Customer Reviews

Walking Dead Volume 12

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I heard that AMC was going to produce a television series based on the zombie epic "The Walking Dead," I was both concerned and delighted. A bona fide classic in undead lore, "The Walking Dead" graphic novels are brutal and surprising--not really what I would picture for a basic cable TV show (the first season is slated for 6 episodes, we'll see if it goes beyond that). But AMC has produced terrific and prestigious shows like "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," so I'm pretty stoked to see what they do with this. Add Frank Darabont of "Shawshank Redemption" fame as the creative force behind the show, and we just might have a winner! In anticipation, I've gone back through the volumes of "The Walking Dead" to discover again the many pleasures that this series has to offer.

"Volume 12: Life Among Them" gets the team back on the road to Washington D.C. But while their reason for going to D.C. always seemed like a hastily (and sloppily) drawn plot point, it soon becomes clear why it seemed so sketchy. However, the group are recruited by another community--and things might be just too good to be true. Entering a private housing sub-division, we get echoes of days gone by (when the team thought they were safe in Volume 2). This time, however, they are joining a group. Kids are playing in the streets, wives exchange recipes, cocktail parties are held, and holidays are observed. Somewhat hopeful, somewhat wary--confusion and acceptance are at war. While not a lot of actual action, we do seem to be gearing up for some major developments as suspicions fester. A nice interlude.

This was one of the most low keyed Walking Dead volumes I have read, with only a couple of minor scrapes with the undead and most of it dedicated to interaction between Rick and his group and a new group of people who find him. They are welcomed with mostly open arms into a community outside Washington, D.C. This community seems too good to be true and much like me, some of the characters are finding it hard to adjust to a world that seems safe and normal...normal being the part that feels strange to everyone.

I think what was most interesting in this particular volume was the fact that while we do not know everything about this new group, on the surface they appear to be completely on the up and up, while Rick and his group have the perspective of being the ones not to be trusted...and based on their actions, it almost seems as if Kirkman wants us to feel a little uncomfortable with Rick and the others rather than this other group. I thought it was an interesting twist and raises the question of whether or not it is impossible for things to ever go back to what they were before the apocalypse for Rick, his son, Michonne, and some of the others.

My guess is that things are about to get stirred up in this series, because as is the case with previous episodes, there is usually a calm before the storm. I just wonder if Rick is going to be the one that is going to be the cause of all the trouble this time around.

Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead: Life Among Them (Image, 2010)

As I write this, we are less than six weeks away from the premiere of the AMC adaptation of The Walking Dead, and the anticipation level is excruciating. Granted, at least half of us are already asking "are they going to screw this up as bad as CW did Legend of the Seeker?", but you know the drill. And this is the atmosphere in which I (finally!) got my hands on Life Among Them, the twelfth book in the series. (I've had it on hold from the library for about five months now.) The group, now whittled down almost to a core, has almost made it to Washington, DC, when a startling revelation changes everything... or does it? Rick and Abraham decide to plow on to Washington anyway to see if they can scavenge some supplies, and there they find out that the title of this book does not mean what they think it means, not at all. (Sorry, couldn't think of any other way to do that without a spoiler, cheesy as it is.) There's nothing I can say about The Walking Dead that I haven't already said in earlier reviews, and the simple fact is that the steadiness of the quality of the series makes it one of the great pleasures in comics today. If you're curious about the upcoming series, what better way to prepare than to read the books? ****

I just finished reading this one 5 mins ago and I have to say it keeps getting better and better. The synopsis in a sentence is that they get recruited into the Alexandria safe zone. I don't want to spoil it here, if you want to know in detail what happens, there are full synopsis of this volume elsewhere on the internet.

What's great about the series is that none of the story arcs are repetitive, members of the band die and are replenished by new members, they have different experiences along the way. It's the fact that the writer Kirkman says "no one is safe" is what makes the story so fresh. He kills members of the band with abandon, thereby creating new characters and the dynamic of the band changes. There are characters you like and the ones you don't like and either way, they're offed. And thereby you also explore the new places with new characters.

Just like any good drama, the zombies and the post-apocalyptic landscape just provide the backdrop, it's the characters which provide the real story and I have to say that Kirkman really does a good job.

I only have two negatives to say:
1) I wish they'd print them on 8X11 paper so that the pictures are bigger and
2) I wish they'd come out more often so that I'd have more to read.

Kirkman really deserves the success of this series because it's so mesmerizing. Two thumbs up for it definitely.

As usual, this book is well written and the art is stable (nothing worse than 5 artists with wildly different styles trading turns throughout a trade). This book feels short. Its DEFINITELY a precursor to something major but nothing drastic happens here. You get introduced to the town, the people and the situation. All looks too good to be true....can't wait to see what Vol 13 holds!!

Kirkman's idea was to create a long form story with no end. To my knowledge, no one in comics has ever done this. Even Dave Sim, whose 300 issue Cerebus saga is the longest single story in comic history, always planned an endpoint. You never know where this book is going--it feels like real life. With zombies.

The most recent installment of the graphic novel series, The Walking Dead: Life Among Them, might be one of the most layered and plot-heavy episodes in the story so far. I say might because you can never tell where Robert Kirkman may go next.

After the gut-wrenching and sad moments of episode eleven, Fear the Hunters, the story takes one of its menacing breaths. I say this based on past experience. Readers of this series know what I am saying. Kirkman is superb at the `calm before the storm' tactic. I cringe at what may occur in episode thirteen.

We begin with Rick and his son Carl having a post-apocalyptic version of a father-and-son talk. Carl has once more been `forced' to kill a living person and is having very human and childlike remorse. The exchange between the pair is a tiny example of foreshadowing for students of the craft of storytelling to examine. They have an interesting dialog on what differentiates Good and Evil.

Shortly after, Rick's people meet Aaron. Aaron has a place. It is safe. Come with Aaron and you can be safe, too. Rick's heard this somewhere before. He doesn't buy into the claim. And really, who can blame him. They've met such charming folks as the Governor, and of course, we can't forget the cannibals.

However, it turns out that Aaron is--or might possibly be--on the level. They eventually agree to accompany Aaron to his rumored community. It is real and the people seem genuine. What could possibly go wrong? There is food, homes, safety, and hot water.

Did I mention a little foreshadowing done at the start of the episode? You might do well to review that section once more. Rick's band of survivors are inside what seems to be a well-run, well-organized compound/neighborhood. Only, they aren't all drinking the Stepford Kool-Aid. This place is too perfect...its citizens are too nice.

In true Kirkman fashion, we are left with a cliffhanger. This episode is very heavy on humanistic behavior and character. It is light on zombies. Bravo once more to the entire team on the Walking Dead franchise--Kirkman, Adlard, Rathburn--for a wonderful example of how zombie fiction can be about "story" and have real depth. You need this episode on your shelf.

Life Among Them continues The Walking Dead series nicely. It isn't quite as epic as Fear the Hunters and I'm a bit skeptical as to where the plot seems to be headed this time, but all in all, it's a very good volume. A couple of surprise moments add to the intrigue of Life Among Them. Actually, intrigue is a good word to describe much of the theme of the volume as a whole.

Life Among Them has the best first page ever, especially in its seeming relation to the last page of Fear the Hunters. We quickly discover it has nothing to do with Carl's last revelation, but in one word it does epitomize the survivors current situation. Soon after, we learn Eugene's many secrets. Who is he really? I loved this and what it means to the group and their plans.

Much of Life Among Them seems to be setting up for future plot lines. The survivors find what they believe to be a safe community. It's reminiscent (vaguely, probably mostly in setting alone) of what they came across before finding the prison, this time populated with real live people. The question becomes - how real are they exactly?

Many of the survivors find the entire situation uneasy and that seeps through to the reader quickly. Something feels off in this little town. Is the coming turmoil (because you know its not going to work out) going to be because of the community or because of the survivors suspicious nature?

A few zombie fights, but Life Among Them is less action and more explanation. We learn about these new people and how their town works. We see the growing doubt coming from the survivors. It's got to be setting up for something, right? If not, these volumes are going to get boring quickly.

This volume continues the expected quality of story and art work. I feel that the last couple books have dragged a little but that is compared to the action packed earlier books so I still think they are great. I think it is a enjoyable and easy read.

Such an amazing series! I have yet to read a comic series that tops the Walking Dead. I have read each volume at least twice now. I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in zombies or an entertaining comic series.