I always thought that superheroes were kind of flat as characters. They don't really do anything other than their superhero stuff, and while protecting humankind is cool and important, I'd like to see some kind of character growth somewhere along the way. Yes, Clark loves Lois and it tears him up inside, but it always tears him up inside. Yeah, it's fun the first few times, but after that, it's nauseating.
And seeing as how I didn't really have exposure to any comics other than the superhero variety, I didn't think there was anything out there for me. The Scott Pilgrim series changed my mind slightly, but The Walking Dead changed it completely. While I am a huge fan of some zombie related things, like Resident Evil video games and Zombieland, I'm not a certified freak like some people are. Geronimo suggested the series to me and reassured me that zombies weren't the main focus, which made me feel slightly better. While I resisted for a while, when I finally gave in I wondered why I had waited so long.
This story isn't about zombies. It's about people, and what happens to them when they are faced with unbelievable circumstances. My favorite thing about this series is that it feels absolutely real, like if the zombie apocalypse happened tomorrow, this is exactly what would go down. The writing is absolutely stellar, with twists, turns and moments that had me muttering under my breath and sometimes shouting, "Oh. My. God," as I read. In some ways, it feels like a soap opera, especially with some of the relationship dynamics. While that might seem like a turn off, don't let it be; soap operas have an amazing way of capturing human drama, and The Walking Dead is second to none in that department.
Characters are full developed, realized and flawed. It's exciting to read and wonder what they're going to do next, because so many times it's completely unexpected. What's also kind of neat is that you begin to understand some of the more cringe inducing choices they have to make as the situation grows more desperate. I really liked this aspect of the story because I'm pretty sure tough choices would be make more often than not.
If you like stories about human nature, you will love this. If you like well developed characters with real motivations who are constantly faced with hard choices, you will love this. If you like character driven plot, you'll love this. Basically, if you love all that is right with the world, you'll love this series. I've only read up to the 68th issue, and I believe there are eight or nine more I need to read to be caught up.
Added bonus: On October 31st, The Walking Dead TV series will be premiering on AMC. If they can preserve the drama and human emotion that's in the comics, I think it will be a hit. So, pick up the comics and set your DVRs. You can thank me later.
1 comments:
First of all, I'll have you know that the Batman TV series movie was on the other day and I sat down and watched 45 minutes of it. Funniest thing ever. My favorite scene was when Robin approached Batman after he had just removed a bomb from a bar.
Robin: Why did you risk your life for that riff raff?
Batman: They may be drinkers, Robin, but they are still human. They can be redeemed.
There are a lot of really good comics out there, but nothing compared to what Kirkman is doing with The Walking Dead. I would reccomend it to horror fans for the grizzly, zombie related violence. But like you said, it really is more about the characters and their development and should be read by any fans of serious psychological drama. This is horror in the same sense as The Road.
The series also does an excellent job of making you feel like no character is safe (I'm convinced Rick is going to die before the series is over). It goes in a lot of directions you don't necessarily see coming. But when you reflect back upon them, they seem perfectly logical.
There is one concern I have regarding the television adaptation that I didnt think about until today. Carl might be a huge problem for the show. First of all, finding a child actor who can carry his arc might be difficult. Also, they are going to have a problem with his aging over the course of the show.
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