people in the area."

Well, sure. But aren't there other ways to have fun besides lathering yourself up with fake blood, throwing on some tattered clothes accessorized with assorted half-eaten body parts, and scaring unsuspecting bystanders half to death?

"Zombies generally scare the hell out of people, and a little bit of fear now and then is fun," says Mazzetta, who's expecting upwards of 100 of the ungrateful dead to show up Saturday. "For me, it's kind of like a post-apocalyptic thrill ride."

For more information, go to thehouseofmisfittoys.com.

chris.kaltenbach@baltsun.com