Gaining Perspective & The Walking Dead

Hey,
So it's been a rough couple of days. Right now I encourage all that have the means to donate/buy/whatever to relief organizations like The Red Cross to help those suffering in Haiti. A catastrophic event like this helps you put life in perspective.

Speaking of putting life in perspective it is an utter coincidence that this week I finally digged into The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead Compendium Vol. 1 contains the first 48 issues, all written by Robert Kirkman. I wanted to read this series in one big chunk because of the reputation of this series. Kirkman is known for his unrelenting cliffhangers and I didn't want to have to wait for the next volume.

The Walking Dead begins when a police officer from Kentucky named Rick wakes up from a coma. He took a bullet for his friend/fellow officer Shane in a gunfight a month ago. Unfortunately it turns out that while Rick was sleeping the world went to hell. Zombie-esque creatures have taken over and society has fallen. Now I know this sounds just like 28 Days Later but other than this opening premise any similiarities end. Rick reunites with a group of survivors which luckily includes his wife and son. This ragtag group struggles with this new crazy world that tests everything they've ever known.

Now I wouldn't dare spoil what happens along that terrible road. Part of the wonderful horrible experience of this series is that the reader begins to understand that anything can happen. No one is safe. Anyone could die at any moment including the main characters. Kirkman does not hold back in any way. This book is as savage as the world it depicts.

It is a master stroke from Kirkman that this book is not really about the zombies. Sure the zombies are always there in the background. They are a relentless threat. However this story is fueled by the actions of the human characters. Kirkman examines how the continuous horror/violence/death is degrading to the human soul. All the characters are confronted with the darkness that is inherent when one is struggling just to survive. Kirkman doesn't spend any time trying to explain what happened and I hope he never does. It doesn't matter why zombies have taken over. That's just the cataclysmic event that has led us to this new world.

I completely understand how each character reacts but am also repulsed by a majority of it. Let's just say that this series is not for the weak. It makes Scalped look like a nursery rhyme. Reading 48 issues all in one go was a really depressing experience. The moment that you begin to love a character than something horrid happens to them. And I'm not even touching the character of The Governor. As a writer Kirkman puts the reader into the same position as the human characters. And even for this cynical hardened reader that was very difficult. However I don't think that I would want it any other way. To hold back or force a happy ending would lessen the experience. That would make this series just like any other zombie book around right now.

I'd be remissed if I didn't mention the great art from Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn. Black and White is the perfect look for this series. It's the only way that the reader can deal with such horrific images. It also allows for the simplicity of the new world our survivors travel thru. With the loss of a societal structure I loved seeing a world where nature is reclaiming the earth. There are some amazing splash pages that showcase the landscape. Of course there's always a zombie tucked away in the background. This is in stark contrast to the prison which our survivors inhabit. It can't be a mistake that Rick, and others, seems to lose some of their humanity while recapturing their safety. In the prison they visit more violence upon each other than the zombies. Clearly this is intentional and the art reflects it.

It's one thing just to be able to survive. Rick and his family, including those who are not directly related, struggle with finding a way to finally start "living" again. This gives an incredible double meaning to the title of the series. Who are "the walking dead" really? Kirkman wants to confront his readers with that very question. Since this series is open-ended, I don't expect we'll get an answer until the end. Or when every human dies and the answer is moot.