Customer Reviews

The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Walking Dead is Robert Kirkman's ongoing series that attempts to make the ultimate zombie movie in comic book form. In the process, he shows the effect that living in post-zombie-apocalypse world has on people. This volume reprints issues 49-54 of the ongoing series. Following the devastating events of The Walking Dead, Vol. 8: Made to Suffer (v. 8), the story starts off with Rick and his son Carl trying to find a place of relative safety as well as make their peace with what has happened to them.

Most volumes of Walking Dead have a fair amount of action, and this one is no exception. But in terms of story, this is definitely a pause of sorts. It serves partly as an epilog to what has come before, and equally as a prolog to a major new direction in the series as it moves forward. After the nonstop tension of the past few volumes, this is a welcome break that serves the reader well. We meet some interesting new characters and the survivors undertake a major new mission that will open the book up to a number of new possibilities in future volumes.

Overall, this is an easy book to recommend to readers who have followed the series up to this point. The story moves along at a good pace and there are some great moments featuring Carl and Rick. As much as I've enjoyed where Walking Dead has gone in past chapters, I'm equally curious to read more about what's still to come.

After the violent explosion that was Volume 8 of this series it was to be expected that this segment of the story about Rick would be told with a little bit of a softer touch.
Rick and Carl are struggling to move on after the massacre at the prison and Michonne is off wandering by herself, killing the remnants of the zombies left at the prison.
Rick and Carl both get to face their fears and try to cope with the loss of everyone they knew, not knowing if anyone at all survived but knowing that Lori is gone from them. Each of them faces this in their own way and Robert Kirkman's compelling storyline reminds me that while the zombie action and full on mayhem of Volume 8 was part of the reason I really enjoy this series the smaller, quieter moments of everyone trying to retain some sense of humanity also make this series great.
The story leads us to some new people who perhaps are going to inject a spark of hope into the small group that Rick, Carl, and Michonne come together with, but that remains to be seen. Given the ups and downs that Rick has faced I can't say that I blame him when he tells Carl that he should trust no one and never, ever let his guard down.
The saga continues with wonderful storytelling and keeps me wondering what is next for Rick and the few survivors of prison as they hit the road once again.

while it's true that this volume is slower than the last three, it is necessarily so. the intimacy present in volume 9 serves as the after-dinner cigarette to help stimulate digestion of the roller coaster ride of recent events. Kirkman is not slipping, and the series isn't going to stagnate; the focus of this story is changing into something more personal and real, if that was possible.

however, this volume is not without its shockers, surprises and scares (though they are scares of a different nature). it is one part epilogue, one part prologue (and two parts awesome).

Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead: Here We Remain (Image, 2009)

Note: this review contains major spoilers for Made to Suffer, the previous book in the series, and possibly books five, six, and seven as well. If you're planning on reading the series and haven't gotten that far yet, skip this review. (And if you're not reading this series, you darned well should be.)

After the apocalypse that was Made to Suffer, the eighth book in Kirkman's excellent series, Rick and Michonne, who previously went their separate ways, are left to pick up the pieces in Here We Remain. As we open, just after the events of the last book, Michonne has come across the remains of the RV, while Rick and Cal, the only two survivors from the last stand at the prison, have fled into the woods and are simply looking for a place to rest. They find it, and with it, a miracle: a working telephone, which Rick uses to communicate with what seems to be another small band of survivors. But that's far from the only revelation to be found here. Here We Remain is a volume of setup, as Kirkman switches major storylines, but it's very good setup. It's often how authors handle this kind of volume, where nothing huge happens, that shows the real strength of an ongoing series; it should be no surprise to anyone who's been around since day one, but if you needed any more evidence, here it is; The Walking Dead is one of the strongest series going today. Highly recommended. ****

After the epic deathfest that was Made to Suffer, it was pretty much inevitable that Here We Remain would feel like a letdown. As the very few remaining survivors found their way back to one another, I couldn't help but feel that Here We Remain is more like an epilogue to Made to Suffer rather than the next volume in the series.

Having completed the Governor story arc in Made to Suffer, Here We Remain begins setting up a new adventure for those who've managed not to die yet. The volume is slow going, having the survivors find one another before alluding to anything resembling a plot. Towards the end of the volume the survivors take on a new mission of sorts, but their destination and plan leave a lot to be desired.

Those remaining join up with a separate group, one of which claims to be a scientist who knows the cause of the zombie outbreak. When asked to share what he knows, he claims the information is classified. I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous. Information needs to be shared in a world where the one holding the knowledge could be eaten at any moment. This is an obvious attempt to drag out the revelation for as long as possible and it is very much unappreciated.

After experiencing volume after volume that focused on the horrors of man, it was nice to read a volume where the only threat to the survivors was zombies. It was refreshing to remember that while human nature is often an evil thing, zombie fans want to read about zombies. A clearer focus on zombies in the future may be a welcome thing, but it'll all depend on how this new arc pans out.

I love Sergeant Abraham. FINALLY someone lays out the problem with gunshots and how they draw zombies to the source. Even better, he and his group have a new threat: herds.

The former story arc of the Governor and his crazy militia was entertaining and a good look at how people follow the leader just because he's the leader and not for any other reason. Certainly not for any defensible reason as the Governor was clearly off his nut. As volumes 5,6,7, and 8 unfolded I gobbled them up. I could see it all going down that way and it made for a fascinating read. But, that story ended in the only way it ever could have, a showdown. And Rick and Company lost. Not only did they lose, they lost BIG.

Once, I went to meet a friend (before everybody had cell phones). We messed up the location and ended up searching each other out over the period of an evening. After that we agreed on a set meeting place, all the time, every time. It only took a minor inconvenience to hit on that plan. And yet, all these people were in a prison and NEVER ONCE thought of an alternate plan, a meeting point, in case an attack (which was basically guaranteed to happen at some point) overran their defenses? Given the amount of time they were there, talking to each other, I just thought some of the basics of survival would have been brought up. Particularly by the parents if no one else.

And now they have been brought to the forefront. Cue Abraham, enter, stage left. FINALLY a person is back in a major role with some smarts. They are in a war zone. Everything and everyone is potentially dangerous (even on clear day with no noise I wouldn't let my son out of my sight to pee; go next to the car!), so start acting like it.

Now the new Rick and Company have a reasonable target: D.C. Something to keep them going and give them hope. Perhaps false hope, but at least with direction. Which is what they mostly need, a direction to go in and a way to channel their energy. It's what keeps most people moving even now, pre-zombie breakdown of order and law. I look forward to reading this and seeing how it all plays out.

Once again they have done it. This book is amazing, the graphs are awesome and the story line is action packed. Zombies, Zombies,Zombies.
The only gripe I have is the waiting for each one. I read these things in about an hour, and I can't wait till the next one to comes out. Keep on doing what you do!

I am a huge fan of everything Robert Kirkman is currently writing. With that out of the way I must say that Volume 9 is my least favorite of the Walking Dead series. I know that there is a larger story being told here and I can't expect every arc to be chocked full of zombie stomping excitement. I appreciate Kirkman's focus on character development, a focus that is sorely lacking in other authors' projects. So, I'll treat this one like a little breather before being thrown back into the fray that I expect in Volume 10. I'll be the first in line to buy it ...

This is another great, can you say that something is "great" if it is about undead people killing living people and dealing with the realities of human interactions at the most base levels? The over arching narrative is still very strong, i.e. how do you deal with living, when everything around you has gone the worst possible of ways.

I was impressed by the series, but, the graphic novels are alot better. Theres a lot more story and substance to the rule. I kind of wish that they would have just did an animated show, but, look out for the new season on AMC starting late October, and there will be more shows this time.