I’m nearing the end of the series, with only two volumes to go after these two, and the action, humor and pathos never stops!
Volume Nine:
In the first half, Mark regains his powers, so he checks in with Dinosaurus who he left unsupervised. Big mistake! This dinosaurus plotline fell flat for me- it was just so talky about right vs wrong just for Mark to learn a lesson about understanding Cecil’s decisions better. So it’s ok that a million people died, so long as Mark realizes life is not always black or white. Plus, it has bothered me to no end that we never learned what turned mild mannered David into an insane dino/human hybrid. At least there was some amazing artwork with some very cool one or two-page spreads, as the various heroes dealt with the chaos that Dinosaurus caused, with all the faces of characters reacting to Mark’s “death” being a favorite. Another significant plot was that Nolan was revealed to be the Viltrumite royal heir and all of a sudden Thragg is overthrown. Eve reveals she is pregnant and won’t be able to use her powers as it could hurt the baby. A little joke with Mark attending a comic-con about hitting the 100 issues is appreciated, as Invincible was hitting 100 issue at this time IRL.
Angstrom Levy pops up again and he and his multi-verses of different Invincibles worries Mark, and despite Eve seemingly talking sense into Levy after he threatens them, Mark is concerned about what Levy could do in the future. We also get worrisome windows into what Battle Beast, Rex and Doctor Seismic are up to. Rex, especially, is unraveling and reveals his true nature to Mark.
Although Ottley is credited for all the art in this volume it seemed off. Eve and Debbie’s faces seemed different, and I double-checked that Walker wasn’t part of the art team in this volume. Speaking of art teams I should mention that Rathburn (inks) and Rauch (colors) always hit it out of the park.
Volume Ten:
Often in the Marvel & DC comics, heroes make decisions that are always for the best, but in this series Mark is always making mistakes. He often learns and grows from them, but chaos and death often follow him. His determination to kill Levy drives a wedge between him and Eve, and he has to figure out how to get out of a dimension that Rex stranded him in. Months go by, and Eve is nearing the birth of her child when he returns. Mark tries to warn people that Rex has gone insanely evil, but his pleas come too late, and Rex attacks all the heroes resulting in many of their deaths. In the midst of all this, the Viltrumite Anissa assaults Mark, demanding he father a child with her. She rapes him in a very uncomfortable scene. He understandably is reeling from her attack, and it throws him off his game while he deals with all that is happening around him. That his and Eve’s baby daughter is born is a bright spot in this grim volume.
Battle Beast and Thragg get into a fight to the death when they encounter one another, as Thragg has settled down on a familiar planet and has worked VERY diligently at increasing the Viltrumite ranks. The planet he picked is actually brilliant and his children will be ready soldiers in no time. Speaking of other planets, Mark & Eve with their baby daughter Terra leave Earth as they can’t cope with Rex’s betrayals and how everyone is looking past his choices. They meet up with Oliver, who due to his mother’s bloodline, has aged rapidly and they are now are about the same age. We meet Oliver’s girlfriend, Haluma, who looks like a giant lobster but turns Oliver on (love the mandibles joke).
As we now move towards the conclusion, some threads are being tidied up. We see Mark’s first girlfriend with a new boyfriend, and some bow ties are added to Art the superhero’s tailor, Eve’s parents and William & Rick’s character arcs. This was a more poignant story than usual, although you can’t have an Invincible volume without battle scenes throughout. The last page was a gut punch for what it symbolized, and in the enjoyable sketchbooks at the end of each book, artist Ottley said it was rough to draw.
I’m now ready to head into the last two volumes and see how everything gets wrapped up!
Invincible remains strong in these middle volumes! Sometimes a series can get wobbly in the middle, but instead, I feel the plot threads are tightening up as we move closer to the conclusion.
Volume Seven:
The first half dealt with the Viltrumite War and took place almost exclusively off-Earth. Nolan reveals himself to Debbie and Oliver, and while Oliver is thrilled to see his father, Debbie is justifiably distraught to see the man who betrayed her. Nolan takes his two sons to fight his kin and there is a funny Star Trek: TNG joke (although at their expensense- please don’t mock my beloved TNG!) and soon enough they encounter the Viltrumites. Epic war scenes that had six awesome two-page spreads to convey the chaos of space fighting. They finally reach a stale-mate as the two sides can’t seem to win- but the Viltrumite retreat does not mean Invincible and his allies won. A Sophie’s-choice is made in the end to Mark’s sorrow. But they are alive, ready to battle another day…
Now that the Viltrumite invasion is on the back-burner Nolan tries to reconcile with his estranged wife, whose heart he broke and Debbie seems open to it, so they both leave for outer space to see if they can salvage their relationship and also to visit Oliver who is recovering from the war. This leaves Mark & Eve to work through their issues after Mark’s long absence, and Mark learns of a hard decision that Eve had to make while he was gone. Mark had previously been furious at Cecil for making hard morally-grey decisions, but now he too makes certain choices with villains that may pay off in the long-term, even if it doesn’t look good in the short-term.
Robot (now called Rex) and Monster Girl return from the Flaxans dimension they transported to and come back grown up and are obviously reeling from some trauma that occured to them while there. Mark & Eve visit married couple Immortal and Kate who are now parents, and I have to say Kate is a b*tch! What does Immortal see in her? There is an odd side plot about Eve gaining weight and we find out that William and Rick are now dating.
Volume Eight:
Allen the Alien is now the leader of the Coalition of Planets and wants to take a hard line with the remaining Viltrumites on Earth, much to Nolan and Mark’s dismay. Oliver, who feels no love for Earth, sides with Allen but everything comes to a stalemate when Thragg learns of their mission. But Mark gets hurt in the melee and has his powers dissipate which then ties into Bulletproof having to wear Mark’s costume to keep up appearances on Earth. Mark utilizes Dinosaurus in some long-range plans but underestimates how they can truly work together. Nolan and Debbie have reconciled, and they reconcile over & over & over again if you get my drift. Poor Oliver gets an earful one night and there is a funny visual of him covering his ears the way Nolan had to in a previous book when staying at Allen’s.
However, the most epic storyline is Robot and Monster Girl’s as we finally find out what happened to the duo when they went through the portal during one of the semi-regular invasions by the Flaxans. On Earth, they were only missing a few months, but in the Flaxans dimension, they were there 700 years and led a coup against the corrupt government there. When they came back they told team members they were there 12 years, but so very much happened while there including love, betrayal and trauma. A nasty surprise is revealed during the next Flaxans invasion on Earth, surprising the pair who thought they left the planet in a peaceful state. But that surprise is nothing compared to the last page that divulges an ugly secret and what you thought about one character’s motives is completely upended.
Ottley’s and Walker’s art is better melded in this book, as Ottley draws the Earth scenes while Walker drew the Flaxans scenes. Amanda (Monster Girl) has a cool Queen Amidala vibe going, with elaborate hairdos and outfits while she is the Queen Consort with Rex. Awesomely drawn fight scenes and weird monsters, villains and aliens remain a strong suit in this series.
Kirkman, Robert, Charlie Adlard, Stefano Gaudiano, Cliff Rathburn. The Walking Dead: Compendium Four. 2019.
After fifteen years, this epic dystopian zombie series wrapped everything up in Volume 32! I’m sad to see it come to an end, but it went out on Kirkman’s own terms and I was (mostly) pleased with its conclusion. There will be some spoilers throughout, but mostly in the review of the last volume.
Volume 25- No Turning Back:The residents of the three linked communities are out for blood once it is revealed to them what Alpha and The Whisperers did. The victim’s loved ones want immediate retaliation and don’t understand Rick’s reluctance in doing so. Rick and Maggie fight over their different leading styles and come to blows, and Paul shows he has Maggie’s back at all times. Rick goes to Negan and asks for his advice on how to handle the volatile revolt against his leadership. Let me repeat that, Rick asks an evil tyrant what to do next. Doubtful this is going to go well…
Volume 26- Call To Arms: This was the best volume in a long while! There were some great storylines followed up on, with room for growth. The militia begins their training, and Dwight continues to show leadership potential, although he claims to not want to be a leader. This reminds me of an earlier volume when Andrea tells Rick he is a better leader when he doesn’t want to be. Eugene makes contact with an unknown person on his shortwave radio. While he tries not to give away too much info and put the community at risk, I don’t have a good feeling about it. I’ve watched some of the TWD spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead and their radio interactions with another group did not end well for them. The best part of this volume was Negan’s escape (we all knew he would eventually!) and what he does afterward. As soon as you think he might have a tiny spark of humanity left in him, he destroys you. The ending was epic!
Volume 27- The Whisperer War: Another strong volume- it picks up with Negan bringing home his “trophy” to show Rick his intentions. Negan claims that Rick and the residents of Alexandria should trust him, as he has dealt a hard blow to the Whisperers, and willingly came back to face them. Beta discovers what Negan did and vows revenge. Rick tries to bring all his allies together to fight the horde of zombies that the Whisperers are hiding among, but not all the outposts are willing to send their members to join Alexandria’s militia. The militia plans their strategy, but of course, things never go well out in the field. Negan’s continued evolution is fascinating, with a few hints as to what Lucille represented to him. Beta hasn’t seemed like a strong villain compared to the Governor, Negan or Alpha, but the references to his face never having been seen intrigues me. Is he someone we know from the past? One aside about the artwork- it was much too busy. There were several two-page spreads that had too many panels that were hard to follow chronologically.
Volume 28- A Certain Doom: Rick, Andrea and their crew face the largest herd of zombies yet, heading straight towards Alexandria due to the Whisperers pushing them in that direction. The town is a well-oiled machine under Rick’s guidance and they no longer strictly react, they have a plan of action. That’s not to say things don’t get out of hand or verge on chaos, especially when a minor power coup occurs, but the team works well together. We even get some character development and some enlightening banter between Rick and Negan when they are stranded in a building together for some time. But a quip by Negan about avoiding being bitten is a foreshadowing about what soon happens to a beloved original character. The conclusion of the book gives this person a proper send-off and the chance for many to be able to say goodbye before the inevitable death. The death will be sure to reverberate in future volumes and will lay a heavy weight on the remaining character’s psyches.
Volume 29- Lines We Cross: This was my quickest TWD read ever! This story was definitely a bridge book between the action of fighting the large zombie herd in the last volume and whatever Kirkman has planned next. Lots of little things happen: Rick is still reeling from the devastating death of a loved one, Jesus and Aaron fall in love and a triangle is hinted at between Carl, Lydia and Sophia. Maggie is furious that Negan is on the loose, a spunky new character Juanita is added to the mix, and Eugene and others set out to find the people he has speaking to on a ham radio. We discover who Beta is and it’s incredibly anti-climatic.
Volume 30- New World Order: Eugene and Michonne’s group finally arrives in Ohio to meet the woman Stephanie that Eugene has been communicating by ham radio with. Instead, they are met by a large group of soldiers, decked out in Stormtrooper type of gear, and taken to meet Lance who wishes to interrogate the group. Turns out they are on the outskirts of The Commonwealth, a group of survivors 50K strong. We then meet Pamela, the governor, and find out this large group has based their new society on a class system built upon what you did before the outbreak. While the city seems to be thriving, there is an underlying issue of the haves vs the have nots. Michonne is shocked to meet someone from her past and decides to stay in the Commonwealth, while Eugene escorts Pam to Alexandria to meet Rick. This is a promising arc that could turn the series in a new direction. Now years out from the outbreak, how does civilization rebuild? How do scattered settlements of survivors unite when each group has had different types of leaders and coping strategies? I enjoyed this book, that had no Negan and way less zombie attacks than usual, plus the art was crisper with some great layouts.
Volume 31- The Rotton Core: In the last volume, we are introduced to the Commonwealth, a large settlement in Ohio that has rigid class structures but has managed to thrive. I thought it established a promising arc that could turn the series in a new direction, for now, years out from the outbreak, how does civilization rebuild? Last issue and this issue had less zombie attacks, for I would think that now that people know how to prevent more zombies from reanimating, there would be less and less zombies to dispatch as the years went by. That gives people more time to refashion their world, and there would be many different ways in which this could happen. With this being TWD, we are force-fed that Rick’s way is best (it actually usually is) and other settlements should adapt to the way Alexandria is governed. So we get a heartbreaking showdown between Rick and another certain someone who wants change fast and isn’t willing to take no for an answer. We also get a lot of character development between others with new romances developing, but the shifting scenes between different settlements and characters were abrupt with no visual cues that the scene had changed- you were just supposed to know who lived in what settlement to know where you were now. BTW- Carl is an asshole and he and Sophia had better not eventually get together.
Volume 32- Rest In Peace: Surprise! Kirkman unexpectedly brought TWD to a close in this volume after fifteen years of zombie madness! *Spoilers ahead*
I had enjoyed the story arc in the last few volumes of Rick and compony meeting survivors of the Commonwealth in Ohio that was 50K strong, led by a governor, Pamela. This large group has based their new society on a class system built upon what you did before the outbreak. While the city seems to be thriving, there is an underlying issue of the haves vs the have nots, and tensions arise as this new group sees how Alexandria residents are governed. As we moved away from the zombie outbreak there were fewer attacks, thus civilization could rebuild, and this was opening up new storylines but Kirkman was actually drawing the story to a close.
The pressure brewing between the two factions comes to a head, with important members of the Commonwealth planning a coup when a large zombie herd puts everyone in danger. Maggie, Carl and others join Rick in fighting them back, and in the aftermath, Pamela publicity loses the support of her people. As the Commonwealth stands on the brink of democracy instead of a monarchy, Pamela’s son Sebastian is furious at his loss of power and comes after Rick. The fallout of his actions are huge, and the storyline seems poised to go in a new direction. But it was all a fake-out as Kirkman followed up with a concluding issue with a significant time jump.
Twenty plus years have passed since Rick’s death at the hands of Sebastian, and the story shows us a grown-up Carl married to Sophia with a daughter of their own. The zombies are almost completely eradicated with a younger generation having no experience of having to fight for their very survival as older generations had to. Carl travels around the territory and we get to peek in at the lives of many of our favorite characters and see how Rick’s vision led to a better and safer world for them all. In fact, Rick is viewed as a savior with shrines to his memory.
When this sort of epic story concludes, there is no way to make all fans happy and as such, there were a few quibbles I had with some character’s final developments in the future. Negan, Juanita, Michonne, Jesus, Aaron, Eugene plus others are given adequate concluding cameos; but Maggie as President was turned into a leader who could not mother her son adequately because of her commitments, which was an ignoble end for her and Hershel. But my major issue was that Carl ended up with Sophia. He was allowed to sex it up with Lydia, while virginal Sophia had to wait for him until he sowed his wild oats. Lydia in the future was shown poorly as a morally questionable woman as she had dared to be sexually active as a teen with Carl. What a double standard for females and I really resented those angles.
Yet, overall, I was pleased with this concluding volume. Fifteen years is an amazing run, and Kirkman brought it to an end on his own terms and on a timetable that allowed him to go out while on top. I also would be remiss in not mentioning the talented artists- Adlard, Gaudiano and Rathburn- who gave us amazing artwork that brought the story to life. Kirkman’s concluding message to readers was a treat and explained it from his perspective. I will miss TWD, as it was a groundbreaking story that changed comics forever, but I am glad that it ended on such a strong note. In conclusion, remember these wise words- “In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living”. So…put down your phone and LIVE!
-Nancy
Aside- Compendium Four won’t actually be released until early October, but I’ve always organized my reviews under these covers, but I actually read this series as volumes.
Last time I wrote a TWD review on this blog was in 2016- I had wondered if Kathleen and I would still be blogging next time a compendium came out- but we are!! 🙂
Catch up on previous volumes at: Compendium One, Compendium Two, Compendium Three
The Walking Dead’s favorite psychopath now has a backstory! This slim volume shows us Negan before the zombie apocalypse and in the days following, and we learn what shaped him into the charismatic villain that we love to hate.
When I bought the book it was shrink-wrapped in plastic, so a casual shopper couldn’t flip through it and find out more about Negan without actually purchasing the book. The book is much shorter than I would have expected, and was a quick read.
The book begins a few months before the world goes to hell, and we meet Negan who is a foul mouthed gym teacher who has a nasty quip for everything. He seems to respect his wife Lucille, until we see him cheating on her, despite her recent cancer diagnosis. Negan has a parallel with Rick, as the zombie’s attack while he and his wife are in the hospital. I do not want to share anymore than that, because the point of the book is to show Negan’s journey from being a regular asshole kind of guy to the monster we know him as.
But I will say- I was highly disappointed in this story. It’s hard to share why without giving away too many plot points, but Negan’s arc wasn’t as complete as it should have been. There was more character development of Dwight and Sherry and the the group that will evolve into The Saviors, than with Negan. Plus, there seems to be a discrepancy between this book and a conversation he and Rick have in Volume 28.
I also had been intrigued that Negan seems to have an aversion to rape, although certainly not killing, and I was curious if they would address some of his contradictions. While they dance around the subject, it wasn’t truly answered. So I ended up feeling the plastic wrap was to prevent shoppers from backing out of the purchase once they discovered this book doesn’t quite pass muster. Some of the ingredients for a good narrative were there, but they were not fleshed out enough. Borrow, do not buy this book (that’s what libraries are for!) to get your Negan fix.
-Nancy
Kirkman, Robert, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn. Here’s Negan! 2017.
Kirkman, Robert, Charlie Adlard, Stefano Gaudiano, Cliff Rathburn. The Walking Dead: Compendium Three. 2015.
Here we go again. Some new villains come into play, and Rick and his crew continue to fight the living and the dead! Warning- some spoilers.
Volume 17-Something To Fear: No!!!! So did you think the Governor was bad? Well then, it’s time to meet Negan. Two fan-favorites bite the dust, with the second death being especially heartbreaking. Rule of thumb with TWD- if a volume ends on a hopeful note, the next one will devastate you.
Volume 18- What Come After: After the heartbreaking death in the last volume, Rick regroups. As Negan doesn’t know who he is dealing with, he thinks he has cowed Rick and the others. He has another thing coming. I love that Heath speaks some much-needed truth to Michonne. Enough of her man-stealing crap.
Volume 19-March to War: Leaders Rick, Paul, and Ezekiel along with the residents of Alexandria, The Hilltop Colony and The Kingdom decide they are going to take on Negan. This book is another bridge book, for it is setting up characters (I like the conversation between Ezekiel and Michonne) and scenarios as they prepare for war.
Volume 20-All Out War Part 1: Rick leads the united three communities against Negan. Although they have an initial first victory, Negan regroups and comes at them again. Negan shows some crazy morals, as he stops a rape and voices his long-term strategy, but yet then he does…
Volume 21-All Out War Part 2: I have to give props to Negan- he is a fantastic villain. While evil and misguided, he is much more believable than the damn Governor. So…we have more mayhem, needless death, and double-crosses. Rick reverses yet again on moral issues- in previous books, he said they must be better than their enemies and spare them,…then wait, no, we must kill our enemies to survive…ok now we must show mercy and be civilized in this book. Pick a stance Rick, and get control of your son who tries again to be judge and jury of whether a person lives or dies.
Volume 22- A New Beginning: Two years have passed since the war with Negan and the communities have thrived since then with community building and trade networks established. Negan has been neutered, but don’t count him out. I’m sure he’ll figure out a way to create some chaos in the future. A new band of survivors has been discovered and they are as wary of Alexandria as Rick and his crew were when they discovered it. As there has been a lull in epic villainy for awhile, a new threat is discovered at the end of this volume. A new beginning indeed.
Volume 23- Whispers Into Screams: A large contingent of survivors are found, living amidst the zombies, called The Whisperers. How they have survived is revealed, but many questions remain about their motives and standard of living. Carl falls for the daughter of the leader Alpha, and is incensed regarding some of their ways. Tensions mount at the Hilltop among the different factions, and a showdown is imminent.
Volume 24- Life and Death: Beginning: Welcome back Michonne! Interesting character development to explain where she has been and why. Middle: Alexandria trade fair. The surrounding communities and their residents come together to trade, network and hook up. Ending: No!!! OMG, the boundary line set up by Alpha to warn Rick to stay away from her and The Whisperers! The last few pages break your heart, as the panels are split up showing the newest victims, and the reactions of their friends and loved ones at the fair not knowing where they are yet. The feels!
These compendiums only come out every three or four years, so you won’t see another TWD review from me until 2019 or so (although I will keep up with the smaller volumes)! Remember- “In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living”. So…put down your phone and LIVE!
-Nancy
Read the others volumes at: Compendium One, Compendium Two, Compendium Four
Kirkman, Robert, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn. The Walking Dead: Compendium Two. 2012.
More zombies. More brutality. More death. Now that we have that covered, let’s move onto volumes 9-16, at a mere 1068 pages. Warning- some spoilers.
Volume 9- Here We Remain: I needed a break after the misery, suffering and heartbreak of volume 8. In this book, Rick and Carl regroup after their loss and deal, each in their own way, with the repercussions of what they did or didn’t do. Slowly they regroup with some of the survivors of the massacre and take in an interesting trio of new characters. What does the future hold after such a devastating loss? Who knows- but it won’t be simple or happy…
Volume 10- What We Become:I was willing to overlook this in the last book because the prison catastrophe was new, but WHY hasn’t Rick gone back to find Lori and baby Judith and put them out of their zombie misery the way he did with Shane? This bothers me. Yea, the prison is completely overrun, but still. Theme of not being what you once were: Duane and his son, the twins(!), and the conversation Rick and Abraham have after the attack on Carl. Yep, a zombie apocalypse has a way of changing things.
Volume 11-Fear The Hunters : As the story progresses the question arises- who exactly are the hunters? Is it Ben, who hunted his twin Billy? Is it Carl who dealt with Ben? Is it the fringe group who first ate their own children and then pick off humans traveling by? Or is it Rick, Andrea, Michonne and Abraham who mete out justice and avenge a loved one? This was definitely my favorite of the books so far, for the deaths weren’t gratuitous, instead they were heartbreaking and affecting. Favorite line: “Tainted meat!!!”
Volume 12- Life Among Them: The group’s journey to Washington DC continues until Eugene’s deceit is accidentally discovered. I wasn’t even mad- can you blame a weak guy for looking for an angle that will keep him safe? Soon afterwards another survivor from a nearby walled town approaches them and introduces them to the community of Alexandria and the survivors there. The residents there have maintained civility (not like the Governor and the town he ruled!) but suspicions remain for Rick’s weary band. Nothing is ever easy for any of them…
Volume 13- Too Far Gone: Rick’s group uneasily settles into the relative safety of the town Alexandria, but remain wary, as they don’t know the town’s inhabitants and safety protocols. Homes, food, and jobs are available, but at what cost? Rick is unable to relax and wishes to remain in charge, as he feels he can trust himself but is unable to put the lives of his followers in the hands of another. Andrea wisely points out that he was a better leader when he didn’t want to be one, in comparison to him wanting to do a power grab in this new community. As is typical, the group can never let down their guard, and new threats appear both inside and outside of the town’s gates.
Volume 14- No Way Out: Rick’s group settles further into the town of Alexandria. Many romances are either being established or revealed for the first time. Not happy with Abraham- throwing away a good relationship, just as Tyreese did. A zombie horde surrounds the community and some heartbreaking decisions and sacrifices are made. And yet there is actually some hope at the end, as the community works together as a team to combat the threat.
Volume 15- We Find Ourselves: The town of Alexandria cleans up the mess after the zombie horde attack- both physically and mentally. Abraham makes the situation with Rosita even worse- digging the knife in deeper after he betrays her. And then he and his new chickie think they can make a power move? Please…as if. I really like the coupling at the end between Rick and Andrea. Finally a good match for them both (although I did like Dale).
Volume 16- A Larger Fear: Alexandria has become as stable as it can under the circumstances when they meet Paul “Jesus” Monroe who tells them of another community of 200 who have survived in the Hilltop Colony. Rick and his band are naturally wary of Paul and his community, but are pleasantly surprised and consider joining forces. Nothing is ever straightforward, and they are made aware that the Hilltop is paying tribute to a group called The Saviors, who protect them from zombies but demand half of their food and supplies for doing so. Now knowing about this yet-unseen threat; Rick talks hopefully to Glen, Andrea and Michonne about partnering with the Hilltop group, and this exchange is shown in some poignant full-page spreads at the end of this volume.
-Nancy
Read the others volumes at: Compendium One, Compendium Three, Compendium Four
Kirkman, Robert, Charlie Adlard, Tony Moore & Cliff Rathburn. The Walking Dead. 2009.
I have read almost all of this series, so this post is a bit of a cheat: I took my previous Goodreads reviews and put them all together into this post. Warning- lots of SPOILERS!
Volume 1- Days Gone By:Good stuff…I know I’m going to enjoy this series. No explanation of how this zombie apocalypse started and just the briefest mention of the government lets you concentrate on the survivors and how they cope. In the end, a few likable characters die, reminding me not to get attached to anyone. I actually had compassion for Shane, but why he was longing for Lori escapes me. I like the black and white art with precise lines by Tony Moore.
Volume 2- Miles Behind Us: I will just state my impressions and thoughts on the many books ahead of me: There are a lot of hook-ups in this zombie apocalyptic world. I find this unlikely, mostly due to the poor hygiene everyone would be dealing with, plus the minor fact that zombies are trying to eat you. Poor Hershel. I actually thought his (flawed) logic of keeping zombies in the barn until more was known, understandable. He gives food and shelter to Rick and his band and then he loses several of his children and then has to deal with shrill horrible Lori afterward. I flippin’ hate Lori. The artist changed to Charlie Adlard in this volume and his work was much sketchier. While it was a good match to the rough world they are in now, the change was abrupt and it took me awhile to get used to it.
Volume 3- Safety Behind Bars: Safety behind bars? Yea…right. We discover that you no longer need a zombie bite to become a zombie-you die, you’re a zombie. This then leads to Rick unearthing Shane to kill him for good, a last show of compassion in the book. I was troubled when the “tax evader” killed innocent Rachel and Susie. That scene was just too much…not cool Kirkman. I’m still hatin’ on Lori.
Volume 4- The Heart’s Desire: Rick’s speech at the end about living now, making their current situation the best they can and not waiting and hoping to be rescued was spot on. Rules need to be changed…so what worked in the past needs to adapt to their current situation. Life will never ever be the same- deal.with.it. Observations: Poor twins- being orphaned and although Andrea and Dale step up for them, it’s not the same. I felt for Andrew- he was so trusting and just couldn’t deal with it all when Dexter died. Michonne- her being kick-ass is tempered by the fact that she deliberately went for Tyreese when she knew he and Carol were together. But believe me- most of the blame goes to Tyreese who throws away a good relationship for some easy gratification. A$$hole. That then leads to Carol going off the deep end. What she did was almost understandable, a cry for help- but NOT in front of her daughter.
Volume 5- The Best Defense: Worst book thus far. Why? The Governor. Rick’s group finds another band of survivors! Too bad they are bat shit crazy. I know I need to have a ‘suspension of disbelief’ in certain books and movies, but come on…the daughter? the arena? the heads?! Plus, what happens to Michonne is just too much- the brutality of the Governor to her is over the top and extreme.
Volume 6- This Sorrowful Life: The book obviously serves as a bridge book- we met the Governor in the last book and it’s all but certain the jail will be found soon by his followers in the next book. Michonne gets her revenge…boy, does she get her revenge! Lori’s nearing her due date, and Glenn and Maggie get engaged. Although I want to be happy for them, rooting for someone in these books means certain death.
Volume 7- The Calm Before: This book continues the lull of action since Woodbury, leading to some needed character development. Lori flashbacked to Shane (showing that he was not a bad guy- at least in the beginning), Glenn and Maggie got married, Judith was born, Dale had a significant injury and then was insecure regarding Andrea, and then what Carol does happens. I guess there were clues leading up to it, and she had a previous suicide attempt, but it still surprised me. Things seemed to be settling down for her, and she was still needy, but…poor little Sophia, no goodbye or parting sweet words said to her by her mother. Then at the end- who we all knew was coming sooner or later arrives.
Volume 8- Made To Suffer: The title of this volume is very truthful- how I suffered reading this book. The Governor is back. So many people die, including some main characters. But the worst is…well, I shouldn’t spoil too much! This book is so bleak, bleak, bleak. Thank God the tv series has kept some of the characters, dead in the comic books, alive on the show.
Morgan Special: A small vignette about Morgan and his son Duane surviving in Rick’s former neighborhood during the Christmas season. They are trying to find normalcy during a time that is anything but. Needed sweet story in the middle of depressing chaos.
-Nancy
Read up on the next volumes at: Compendium Two, Compendium Three, Compendium Four
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