Post by Rictras Shard on Jun 8, 2015 19:52:35 GMT -4
While at the library recently I found several trade paperbacks of The Walking Dead. I wasted no time getting them into my cadaverous claws and signing them out. The Walking Dead is a comic series by Robert Kirkman about a world that has been brought to ruin by zombies. You may have heard of the television series based on the comics. A trade paper back is several issues of a comic collected into a single volume. I had volumes 2, 3 and 4, which covered issues 7 through 24.
The story picks up as the characters are leaving their first camp, perhaps a couple of months after the world has started festering him. The main protagonist is Rick, a cop who was in a coma when the dead started they were hungry as hell and they weren't going to take it lying down. Among the other characters are his wife Lori, his son Carl, Dale, a fatherly senior, Andrea, the group's best sniper, Glenn, their scout, Tyreese, a former NFL player, and a few others who don't get as much face time. Along the way they meet up with other survivors, some of whom become important characters, and others who only serve as meat shields. They take up temporary residence in a small community, and soon find out why it was abandoned. From there they find Herschel's farm, and discover the terrible secret of the barn. Finally they end up at the prison, where the story breaks off as they are transforming it into a sanctuary and home.
If you thought the show was grim, oh boy, are you in for a shock. People die in gruesome ways. At one point the group finds out that someone in their midst is a serial killer. Characters that are quite nice on the small screen are very willing to murder in their graphic adventures. Some of the deaths on the tv happen to different characters in the comic. There is profanity, some nudity, and no small amount of violence. Where it doesn't differ, though, is in its interesting story. The living dead are an important factor, but equally important is their struggle to adapt to a new type of existence and each other. There is no shortage of strife, compromise and eventually, resolution.
The artwork, by Charlie Adlard, is functional and decent. It is in black and white, but with some of the gore, that is for the best. Some of it is rather abstract, but it works in this series.
If you are a fan of the zombie genre, you will likely enjoy this series. If you watch the show but haven't read the comics, there are enough differences to keep it interesting. All in all, it is a good yarn.