No, these are not a cartoon artists. These people can re-animate the dead in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series of books. The Animating talent is a rare one, especially those who can raise more than two zombies a night.

List of known Animators:

Animators mentioned in the series and their usual raising capacity.

• Anita Blake - 5 per night in CotD
• Zachary (dead before GP but kept himself artificially alive with a magical gris-gris)
• Jamison Clarke - 2 per night (GP, tLaC)
• Charles Montgomery - 2 per night (tLaC)
• Manny Rodriguez - unknown
• Peter Burke (Dead a few days before tLaC) - unknown
• John Burke - unknown
• Larry Kirkland - raised 3 on his first night (CotD)

The average animator can raise 4 zombies a night. (?where was this from? seems high especially in light of later comments listing 2 or 3 as average)

Animator Companies:

Animating had been a licensed business for about 5 years before tLaC , three years before vampires became legal. (tLaC)

The following are the three predominant companies in the 'business':

• Animators Inc. - Based in St. Louis, with 5 animators and a business manager. For raising of corpses over 100 years, there is a minimum charge of $20,000, plus expenses. (?ref?)

• The Resurrection Company - Based in California

• Élan Vital - Based in New Orleans

Animation Magic:

Each animator is different. Methodology used in 'raising the dead' is a matter of training and the level of skills that are present in the individual.

Raising rituals, single animator
In comparison to many other rituals, this ritual is short.

The corpse to be raised has to be dead for a minimum of three nights (including the night of the death) before it can be raised as a zombie. This allows the mortal soul to depart. If the soul remains attached to the body, it cannot be raised. Sometimes the soul leaves quickly, other times it lingers. Most have departed after three days.

Most animators do a preliminary survey of the site/body to evaluate the situation.

A circle of power is then 'drawn' around the body. This is usually done with blood, typically that of a chicken. This is done to enforce the animators control over the zombie and also to prevent outside forces from influencing or affecting the process.

Once the circle is complete, the animator perform some training based steps and calls out to the person to be raised by name and reaches out with their power and wills them to respond.

Their power infuses the remains and they reanimate. The 'look' of the resulting zombie depends on how long the corpse was dead, the skill of the animator, and the power that they have used. Some can appear almost life-like. The zombie is tied metaphysically to the animator and must obey the instructions that it is given.

Freshly raised, a zombie has no memory, it must be fed blood to allow knowledge of its former life to return. Once this is done, the zombie can answer questions.

When the zombie has severed its purpose, it is returned to its original site.

If a person is included in the blood circle and is stood behind the tombstone, that person can also command the zombie that is raised. (?ref?)

Signs that a raising ritual has occurred, include the presence of blood and salt sprinkled around a grave and an animal corpse.

Raising ritual for two or more animators working together
Sometimes, when one animator does not have enough power to raise a particular corpse, - so as long as there is an animator who is also a focus - two or more can come together and join their strengths and talents.

• The animators make mirroring cuts with the same blade
• They kneel opposite each other and press their wounds together
• One or both says, 'We give our blood to the earth. Life for death, death for life. Raise the dead to drink our blood. Let us feed them as they obey us.'
• They then perform the raising ritual together.
  • They stand and make their sacrifice
  • They then walk the blood circle of power together
  • They dab blood of the sacrifice on each-other's forehead, cheeks and heart
  • They repaint over the blood in the ointment
  • They smear the blood and ointment on the headstone
  • One stays by the gravestone and the other goes to the foot of the grave
  • They chant their call, which can be something like: 'Hear us, (corpse name). We call you from your grave. By blood, magic and steel, we call you. Arise, (corpse name), come to us, come to us. (corpse name X2) come to us. Waken, (corpse name), arise and come to us.'
  • One of them will then feeds the risen zombie blood - it has to be fresh, live blood that seals the ritual.

Zombie Raising Equipment:

Standard Raising Kit

• A sacrifice (Usually a chicken, sometimes a goat, or even the animators own blood)
• A ceremonial knife (Any type, from hunting knife to machete - but not one used in just day-to-day life)
• Ointment, each raiser has their own formula that they like.
• Salt

The ointment is a blend of herbs and graveyard mould. To look at, it is a pale, off-white colour with flecks of greenish light. It is waxy and thick on the skin, but is quickly absorbed. The mixture usually includes varying amounts of:

• Rosemary, for memory
• Cinnamon, for preservation
• Cloves, also for preservation
• Sage, for wisdom
• Thyme, to bind it all together

Miscellaneous:

Various facts about Animators:

• They can raise corpses as zombies, but not those who will wake as vampires - the creation magic the vampire's maker has over them interferes with the Animators ability. (?ref?)
• They have the ability to move almost as fast as vampires for a short moment of time (?ref?)
• They have partial immunity to vampire mind tricks (GP)
• Good night vision (is this true of all? (?ref?)
• The Animator is the name of the journal/magazine centered around and written for animators (?ref?)
• Most animators cannot raise the long dead (100+). If it is done, it requires a 'big' sacrifice. (?ref?)
• The Pope excommunicated all animators unless they ceased raising the dead. Many became Episcopalians. (?ref?)
• There is a nationwide committee formed of animators and other experts to check on zombie working conditions. Anita and Charles are on it. (tLaC)
• If an animator is powerful enough, they can order a zombie to kill. Manny, Anita and Peter are all capable of doing this.
• It is uncommon for an animator to be able to raise more than three zombies a night. (?ref?)
• They can usually tell the dead from the living. (?ref?)
• They are insultingly called "Zombie Queens/Kings" by the prejudiced. (?ref?)
• Animators do not need permits to enter a cemetery at night, unlike those who worship the dead. (?ref?)
• They can feel death magics easier than other forms of magic. (?ref?)
• Animating is still on an informal apprenticeship with no college courses to teach animators how to raise the dead. (CotD)

References:
Guilty Pleasures,
The Laughing Corpse,
and Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton

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