2025 Eisner award for Best Webcomic: Life After Life, from Joshua Barkman's False Knees work. I have been reading some of False Knees, which involves 2025 Eisner award for Best Webcomic: Life After Life, from Joshua Barkman's False Knees work. I have been reading some of False Knees, which involves close observations of animal behavior. Life After Life is a post-apocalyptic comic focused on some chickadees just trying to get some peanuts--during the apocalypse. So subtle, heartfelt, sad, and an indication of what life be like after humans eliminate themselves. But this isn't a zombie apocalypse story; no blood and guts; no real blatant social commentray (like I am doing here). its just three sweet chickadees doing their thing, doing what they do, which somehow makes it all the more poignant. ...more
I recall when Brian Vaughan announced he was going to be doing a free comic about sex and violence, with art “I like to watch”--Chance, in Being There
I recall when Brian Vaughan announced he was going to be doing a free comic about sex and violence, with art from his Pride Of Baghdad collaborator Niko Henrichon. You could contribute to it financially or not, but it was released online serially, and I didn’t get far into it for some reason or another. And now it comes out, Spectators, in September 2025. For an early look at the whole project, I thank the authors, Image Press, and NetGalley.
Spectators is indeed about sex and violence, but more specifically, it is a philosophical, political and artistic exploration of our propensity as a human race to be spectators. We largely stand by and watch as the planet dies, we watch sports, we watch movies and other media, including pornography, we party, we engage in sex, as Rome burns. We are passive and largely disengaged from meaningful interaction with each other and the issues that threaten us with extinction.
Religion, Marx said, is the opiate of the people; in other words, it inhibits our political will to revolt against the class system. It’s a means of distracting ourselves from existential crises.
So Spectators is a dystopian graphic novel. On the very eve of the nuclear destruction of the planet--yes, the bombs have begun to drop--two ghosts--spectators of the living world--a woman who was scrolling porn as she died in a mass shooting, and a cowboy who died of syphilis--muse on what they might like to be their final act, and they decide they want to either view or in some way participate in a (sexual) threesome! So in one sense, the book becomes a kind of quest for that ending.
Clearly, facing the end, others have chosen similar acts; at one point, the two ghosts encounter an orgy, which they watch. And to be clear, this book is about and depicts very explicit acts of sex and violence, though (spoiler alert) it does not celebrate these acts. Well, it’s the nmarvel of Vaughn’s wizardry that we very much like these two, we see a akinship with them, sure, to die copulating might be the best wat to go, and so on, so we are implicated in Vaughan’s critique, but this book is not porn and not gratuitous in the usual sense of the word.
We like these two as in the middle of the apocalypse they swap stories of their favorite movies, including the cowboy’s original viewing of The Great Rain Robbery, but I have to say, if you are a film lover, you love the talk, as does movie maker Vaughan. These films are great art, they are a comforth, they make the world better AND as a form they are a distraction, too! Vaughan gets to have it both ways!
A found this book to be more than ever over-the-top Vaughan, hilarious, outrageous, shocking, and deeply reflective, so I say it is brilliant, and the ending, which I have studied for awhile now, I think is thought-provoking.
Many people--because it so graphic, sexually and violently--have found this book not to be for them, and I get it. Be warned. It is not Saga, it is not Pride of Baghdad or Runaways. This is adult-themed. But ultimately, this book is takes a traditional artistic and literary stand against (mere) escape (great films are never merely escapist, in Vaughan’s view) and isolation and random acts of violence. But embraces love andengagement with the planet most of know is in freefall crisis and worth saving....more
Well, this was a bit overwhelming to encounter. Anders Nilsen has always done philosophical comics, and has been increasingly interested in mythology.Well, this was a bit overwhelming to encounter. Anders Nilsen has always done philosophical comics, and has been increasingly interested in mythology. Early on he was doing sketchy cartoons, mostly non-narrative, reflections on the world, but here he is interested in the relevance of story and the development of language to the evolution of this world. This 350-page hardcover is just volume one of what we have to say is his magnum opus, the contemporary reimagining of the myth of Prometheus. Of it, Charles Burns says, "this is @1&%ing amazing!"
Give the epic scope of this story, which has us humans nearing the end of civilization, with multiple characters, its feet set firmly in this war and climate change disaster and ancient mythological reflections on the world, there is too much to tell here. One thread, with which we open the tale, is set in a bombed out desert (like near Iraq or Afghanistan, where American soldiers mingle with locals). in the aftermath of war/battles, some corrupt and crazed soldiers find an American boy hitchhiking and a girl living in a bombed out truck, who is set out on an assassination mission.
The other thread features the awakening of Prometheus. Okay, not a lot of action occurs in the book thus far. More talk, dialogue between humans in one thread, dialogue with gods in the other thread. The gods thread includes a discussion between Prometheus and his brother about story, about the development of language and its contribution to the growth of human art and culture. The importance of art, music, too. In these respects it has the ambitious scope of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, which also begins in the desert.
One important question, of course is the destruction of the planet, which is ongoing. So Prometheus and his brother debate about whether the gods should just kill off all the humans who have clearly destroyed things, never-ending wars over diminsihing resources, inequalities, greed, and so on. . . or. might there be some argument for some last chance, given the accomplishments of the past 100 years?
The art is stunning, with some psychedelia and abstract designs interspersed. I will keep reading though I doubt we will see Volume Two any time soon. For fans of mythology, climate change intervention, those who take seriously the threats to our existence. In many respects it just breath-taking, momentous, bringing the old gods back to help us with the war torn, catastrophic present. Important. Oh, there's so much more in here that I haven't discussed. At the very least, check it out. Already in the realm of GOAT comics!...more
So, it's over, and I am really appreciative of the fact that I did not quite know what was going to happen. I did recall reading something Kirkman saiSo, it's over, and I am really appreciative of the fact that I did not quite know what was going to happen. I did recall reading something Kirkman said about the ending, but in keeping with what I have appreciated from others, I won't say how anything spoilerish, even though it ended now years ago. I will say it is one of those pull-out-all-the-stops finishes, in terms of writing and art, very dramatic and powerful. And disturbing. What happens is 1) we get the series ending, then 2) an epilogue set some time in the future, maybe like twenty years, and then 3) Kirkman writes us a letter about hwy he finally ended it and ended in the way he did.
I still don't love zombie stories, but I appreciate how important they are as allegorical for our times, and I finally came to appreciate Rick as a kind of model for democratic leader, making mistake after mistake along the way to figuring it out. Kind of like making a country, including this one. When the action moved to Alexandria, Virginia, outside DC, I began to understand Kirkman's political intentions. I had thought that villains such as the Governor, Negan, The Whisperers and the Commonwelath governor were meant laregly for slasher "entertainment" purposes, and I'll admit Negan was a surprisingly interesting character for a psychopath, but I began to see Kirkman enacting what Neil Gaiman once (close to this) said, "the importance of horror is not that it establishes there are monsters, but that we can defeat them."
This is an exact quoute on that related point: “A world in which there are monsters, and ghosts, and things that want to steal your heart is a world in which there are angels, and dreams and a world in which there is hope.” ...more
Though I know what others reading as the issues came out did not know, that the whole series would soon end, I wonder if Kirkman himself had decided iThough I know what others reading as the issues came out did not know, that the whole series would soon end, I wonder if Kirkman himself had decided it would end. Volume 30, like Volume 29, features images and tones jarringly different than any? most? covers before. Almost all of them 1-28 focus on zombies, bleak and unchanging. Then in Volume 29 we get this full color image of Princess, comic relief for the bleak, a new arc, apparently.
On the Volume 30 cover we see a Star Wars kinda helmeted dude as we meet yet another new challenge, yet another group of Good Guys from Alexandria captured by yet another apparently hostile group. Ho hum. But I knew going in that something had to be different, as this is the third to the last volume. Maybe that is a disadvantage to know this, in a sense, but I honestly might have stopped reading if I hadn’t already known it was near the end.
So Alexandria meets The Commonwealth now with its 50,000 people, civilization on the mend, and Michionne has some amazing happy news. And we meet this bureaucrat in what appears to be a city much like any city in the twenty-first century, restaurants, sports, government, class system, including entitled jerks. Oh oh, there is even a Governor (and yes, we remember the Governor from early issues).
So it looks like Kirkman had two basic choices, as a dystopian writer; 1) destroy the human race or 2) show us what a future might look like: Same as it ever was, as david Byrne sings. Or, meet the new boss, same as the old boss, as The Who sang. We’re a mix of good and evil, as a species, Kirkman seems to be saying, not some hippie vegan socialist society (unfortunately).
But then Rick means the Governor, and asks why his more democratic model can't work in The Commonwealth as The New World Order. Stay tuned! ...more
The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Lines We Cross announces itself in the opening as a post-(Whisperer) War reflective volume, with Carl confessing that he oThe Walking Dead, Volume 2: Lines We Cross announces itself in the opening as a post-(Whisperer) War reflective volume, with Carl confessing that he once killed a kid. And then he says when he told Andrea, she said she loved him, accepted him. So this picks up on the grief at the end of the last issue. This volume is about grief and forgiveness and self-forgiveness for several characters. Because you can’t just go on right away after that last volume finish.
I also kept waiting to see Negan’s true colors come to light, as his transformation was for me unbelievable, but we do deal briefly with Negan’s confession to Maggie and remorse about killing Glenn, which is a valid issue, but I dunno, he has this weird psycho grief for his murder weapon that he calls/called Lucille (most of you likely know that Kirkman here makes a kind of twisted tribute here to B.B. King, who named his guitar Lucille) that we are supposed to be sympathetic about?! . Too weird, this shift from psycho killer to flower child, I say.
This is a gay-themed volume, too, where we find out that yes, there are straight people AND gay people in this world, sigh. And this is one that highlights diversity, as the crazy Latina on the cover who calls herself Princess attests after she joins them (she’s comic relief, talks too much, has a spear to match Michionne’s machete, okay, and the cover is the craziest yet, but who cares about this new character as things wind down?). It’s almost as if, as Kirkman is wrapping things up, he is checking all the boxes his readers may want checked: Diverse rep, check! Is that fair? What else needs to happen in the last four volumes? We rebuild. Again. Okay, I get the contemplative moments at the end of the series, that's fair, but I am ready for it to be done, no disrespect to y’all WD superfans. ...more
Well, for much of this volume I just thought ho hum, another war. Or, part two, Whisperer War. 2-3 stars, but then a couple intresting things happen tWell, for much of this volume I just thought ho hum, another war. Or, part two, Whisperer War. 2-3 stars, but then a couple intresting things happen that move it up a bit. Since it is a war, key people have to die, for the feels, and no one special died in Volume 27. And then there are usually surprising strategies in a successful campaign.
Since this is dystopian comics, I would not have been surprised if the Whisperers won this war; this was not the case, but the hordes of Whisperers and their attendant zombies do a lot of damage, of course. Again, no surprise. What is a surprise is Negan's role in assisting Alexandria. I still would not be surprised to find this is a set up and Negan reveals he is evil, but there are some well-written speeches that point otherwise, to the point that Negan and Rick now almost seem like BFFs. They talk about their various dark places with each other.
So this is better written than most previous volumes. The writing is tighter, and the art by Adlard and inker Gaudiano seems sharper, more impressive with eeach scene. Also, Kirkman learns in this volume to shut up and leave his generally just okay dialogue in a dramatic finish. We lose a fan favorite, and the closing pages are wordless, thus infinitely more powerful. It's still just mainly a war story, with expected gory deaths, but for this series, it is a highlight....more
So Walking Dead, Volume 27: The Whisperer War (ooh, alliteration, poet Kirkman!) is what Kirkman and Adlard have the most fun with: War stories, thougSo Walking Dead, Volume 27: The Whisperer War (ooh, alliteration, poet Kirkman!) is what Kirkman and Adlard have the most fun with: War stories, though this is the most military operation of all the wars thus far, with (maybe, probably) an intentional nod to the U.S. Revolutionary War, our War of Independence from (British) colonial tyranny.
The basic news is that--noting the cliffhanger--the war is not yet won, as the Alexandria group learns it is fighting a much bigger army than most of them imagined (why wouldn’t Rick have shared that intel with them?!), this group of of skinheads (or, call it shirts vs. skins?), now (un)righteously wrathful that Alpha is dead. And the Hilltop group seems to be waiting in the wings to crush Alexandria if they win. Ho hum, I say. A war like all the other wars in this series, with Rick now as the old (38 year-old) general Washington with a walking stick and one-armed.
What is somewhat interesting here is that Negan seems to be fighting on behalf of Alexandria. And why? Not clear; he says it is because he has begun to admire Rick’s leadership strategy, which he advised Rick to take. But don't trust your anti-hero, folks, I say.
Then we have to have the (inevitable, as in all war stories) battle between the apparently superhuman and invincible Beta (like Marvel’s Galactus) and the irresistible (aw, so fould-mouthedly cute!) force Negan, ho hum. Out Neganing Negan as violent authoritarian leader? We seem to be forgetting, in the general rush to adore Negan, how horrific he has been. But maybe the holidays are on, and it’s the season for forgiveness (or pardons)?
So no one consequential is lost so far?! What kind of war is that? No anguish at all? And with several subplots to juggle, it's hard to follow it all. Continuing good (war) artwork, maybe improved with the help of inker Stefano Gaudiano. ...more
Walking Dead: A Call to War, Volume 26 (of 32!) is more narratively complex than most, with better writing and planning. And lots of stuff happens youWalking Dead: A Call to War, Volume 26 (of 32!) is more narratively complex than most, with better writing and planning. And lots of stuff happens you all read about a decacde ago, but still, don’t read the end of my review if you don’t want to know the cliffhanger!
What happens? 1) Eugene (inevitably) gets someone on the ham radio, which could mean something. I am guessing it is not this exciting thing that will lead to Happy Days, but end up (inevitably) badly, but I dunno;
2) Rick (inevitably) becomes a better leader, leads the (inevitable) military preparation of his Alexandria group for (inevitable) war--how many wars have there been?!--with the Whisperers. So it’s a set-up volume;
3) Some punk (inevitably) lets Negan out of his cell, and leads him to the Whisperers camp and an encounter with Alpha. 3 star rating, fine, with Adlard art I am increasingly impressed with. Now this is where we give extra style points to Kirkman for not being inevitable, as in a) Negan stops an assault on a woman (because he is just a such a gentleman?!), b) has a convo with Alpha about how civilization depends on the strong protecting the weak (because he is such a compassionate leader?!), and then c) creates this jaw-dropping ending in two respects making us wonder where his allegiances really are:
i) he makes Alpha cry, helping her get in touch with her feelings about her abandonment of her daughter, helps her rethink her barbarously Darwinist only-the-strong-survive approach, and then abruptly cuts off her head!!!?? (To be fair, she ordered the decapitations of several Alexandria folks, so turnabout is. . . well, something--revenge, kind of).
Then ii) Negan says he can’t wait to show the decapitated head to Rick?! This is startling gross, sure, but also unexpected, waking us up after some long (inevitable) volumes, with Negan asserting himself again of course as the most interesting character in this dystopian/horror comics series. Kirkman gets a whole point for that ending, which just shows how far I am gone, morally. ...more
Walking Dead: No Turning Back, Volume 25, has a theme:
“We aren’t going back.” Now where (this is 12/2/24) have I heard that, recently? And what is “baWalking Dead: No Turning Back, Volume 25, has a theme:
“We aren’t going back.” Now where (this is 12/2/24) have I heard that, recently? And what is “back”? A time of reprisals and revenge and chaos. At the end of volume 24, in Alexandria, when the Fair is happening, one of the worst of all the horrific acts in the whole series, something that ordinarily might point to immediately violent action, acts perpetrated by the Whisperers. But Rick sez no, in conversation after conversation with individuals, to get them to calm down and figure out how to do things rationally.
And his position is not immediately embraced, so a little in-house chaos ensues. Whisperer leader Alpha’s daughter Lydia is one point of attack, as some want to kill her, some want to use her in some retaliatory negotiation. Again, Rick resists hot-headedness, gets her and Carl outta Dodge (Alexandria) and over to Hilltop, and a couple of the group beat Rick senseless.
One thing recently successful but now struggling leader Rick does that is interesting here is to enlist the advice of another successful leader: Negan (?!), the single most evil character in the whole series thus far. I like this move--unexpected, but cool.
This is one of the best paced, most focused volumes of the series, with some of the best art and some of the best, character-driven writing. I rarely like any of these volumes, but this is a very good one. I see that I am in the minority in liking this one, though as this is the lowest rated volume in the series (of 25!) so far!! I guess because it is a set-up for an action volume/war to come? I guess.
Historical note for American history fans: Alexandria, Virginia played a significant role in the American Revolution; it was George Washington's hometown and a place where the cornerstone of the nation's capital was laid. Post revolution it was a place where America really began to develop its society, its culture, its economic foundation. Okay, I see it was a major slave-trading site, so there’s that (continuing) horrific ugliness to acknowledge! But I think in general Kirkman has in mind to depict Alexandria as embodying the Revolutionary spirit and the building of a new society, post-war....more
Volume 4 opens with plans for a fair--yay! welcome back to the old normality!--but we are already well-trained in Walking Dead dystopian world. We knoVolume 4 opens with plans for a fair--yay! welcome back to the old normality!--but we are already well-trained in Walking Dead dystopian world. We know Carl is gone, hanging with Lydia and the Whisperers, and we know this is a bad thing as we have heard Lydia’s account of sexual assault there. We also see that someone has--accidentally or deliberately--left Negan’s cage open, though when Rick comes to feed him, Negan is IN the unlocked cage, in usually surprising Negan fashion. So we are on edge, of course.
The anti-capital punishment Rick remains adamant, that we do not kill our enemies in a civilized society:
“We’re more than our emotions. We’re better than our rage and anger. We’re civilized. If we ever lose that, that’s when things will fall apart.” Ah, Rick, the romantic. When were we ever a civilized society?
Then the next image is killer Gregory hanging from a tree.
Rick goes to Whisper-ville to take Carl back home, and Lydia’s mom, Alpha, sends Lydia, too, but on the way home they see evidence of barbarism that counters the optimism of the fair. So, what have we learned? The Whisperers have returned to their “natural” state of being animals; their madness makes it clear that people have made other choices about how to live, less humane and productive ways, but we already knew that through the guv and Negan.
The shock value achieved by Gregory's hanging and the wholesale slaughter of this ending has great horror marketing value, ups the reader rating with slasher horror, visually etched by Adlard in your mind forever, but what good does it accomplish? A warning that we need to pursue empathy and goodness and productive societal functions if at all possible? That’s useful to keep in mind, if at all possible, as things turn to greater chaos perhaps in 2025, of course. To counter hat with hate has to be avoided if possible. Well, I guess I have to admit that this issue has some sharp narrative "hooks" in it, so as story I'll rate it four stars. It does what horror is meant to do: horrify. ...more
So I am reading this in November 2024, post election, filled with dread, so this especially dark series seems appropriate reading. We are now supposedSo I am reading this in November 2024, post election, filled with dread, so this especially dark series seems appropriate reading. We are now supposedly in a stable community led by Rick, a few years post-Negan, kinda like post-pandemic, happy days are here again. . . and then you fill in the blank with whatever world horror undermines the illusory sense of peace and prosperity.
So the next horror scenario involves this group we call The Whisperers that wear gross skin masks so they can blend in with the walkers. In a confrontation where this group kills some of Rick's group, a girl named Lydia kills and is captured. You may recall that Carl liked to talk to the jailed Negan? Well here Carl talks to the jailed killer Lydia, who seems thankful enough to help Carl lose his virginity. I thought Sophie was Carl's girlfriend, whom Carl defended as some hicks beat up? Ah, youth! Carl is this one-eyed blacksmith. . . . so what do I know about the choices of women, but having an empty eye socket for Lydia is actually a check in some imaginary box, apparently.
But all joking aside, Lydia tells Carl about multiple sexual assaults in the Whisperer community, as Lydia in a prisoner exchange returns to her group. Maverick Carl--who once tried to kill Negan--now appears to want to attack the Whisperers to rescue Lydia. Which could point to a good next volume, maybe, righteous wrath?
I dunno, this issue is okay, but there is always this dark streak of horror running through the series, freaking me out (like Trump's choices for hs cabinet?), which is what you came for in a dystopian comics series. ...more
The calm after the storm, or war with Negan, and we have a functioning community, a garden, different jobs, a nice place, like re-establishing societyThe calm after the storm, or war with Negan, and we have a functioning community, a garden, different jobs, a nice place, like re-establishing society, run by Leader Rick, who now has a prosthetic arm, a wife, Andrea, and a son, Carl, who wants to be a functioning member of society, a blacksmith. In the rhythm of this long series, this is the peaceful, reflective, loving volume. Oh, and it is set years in the future, in a post-technological age.
But this is dystopian fiction folks. What clues are there that all hell breaks loose? Negan is imprisoned, but is talking to his buddy, Carl. . . and then when a new small group comes in to join Rick's world, they decide to talk to Negan, who begs to be let out of this prison in which this Monster, Rick, has put him, that meanie. So of course we await the time when Negan the Crafty Tactition talks someone into letting him out so that he, one of the most popular and diabolical characters in the series history, will raise psychotic murdering hell again. Because this is what readers want. I imagine Walkiing Dead blogs and forums from the time begging Krkman to let him out of prison.. . .
And speaking of hell, some of the Walking Dead seem to have developed some new skills? Whispering! And they capture one of our Good Guys. Let's guess they are (spoiler alert] not actual Undead, but wearing masks. We'll find out more in . . Volume 23!
I have not had the exhilarating reading experience with this series that almost all y'all my Goodreads friends have had, but since I am reading this one during the week of the 2024 Presidential Election, I can see some practical wisdom in paying more serious attention to it now. That Doomsday Clock just started to tick a little louder and faster. . ....more
So as was inevitable, Rick leads the Good Guys to victory, defeating the once-thought brilliant strongman Negan. Had to happen, but how, given how smaSo as was inevitable, Rick leads the Good Guys to victory, defeating the once-thought brilliant strongman Negan. Had to happen, but how, given how smart and unpredictable and ruthless Negan was? So Kirkman's solution is to suddenly make Rick infallible, and Negan stupid, making mistakes inconsistent with anything we had known about him. But again, this has to happen for humanity to continue. Hitler, Stalin, fascism, authoritarian rule, has to be defeated or we are lost.
The action sequences drawn by Adlard are terrific. Who doesn't like a fast-paced war story where the good guys win, accompanied by inspiring speeches and heart-rending visuals? Rick ain't Lincoln, he ain't Churchill, but he wins and unites people around him. Then the image of him and his woman and Carl, arm and arm.
Then, when we have Negan defeated, Rick disappoints vengeful readers and chooses not to go the bloody capital punishment route, but for life imprisonment. As he says, we cannot be them. We cannot be mean to the mean; we cannot be cruel to the cruel. You can't counter hate with hate....more
“You can’t have a war without casualties”--Rick sez (but you’re supposed to say something more poetic, Rick, like "you can’t make an omelette without “You can’t have a war without casualties”--Rick sez (but you’re supposed to say something more poetic, Rick, like "you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs”! but Kirkman will never go down history for his lyrical literary skills
So in Volume 20,: All Out War Part 1 guess what you get? (see subtitle, we don't want any surprises here, now). The communities of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom have declared war on Negan and his Saviors, led by Commander Rick, who now has a better plan mapped out than the one he nearly destroyed his friends and family with in Volume 19. And yes, this one is all action, all the time, with a big body count but without a resolution. Volume 21, part two will finish it, and we pretty much know the outcome already, but I look forward to any and all surprises.
I continue to put my faith in Jesus (the character who sez he believes in Rick); Jesus is my fave character in this stretch. I did sorta like King Ezekiel, who has started this “thing” with Michionne, but he seems to be losing his edge after the tragic death of his tiger (!).
Negan continues to be an unpredictable--thus interesting, even entertaining--character. I mean, he destroys Alexandria in one assault on the complex with grenades. . . who knew they had grenades? Then he has this weird moral system:
“We are not monsters,” Negan says to the captured Holly, who was nearly the victim of sexual assault by one of his men. Then he monstrously kills the guy for the attempt. So, yeah, he has moral rules, but it is hard to figure them out! For another instance, we see that Negan has other (monstrous) plans for Holly, so you can’t count on any predictable system from a psycho killer. ...more
The Alexandria arc continues, as Carl and Rick within the first few days there in the compound steal back some of the guns they surrendered, so you knThe Alexandria arc continues, as Carl and Rick within the first few days there in the compound steal back some of the guns they surrendered, so you know they will get used. And do. Rick loses it (again) and beats up a domestic abuser of his wife and kid. He's absolutely crazy at this point, very violent, and though he has some basis for it, very quickly it looks as if others will cede power of the compound to him.
That this is to be seen as a good decision for him to be leader gets confirmed when an outside group tries to fight their way in and the inevitable slaughter has Rick's Rangers triumphant.
The undercurrent of doubt about the community permeates this volume, and we see some believable relationships begin to develop, so I expect the arc to continue for a bit. There's a general pattern in the series: chaos, safety, chaor, safety. Slaughter, deep reflection, slaughter, deep reflection. This one has a bit of both, but a lot of people die in this one so I'd say this is more of a slaughter one. With unstable Rick (talking to Lori on the phone again? Hello?) emerging as the most likely leader? Hmm....more
Phantom Road, Volume 2, by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta, is described by the publisher as “grindhouse horror meets high-concept supernatural fantasy!Phantom Road, Volume 2, by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta, is described by the publisher as “grindhouse horror meets high-concept supernatural fantasy!”
So, you know, they’re on a road, like The Road, and also like Sweet Tooth, but not like Cat Stevens’s “road to find out;” nope, and not Dorothy’s Yellow Brick Road. nope. those sweet coming-of-age fantasies are long gone in dystopian dust and haze. But Our Heroes Birdie and Dom are on their way in a big Mad Max semi carrying Precious Alien Cargo--to Golgotha--where Jesus was crucified, a place of suffering and sacrifice--but they stop at an abandoned circus site, which admittedly had surrealistic possibilities, including what they accurately describe as a “walking cartoon,” a big teddy bear (but watch out; think: evil clown territory).
And who is also on the road? Agent Weaver of the FBI, a badass woman who is going to figure this mess out, I betcha.
Lemire could not actually legally use the whole Build-A Bear franchise, but that’s the joke he has in mind, haw, and we do finally conclude this volume at Billy Bear One, where we meet Hugo Hamm, of Project Jackknife, meant to be an amazing cliffhanger. Ugh. I’m out, in part because I can only handle one zombie apocalypse story at a time.
Can’t I say anything nice? Well, okay, the artwork from Walta is great, as Lemire attracts world-class artists to help him visualize his sketchily conceived worlds, invented as he goes. So, sure, it looks nice, except for the aforementioned pillsbury dough zombies. And Jordie Bellaire is one of the best colorists in the world. But sure, if you like Mad Max and grindhouse horror, have yourself some fun. Whee-ha! ...more
Volume 12 of The Walking Dead has Rick's group making it to DC, but not ebefore we learn that Eugene pulled a fast one on them and us and had no idea Volume 12 of The Walking Dead has Rick's group making it to DC, but not ebefore we learn that Eugene pulled a fast one on them and us and had no idea what they would find there. But then we meet A Very Nice Guy who has been watching them from afar for a few days and wants to invited them into a gated community to live. Sounds perfect, right? And they're almost out of food.
Within this community they have houses, lawns, it all seems unreal, and I'd bet it is, but we'll see. Of course they had to give up their guns, which as it turns out is a trust issue. We need all the guns we can get so we can feel safe! Sound familiar, mass murder America, so the cliffhanger has to do with this.
This one begins with this child-killer-out-of-necessity theme, Carl explaining to his Dad Rick why it is he had to kill the dangerous Ben, and ends with Carl again talking to Dad about guns. ...more
Fear the Hunters speaks to all sorts of levels and characters in this can-you-top-this gruesome zombie apocalypse series. Barely tolerable for me, as Fear the Hunters speaks to all sorts of levels and characters in this can-you-top-this gruesome zombie apocalypse series. Barely tolerable for me, as a couple of volumes have been for me, but considering the genre and what it is says about man's inhumanity to man and self, well we have had some huge crises--Hitler, Stalin, plagues, and so on--and we know man is capable of unbelievable cruelty and evil, so why should we be surprised when things get worse as Our Gang moves forward to DC.
One of the twins, Billy, is dead at the outset of this volume: whodunnit? Rick gets a "call" from his dead wife warning him to watch out for Carl. And we meet a pastor who leads them to shelter in his church. He makes a confession about how he sheltered in the church as his parishioners were killed by zombies. Nice. So can we trust the dude? Who can we trust?
Dale, who had already lost a leg, amputated after he had been attacked by a zombie, also having lost his sons, is depressed. Does he wander off? Nope. He is captured by a group of folks Our Gang refer to as The Hunters, who are actually cannibals, so when they find Dale, the group discovers he has lost another leg! But bad news for The Hunters, Dale had been attacked by zombies: "Tainted Meat!"
So the Hunters, who seek out Our Gang as food, get hunted by Our Gang, and slaughtered in a kill or be killed scenario. Was there another way to escape them? Maybe. Probably. But The Hunters have guns, so there is an unfair advantage. Our Gang makes the decision to turn the table on these folks. But it is clear that all this death--and vengeful death in particular--is taking a toll on the group. It's like a tale of ptsd in war. You don't recover quickly from things like that.
I am reading Philip Kerr's WWII detective series. At the (primarily) Russian take-over of Berlin we hate the Nazis and all we have done and we feel vengeful, and we get it when the Russians become vengeful, but the Russians commit horrific acts. Did the evil of Hitler make them/us evil? If resources become scarce, in the future, will we kill each other to survive?
What other hunters are there to be feared? Ben hunted his twin Billy; Carl hunts Ben. The larger questions addressed here include what it does to killers who have killed. What have they become? And kids who learn to kill, what kind of kids have they become? Fear the hunters, indeed. Fear ourselves if we become hunters of each other....more
Walking Dead: What We Have Become, Volume 10, is one of those quieter, more reflective volumes. I like the title and I like the cover, where Rick is sWalking Dead: What We Have Become, Volume 10, is one of those quieter, more reflective volumes. I like the title and I like the cover, where Rick is seen as going a little crazy? I also like that he still has that phone with him to talk to his dead wife.
In this one we head toward DC, led by a big hothead named Abraham, who gets into it with Rick until they tell each other their miserable life stories and bond a bit after an attack on Carl, and they head to Rick’s house and police station to get supplies and pick up first issue neighbor Morgan, and learn about his miserable story.
Another key moment is Maggie’s failed attempt to commit suicide. But in general things head down the yellow brick road to the nation’s capitol with some focus on how going crazy once in a while just might be part of the “what we have become.” ...more