Review Bite(r)s: The Walking Dead

October 13, 2013 is an auspicious day, what with the return of The Walking Dead and all. This has also been a pretty happy TWD year for me, what with getting to meet and have photos taken with some of the cast members. And so, in honour of all this, I have been doing a little TWD primer work in preparation for tonight's premiere...

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman

Once a book is published, it's out of the author's hands, though inevitably, the author will likely see a million things they want to tweak or change or fix. It is rare that an author has the opportunity to retell their tale. Since I'm reading this long after falling in love with the TV series it's impossible for me to review the source material for the show without comparison. But, keeping in mind that the show is Kirkman's chance to retell his story, I really enjoyed it.

At the end of issue #1, Kirkman explains that he did not intend this to be a horror story. He intended this to be a survivalist adventure where we get to take the journey with Rick Grimes and see how he changes and grows. I also see it as a journey for Kirkman and can see how he has changed and matured in his writing.

Many of the scenes in the show are lifted almost exactly from the comic, but the show does one thing differently: it makes sure this isn't just Rick's journey. From the addition of Morgan's wife in the show, to the extension and development of Shane's character, we see humanity at its best and worst, but realize that we may be no better or worse if thrown into such a horrible situation.

Thus far, I don't think the comics are as good as the show, but I think they are an important read for fans to see the the journey of both character and author.

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman

The death of his beloved wife years earlier had already ruined Philip Blake’s life, leaving him with a single purpose: to care for and protect his daughter, Penny. This does not change when the zombie apocalypse hits, but his circle of protection expands to include his two best friends, and, unfortunately, his hapless, sickly brother Brian.

The Governor has been a frightening inclusion in The Walking Dead series, but as with all truly good antagonists, he is not simply mad and/or evil. This trilogy serves to reveal what made the enigmatic leader of Woodbury who he is by first showing us what he was and reminding us just how much of a struggle leadership is, especially when all the rules have gone out of the window. Variations of the phrase "do what you have to do" comes up often and with necessity. Although I figured out the plot twist from the first few pages, the journey was still worthwhile and I’m curious to see where the rest of the trilogy goes.

Interestingly, the book is written in present tense. I've seen this done in another book originally intended to be a comic and I wondered if that was the original intention for this. As an audiobook, the tense works well, amplifying the tension of the characters and events.

As an added bonus, a gaming review! I've been voting for The Walking Dead game as Game of the Year and recommending it to TWD fans who might not even be gamers, so it was about time I actually got to playing it myself.

In the game, you are Lee, a convicted murderer on your way to prison when the world explodes. After surviving your first zombie attack, you make your way to a house where you meet young Clementine. And then your journey truly begins.

The game puts you in the shoes of the character, forcing you to make some increasingly difficult life and death decisions. I've only completed episode one, but can confirm that my pre-praise and recommendations have been justified. There are some technical annoyances with the gameplay, and there has been some yelling at the screen because it wouldn't let me do exactly what I wanted in some places, but otherwise, I have no complaints. Rather, I'm moving into the next episode with trepidation because I know things are going to become more difficult and are going to play hard on my feels...

Review Bites: The Walking Dead Edition

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman

 If you’re breathing, you’ve heard about The Walking Dead thanks to the critical success the television series has garnered. This book is basically about a group of survivors in Georgia trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. It focuses on the dynamics between the ever changing group as they try to survive their ordeal, not knowing where this path will ultimately lead them. Admittedly, I’m a little sick of zombies, and I have been for quite some time thanks to overexposure through books, games, and television/movies. However, every now and again, I’ll find something that’ll pique my interest in the genre, and I do love anything that explores characters and their machinations.

I’d been meaning to read this series for ages. However, I didn’t start reading this until the television show inspired me to get started. I think I didn’t rate this higher because my views of the comic have been tempered by the television series. It wasn’t a terrible comic. Far from it and I enjoyed it. The television series really added more depth of character while fattening up the story, of course. I loved how many of the scenes they did keep from this initial book. I just found that I thought the events in this book happened far quicker than I like because of the pacing I’d grown accustomed to with the television series, and the characters that I found compelling in the show felt very hollow here (ex: Carol and Shane). As I move forward with the series, my opinions may change, and I may be able to appreciate this without the television series looming over its shoulder.

Final Verdict: 

3 of 5 stars

The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman

Volume two follows the survivors as they make the decision to leave the camp near Atlanta and find a more secure location. The group has decided that, with the removal of Shane (who they were starting to distrust anyway), Rick should be their new leader. He isn't asked if he wants this position. He's just informed by Dale that the other survivors have talked, and they're going to put this burden on Rick. Rick accepts the position without a fuss. He actually just says, "Okay then." No questioning as to why this should happen, just meek acceptance. This volume also introduces the Greene family, Tyreese, and Tyreese's daughter Julie (and her boyfriend, Chris).

I am really starting to regret not reading this series before watching the show. I'm typically able to separate comics books/books from their television/movie counterparts, but I think I've just been too spoiled by the show. I like these comics, but I'm not moved by them as I am the television show. As I said in my bite about the first volume, everything moves too fast. The story feels gutted to me because things are happening in such rapid succession. Where on the show certain events were built up, such as Rick increasingly becoming the leader of the group and eventually forming a Ricktatorship, the comic just seems to hands these events to the characters. However, I really do love seeing many of the scenes from the show in these books.

Final Verdict:

3 of 5 stars

The Walking Dead: Michonne Special by Robert Kirkman

Disclosure. I've only  read the first two volumes and, as of this writing, I'm reading the novel, The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor. I figured it wouldn't hurt to read this because it was going to be all about Michonne's life before meeting up with Rick and the gang, and I wouldn't be lost. Right? Ha!

The story begins with Michonne running home from work during the start of the zombie apocalypse. We meet her boyfriend and his idiot best friend (who inadvertently doomed the both of them). We learn that she turned them into her pet zombies to help her bypass the walkers. We learn that she talks to them to remind herself of who they were before turning and to have someone to talk, but that's about it. After that, I'm guessing the rest of her story coincides with one of the comics in the main arc because she saves Otis and is granted admission into the prison. I don't think it's really accurate to say that this is a Michonne special since so few pages were actually dedicated to her actual personal story. It wasn't poorly written, but just disappointing and misleading.

Final Verdict: 

2.5 of 5 stars

Tiara's Weekly Comic Stack - 05.01.13

I got the date right today. Please don't ask me what time I'd travel through last time when I dated my stack for something like 2004. Must've been a good year. Too bad I don't think I remember much of it other than it being the year that I married Mr. DT.

Slightly bigger stack this week because I'm almost done with The Boys. I had to wean myself away from that comic in order to finish other books and comics I wanted to read. And when I say wean, I mean wean. It'd gotten so bad that I'd give myself 15 minutes to read it, but I would go well beyond that. Then, I'd force myself to put it down, only to pick it back up two more times before I finally had to hide it from myself in order to read anything else. It's disturbing, funny, and smart all at the same time. I've really been enjoying that series.

Elric: The Balance Lost, Vol. 1 By Chris Roberson

Signs appear throughout the Multiverse that the Cosmic Balance is in peril, and the Eternal Champion is caught in the crosshairs! Across worlds, Elric, Hawkmoon and Corum begin to face the force that threatens to overpower them all, while Eric Beck, a modern-day video game designer, must acknowledge that his reoccurring dreams of a Pale Prince aren’t all in his head.

The Boys, Vol. 9: The Big Ride by Garth Ennis

The Boys Volume 9 collects three separate story arcs, including the momentous issue #50, with bonus pin-ups and interviews In issues #48-51: "Proper Preparation and Planning" - With Hughie absent, Butcher re-examines the Boys'' first encounter with the Seven, trying to figure out what went wrong. But first there''s some disquiet in the ranks to be dealt with, not to mention the return of an old and unexpected enemy who finally, incredibly, has come into his own. Meanwhile, on the Seven''s floating headquarters, a flying lesson goes badly awry... In issues #52-55: "Barbary Coast" - Hughie travels out west to finally meet Lieutenant-Colonel Greg Mallory, the man who started The Boys. All kinds of secrets await our hero, beginning with the terrible story of the first supes to see action in World War Two. When the revelations cease, will Hughie return, or walk away from the team forever? In issues #56-59: "The Big Ride" - The countdown to the end begins, as Jack from Jupiter takes one step beyond... or does he? Hughie's triumphant return is not all he'd hoped for, but Butcher has bigger fish to fry. And The Boys meet the mysterious Doctor Peculiar.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman

An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.

Gotham Central, Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Michael Lark

Meet Gotham's Finest. Living in the shadows of the Dark Knight makes the detectives of Gotham's police force determined to prove that have what it takes to enforce the law in a city rife with criminals... with or without Batman's help. Meet Commissioner Akins and his Major Crimes Unit commander Maggie Sawter (fresh from Metropolis). Keeping the streets safe are detectives Renee Montoya, Crispis Allen and others newly introduced to readers. The race is on to stop Mister Freeze while solving a crime before the Caped Crusader intervenes.

 

Locke and Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill

Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them.... and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all...