The Walking dead update

 

Author: Robert Kirkman

Illustrators: Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Genre: Sci-fi, Horror

Publication date: 2010-2014

Description: the world has come to an end as we know it. There is an infestation of zombie, if you get bitten or scratched you will die and become one of the undead. A few groups of people have survived that and now are trying to rebuild from there. Things are not as easy as they would have assumed. The main threat as they soon come to realize is not the walking dead but those who are yet not infected.

Includes volumes 12 to 16.

Thoughts:

I have started this series at least twice but I had never really made any progress before. This does feel like the first read. And by now I am way ahead of the point where I had initially left off. As it is a long series, I was unsure if doing a review was the best idea. Doing each one and try to be as vague as possible to not give away stuff was going to be impossible really. 

The next idea was to do a review every few volumes, the question was how many to combine to do that review? Should I read 5 volumes and do a review? More, less? I was not sure, so while I was trying to come up with a good system, time went by and I just never review them. And now here we are we have read up to volume 21 that's almost 10 volumes more since my last update. I cannot afford to combine anymore. As it is it's too much. So without further ado, let's get into it. 

Volume 12 Life among them 

The group keeps moving. The guilty conscience is eating Rick but he is selfish. He cannot come out and say anything to anyone. He has a very hard time accepting it as reality. That is very understandable. He is still unable to accept the fact that the world has changed his child. Carl, to him, is still a defenseless little boy, innocent from the evils of the world. (It is hard to relate this without spoilers, hope people get what I'm talking about.)

Eugene's secret is exposed. In a squabble with Rick the radio, Eugene has been using for trying to reach Washington comes apart and the lie is uncovered. He is exposed as the lying bastard and Abraham loses it. The military man has a complete breakdown. 

Also, they meet Aaron, and he tells them about Alexandria. Talk about good timing! When their world was in heaps they come to a safe haven. 

Volume 13 Too far gone

In this one, they stop having issues to survive. Now the group has enough time to focus on their relationship issues. Mainly the struggle to stop being on alert and mistrusting everyone around them. After so long on the run they have a bit of time adjusting to such a peaceful existence. 

Not everyone is happy with the new arrivals, and some people have a few altercations, mainly Rick and Abraham with others in their community. Each for their own reasons, that makes them gain some people's trust while others are wary of their violent actions and risks they take. 

In other news, another group finds Alexandria, they do not ask nicely to be let into their premises. Fighting ensues, as usual. 

Volume 14 No way out 

A heard attacks Alexandria drawn by the gunfire with the group that tried to take over them. They get surrounded and realize their walls are not impenetrable. In the midst of the panic, Rick makes a decision to leave while trying shit goes down.

They lose people and at the same time, a new urge to defend their territory is raised. Abraham, Rosita, Morgan, Michonne, pretty much everyone goes out there to fight it off. They hack zombies away until they clear the inside of their walls. 

In this one we see Rick display ruthlessness and selfishness as in no other volume so far. He is willing to see everyone else die but him and his son. Of course, when his escape goes to shit, everyone else backs him up. Carl is heavily injured. 

Volume 15 We find ourselves

Once a semblance of order is restored, again people have time to fight over their personal issues. Rosita and Abraham have a fallout. Rick is still very worried about Carl. The people in Alexandria, the original group show their distrust in the new group, mainly Rick.

As usual, things get "resolved". 

Volume 16 A larger world

Another group comes into the picture. A mysterious man finds their community. He calls himself Jesus and comes to make a proposition too good to be true. He belongs to another community, Hilltop. They want to make an acquaintance and start a trading system between them.  A group of them go visit this other community and a new hope enlightens in Rick's mind.

This is a good stopping point. I do own the 4 Compendiums for the series, now. Not sure if by the time I finished the second one the last one was already in my library or just on its way to me. But I did order the fourth one before I started Compendium 3. I was enjoying the story a lot, and this is the point where I stopped watching the tv series. I know they are different formats and cannot be compared, they are going to be very different but I would like to see what happens in the graphic novels before jumping back into the tv series. I have a hard time sticking to watching a series especially if they're long. 

So overall I am really enjoying the series. I still have a few more volumes to review, so I'll do that in the next few days. The format is going to be very similar to this. So if you do not want these types of mild spoilers, please skip the reviews altogether for the series. 

I am so excited about the rest of the story that I have even scheduled to read a few of the volumes each month so by December I read the last one and finally complete the series. 

That is all for now, see you next time.

Stay safe!