The Walking Dead Volume 13 [Paperback]

When I heard that AMC was going to produce a television series based on the zombie epic "The Walking Dead," I was both concerned and delighted. A bona fide classic in undead lore, "The Walking Dead" graphic novels are brutal and surprising--not really what I would picture for a basic cable TV show. The first season ran with 6 episodes, and the ratings were stellar for AMC (a network know for terrific and prestigious shows like "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad"). With Frank Darabont of "Shawshank Redemption" fame as the creative force behind the show and Robert Kirkman's (the comic's creator) involvement as a writer, we have a winner gearing up for a second season--so check it out if you haven't already!

But picking up with the graphic novels, Kirkman hits us with "Volume 13: Too Far Gone." Now, I had heard some initial disappointment about this volume--and for those looking for general mayhem and violence, this is certainly one of the more subdued chapters thus far. I have to say that initially I agreed. With Rick and clan installed in a new community, there are dozens of new characters sharing center stage. I found this off-putting at first. But what happens in "Too Far Gone" is far more important than just another attack. Rick's growth and character development are a highlight and how he, and the others, start to acclimatize to their new surroundings has surprising emotional resonance. The characters face the crossroads where they're allowed to start feeling human again and start to face the moral repercussions of the things they've done and will have to continue to do in order to survive. I ended up really feeling connected with "Too Far Gone" in a surprising way. If you're open to seeing "The Walking Dead" as a fully rounded epic, these moments of introspection are entirely crucial! KGHarris, 12/10.

Rick and company have settled in to the community behind the walls near Washington, D.C., although it was made clear at the end of the previous Volume that Rick was finding it hard to adjust to this comfortable, safe existence. His spirit is somewhat restless, but it is based on a fear of people, and how easily they can screw even the best of things up. Abraham validates that perspective with an experience he has beyond the fences of the community, and throughout this volume, we get to see that perhaps this place is too good to be true in some ways, and that people are the same where ever you go and no matter how safe and secure you feel you are.

The same antsy sense of things that Rick has with this place is a sense I was getting about it as well. Certainly, you would hope to find a place where you can finally relax and rest and feel safe behind thick walls, but at the same time, as a reader, you look for things to go wrong in this screwed up world, expecting them to, as Rick does here. And by the end of this volume, Rick's fears are confirmed, but once again, as has happened in the past, he loses control for a time before settling back into the role of reluctant hero and reluctant leader once again. I think it is at those times that Rick, and TWD, are at their very best.

I felt the last volume was a bit draggy in spots, and while this one has its lulls as well, the story picks up the pace once again, especially near the end, with promises of interesting things to come in volume 14.

After listening for a time to the tales of Washington d.C., the truth is finally revealed. Its a wonder that no one died in the process, either. Still, nobody found themselves in pieces and the band kept moving, knowing they had lost too much to stop without at least looking. That's when they meet a man on the side of the road and that man tells them that he has a place that they HAVE to see. It has everything they could want and more - and that makes the group think about killing him then and there. The problem with that is that the group really hasn't lost hope - perhaps a good thing and perhaps not - andso they find themselves listening and following. Along the way they provide proof that they are viable and then they are shown into a town that is thriving right next to the dead. Children in the streets, happy neighbors, running water - everything the world left behind. They even want the newcomers to help out and become whatever they know how to be, rick included. The problem with this is that something else is amiss and the group can see it in their eyes. Still, they have no idea what that means or what sort of horror could be living within these walls.

As with other Walking Dead pieces, I really liked this. i had wondered about the myths that were being fed to the group about d.C., and I wonder what would have happened if nothing would have been there. They had, after all, been expecting a government or at least a group of scientists. So, this works out in their favor. Futher, it helps bond some of the charatcers we have seen travelling with the remainder of the "superjail" group, and they really need to become part of the group. Sure, they have been there and they have taught the group a lot. Still, they didn't feel like part of the group until now which is a great thing.

I also like the continued thing that shows that humans are dangerous out there. Even when Rick and his group finds something that looks decent they turn into their own brand of horror, looking at everything in some terrible manner. Considering what has happened in the last few books i cannot blame them, but it still shows how they have even become that thing that they have been trying so hard to keep at bay.

Another thing I liked was that we got to see a city again and that we got to see some of the ways that people are trying to stay alive. These are a bit different and the same as well, and they say something about the people. they also say something about the dead and what is happening with them, showing whether they are slowing or if they are still the pague they once were. Combine that with the grand artwork and you have something beautifully constructed and that has so much more to offer.

If you are a new fan, never read out of order. If you are a watcher and want a view, start at the beginning. a warning on spoilers, however; reading the books will stick closely to some of the things seen in some of the early episodes. Things change, certianly, but things also stay the same. so, read with care. for people who think that this is just another town or just another human story, perhaps you have grown hard s well. The terrible things they contend with are beautiful in their own rights and do not have to be teeth or fingernails of the dead. People who want to live are just as bad.
i liked this more than the last one, too, and round it into 5 stars. Thank you.

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