You can come home again, but it’ll never feel the same.
What They Say:
At long last, the survivors of Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic survival adventure find the hope they’ve longed look for. Can a town not yet ravaged by the horrors unleashed on Earth possibly be all it’s hoped for? Is there a far more sinister secret behind their newfound safe haven? Even worse, can people forever changed by the worst in humanity ever hope to get back to their old selves? The next chapter of The Walking Dead is primed to change everything!
The Review:
With as much as this crew of characters have been through, it’s hard to imagine the strain that they must all be feeling. And it’s hard across the board for them, though there are special strains that each of them has to deal with beyond just trying to survive. With what we saw in the last volume with getting to some amount of trust back with Rick and Carl when it comes to others, having to deal with Ben like Carl did is just horrific to think about, man or child involved. The opening chapter deals almost exclusively on this as father and son talk it out and it’s just strong, strong material as they work out why it was done, where Carl is as a kid and a young man at this stage and how he views not only himself but also his father. In a series that regular defines itself with the things the cast says and feels, this is another key point in its growth.
Trust isn’t easy to come by in this particular world and we see again why rather quickly. With the group now in Maryland and getting closer to Washington, an attempt to use the radio reveals that Eugene has basically lied about everything since day one and it just fractures them hard, especially Abrahim who has lead so many people to get this man to Washington, believing it to be safe because of him and believing him a scientist. It’s not exactly a surprise though because it’s expected at this point that many, many people if not almost all of them will lie in order to survive and get by. This one hurts more since it’s not just a small lie for protection but one that put plenty at risk for something that doesn’t exist.
But it has lead them to something potentially more interesting, at least in the short term, as we get a new Woodbury. While trying to figure out where to go next, it turns out that the group has been watched for a bit now from a distance by someone named Aaron who is scouting out people to join their walled in community. It’s hard to believe, and has echoes not only to Woodbury but to the first gated community the group found, in that it may seem safe but will lead to greater problems. Even the prison experience comes to mind here because it was similar in a way. The idea of trust is a huge element here and Aaron is definitely slick in his own way as he sells it to Rick and the group over the course of the trip to where it is, some twenty miles north of Washington. But not without a trip through the city first to rescue some of Aaron’s lost friends, which in turn helps to build a bit more trust between them,.
After all the experiences the group has been through, it’s comical to watch them suddenly discover a small community of a few streets, walled in and “safe,” attempting to lead what seems to be normal lives. Rick and the others fit in, in their own way, but they know it’s fake and they fear that getting used to it will make them soft and unable to survive when they have to go out into the world again. They can’t imagine staying here long term, even as they take on jobs to contribute so they can enjoy the novelty of sleeping in a house, having warm water, enjoying a daytime Halloween holiday. Seeing them pretend at it while also figuring out how to secure themselves more is really fun to watch, because it’s what these characters should be like at this point. Even Carl won’t give in to it, though he’s more obvious about it than the adults, so watching the group do what they need to while going to a social party is just priceless.
Digital Notes:
This graphic novel compilation via Comixology contains issues sixty-seven through seventy-two of the series in one file that has a total of a hundred and thirty-five pages with no extras, alternate covers or anything else.
In Summary:
The Walking Dead continues to show us different ways humanity has survived after the end of normal civilization and this instance definitely is interesting with both the similarities and differences. There’s a large cast that’s slowly introduced here as there are some forty-odd people living in the community, but seeing how our group fits in with them is where the fun is. And wondering how it’s all going to collapse and get overrun around them as well. There’s so many great little character moments in this volume, one that has only a little real action to it, that it’s easy to even forget about the whole Washington excursion that happens. There’s fun to be had with all the takedowns of the dead, but what you remember is the character interactions, drama, plotting and watching that goes on. Very, very good stuff that sets the foundation for what this arc will do next.
Grade: B+
