Customer Reviews

The Walking Dead, Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life (v. 6)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of the folks here already know that The Walking Dead saga is a compilation of stories by Robert Kirkman that expand on the story that is well know to any zombie movie fan. The main story. The one started in earnest by George Romero in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead [and was later remade in 1990 (the version that I prefer) by Tom Savini (with Romero oversight)]

The Walking Dead Volume 6 continues the story of former Normal-World Police Officer Rick Grimes and those that he comes in contact with in The New World...a world that has been over-run by zombies.

Volume 6 begins after many months have passed since The Walking Dead epidemic started, and all of the characters are now reluctantly beginning to accept that their home is not the only thing that's new. Their entire existence is new: New families. New friends. New daily routines. New rules to live by. New World.

And venturing out into The New World is dangerous. The confines and security provided by the characters' new home (established in Volume 3) are less than safe. But outside the gates await unfathomable chaos and horror; hordes of the undead, along with other survivors in desperate situations that will do the unthinkable to stay alive (or entertained).

Volume 6 is much less about zombies and more about what happens to society, its morals, laws and standards when government is lost and the planet becomes mostly uninhabitable.

I'm not a regular comic book reader. But I was drawn to The Walking Dead by the volume releases that bring the convenience of being able to get several chapters of the story without the month to month waiting for each issue. And I am now hooked.

The volume releases of The Walking Dead are like reading a screenplay with storyboards of a version of Night of the Living Dead that began simultaneously, but in a different part of the country. Yes, it's kind of a rip-off of a story (stories) already told, but the key is that it's done very very well. The zombies are true to the original Romero creation: slow and stupid as opposed to the 28 Days/Weeks Later (2002 & 2007) or 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead fast and thinking zombies.

Each volume takes under an hour to get all the way through, and they leave you wanting more. So it's bittersweet to now be caught up to where I'm through all of the released material, and now have to wait for the subsequent volume releases.

Volumes 1 - 5 are all also available individually. A hard cover (Book 1) combination of Volumes 1 & 2 is out The Walking Dead Book 1 (Walking Dead) and a hard cover (Book 2) combination of Volumes 3 & 4 also came out this year The Walking Dead, Book 2 (Nos. 13-24). Book 3 (Volumes 5 & 6), is listed on Amazon for presale as of this writing The Walking Dead Book 3.

So anyone in need of a very well done zombie fix that you don't put into your DVD player should absolutely get down with The Walking Dead sickness. Add it to your cart, but be sure to start with volume 1 and read them chronologically.

Volume 6 is titled This Sorrowful Life and Kirkman sure does hit it right on the nail with the title. The book tells the second half of the story arc begun in volume 5. To recap in the previous volume Rick and his group make way to investigate a crashed helicopter only to run into another group of survivors who have holed up in the partially walled off and fortified town of Woodbury. Whatever joy they find in knowing there are other survivors other than themselves was short-lived as they finally meet the person who runs and rules Woodbury.

This Sorrowful Life takes the story up with Rick, Michonne and Glenn in even a worse situation than being stuck outside with the zombies. The book introduces the people of Woodbury as not just survivors but also the polar opposite of those surviving in the prison. While the book makes a point to not paint the whole Woodbury population as losing their humanity it also points out that they've sacrificed their humanity to those promising them safety. They've pretty much given up their rights to the one who calls himself the Governor who rules Woodbury through intimidation and so-called bloodsports involving gladiator-like fighters and corralled zombies. We see hwo the difference between Rick and the Governor's way of keeping their people safe also show the kind of people the are. Where Rick tries to keep his people safe and together without losing their humanity the Governor goes the opposite way and grabs a hold of power even at the cost of everyone.

Kirkman does a great job of showing the two groups and how its probably inevitable that the two will have a confrontation either in Woodbury or back in the prison. While no everyone in Woodbury are out for themselves, a few manage to sympathize with Rick and his group, the rest of the town could easily be considered as the biggest threat hanging over the prison survivors. Again Kirkman shows that sometimes its not the zombies themselves who are the biggest threat to humanity's survival but the people and their flaws to always get into conflict with each other instead of pulling together for the greater good and survival of everyone.

The book ends with Rick having to make another decision where he has to sacrifice some of his own ideals in order to keep his family and friends safe. Will this sacrifice end up costing him down the line will be up to Kirkman to tell us. I hope he continues to expand on this Woodbury angle but at the same time not go overboard on the extreme end of the emotional spectrum. It's great that he's limited the amount of soap opera-style stortelling which dominated volume 4, but going for just action and action and action without plot would be just as bad. So far, volume 6 and it's predecessor in volume 5 tells me he's got a great hold on the story.

Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life (Image, 2007)

Kirkman returns with This Sorrowful Life, the sixth installment of his excellent Walking Dead series, with Rick and co. captured by the insane Governor. How will he and his compatriots get out of the city and back to the prison, and what will they find when they get there? As usual, the focus here is less on the zombies themselves and more on the survivors and their relationships with one another, as it should be. Kirkman has created a fine, fine thing with The Walking Dead; even if you're not a big horror fan, this one's well worth checking out. ****

Amazingly, this series is not about zombies. It is about the end of the world and how the remaining humans struggle to survive in this distopia. Not since "Lord of the Flies" have we seen or read about the baser nature of humanity, once modern technology and institutions are removed.
If you are a fan of "Lost" or "Battlestar Galactica", you will love "The Walking Dead". Start with "Volume 1" and enjoy!

I tore through this TPB in the shortest amount of time of any of the series so far. My personal taste runs toward graphic novels that reward a slower pace through the dialog and art. I sometimes find Adlard's rushed style disconcerting for the wrong reasons, and it's hard to tell some of the main characters apart sometimes - Tony Moore's quirky characterizations are long gone. There was a crazy captivating fresh take on the zombie story when this series started out, and a real clarity to the characters of the ensemble cast. To my mind that originality is starting to be replaced by a whiff of Steven King.

Not that there's anything wrong with that... ;-)

This isn't a negative review, but I think this one's my least favorite in the series so far.

That's OK. I'm sure there are a lot more to come.

I actually just read this as well as 7 today. Have been reading them on my visits to the most awesome tattoo shop in LA, Kayden Creations. I thought the first two were sort of "getting going" but the series really hit it's stride in parts 3-5. The series is undeniably entertaining, but wholly unoriginal. There is honestly nothing new in this series, and a lot of times I can identify the exact source for the developments.

I can live with that, and I will say that this book finally gives some female characters decent characterization, but the Woodsboro Governor is just the most cliche character ever. And without any spoilers, the conclusion to book 7 is just retarded.

Rick and company continue to survive, but to do so they not only have to face off against the living dead but also the new group of the living they discovered in part five. As this story begins Rick and Michonne are trapped behind the walls of this brutal new society where the governor reigns supreme and provides vicious displays of combat to keep his citizens entertained and placid.

The entire series continues to keep my interest because each of the characters continue to grow and are challenged both as individuals and as a group. I don't want to spoil things for the reader by detailing everything in volume six but I will say that Kirkman continues to test the characters he has developed, forcing them to decide how far they will really go to not only survive but to live. How far will they go to gain revenge or to protect the ones they love? Even if the answer is "as far as I have to" it tortures them, so that their existence is not only fraught with terror with the living dead but also with themselves.

This series continues to be a treat and draws me into it at each turn. Kirkman and company has made them tremendously human and vulnerable. Not innocent and perfect, not all good while others are evil--just human, which makes them fascinating.

How many happy moments can you expect when Volume Six of The Walking Dead series is titles: This Sorrowful Life? The trio of Rick, Michonne, and Glenn are still being held in the small, fortified section of the town of Woodbury by a man who calls himself Governor. Things are not going well.

You can't unbreak an egg, and Robert Kirkman has stomped on the whole damn dozen. The level of disturbing imagery eclipses the previous volume: The Best Defense. The zombie makes a few appearances as well after being relegated to the background for a while.

Plainly put, very little that occurs in this arc of the story leaves you with any `warm fuzzies'. The Governor is twisted and sadistic. In short, a perfect villain. A few new supporting characters are dropped in , bt this is the episode that defines Michonne. I don't do spoilers, but I will say that it is quite possible that her elevator doesn't provide service to the top floor.

It's been a while since I mentioned Cliff Rathburn and it is worth a line or two here to express just how fantastic he is a t rendering some very gruesome scenes. There are occasions where I have to struggle in discerning some of the female characters, but overall, his work adds a very visceral and cinematic quality. If I'm being completely honest, until Walking Dead the only graphic novels or comic books I'd read since the Sgt Rock days of my childhood was Sin City. This series has acted as a gateway for me, shedding light on such wonderful offerings as Marvel Zombies, Laurel K Hamilton's Anita Blake conversion, and the Dark Elf (Drizzt) stories by R. A. Salvatore.

By the end of This Sorrowful Life there is a sense of impending doom hanging over the story. If you were following the story closely by this point (which I was) you wonder if the next volume will be the dramatic, If not tragic, finale. Since there are at least five more volumes (volume eleven was recently com piled and released) I'm not giving anything away.
This Sorrowful Life lives up to its title and cinches tight the emotional bonds between reader and character. If Kirkman has taught us anything, it's that heartbreak has to be on the horizon.

The Walking Dead graphic novels continue to shock and amaze me. While this is a gritty ongoing zombie story, the depth of the human factor is with horrific realism time and again.

In This Sorrowful Life Rick finds a savior among the Governor's people, but as it is often the case, things that seem too good to be true often are just that. Rick strays farther and farther from his original role as lawman, but does so in the name of protecting his people. More than just a dark and grisly horror plot, we also experience the inner workings of a good man unable to prevent himself from going down a dark path.

Michonne continues to be strong physically, even during her repeated torture, but she's clearly cracking mentally. It's been hinted at for a while now that she wasn't totally all there, but taking her revenge against her abuser may have finally pushed her over the edge.

Truly stupid reactions take more human lives and the numbers are dwindling. The remaining humans may not survive for much longer if the group doesn't start acting intelligently instead of emotionally. Risking everyone to save one is a poor survival plan.

An all out war may be headed the survivors way, once again proving the true danger to the survival of the human race is itself. I can't wait to see what Kirkman's got up his sleeve next.

This vol. collects issues 31-36 which continues the arc that began in vol. 4. Rick is still being held captive by the evil Govorner and he needs to find a way out. This arc focused more on the human factor rather then the zombie. Yes they play a factor but not as much. The Gorverner has to be the most evil man in comic history, rather then securing the safety of the human race, he only allows a small town and kills anyone else.

The story is interesting but not the best in the series...maybe even close to the worst which is saying a lot seeing how every vol. is great. The cover doesnt say much which is shocker since each cover of the vol. give us an insight of what to expect.

Im sure you dont care what I say, if you are a fan of the series, you'll get it either way.

Pros:
-The Governor has to be the most evil villian ever

Cons:
-Might be the worst vol. but its still good
-The cover