15 & 16. Buffy: Season 8

Part II:
No Future for You

Part III:
Wolves at the Gate

By Joss Whedon

As stated in the review down the page, Part I reintroduces us to the "Buffyverse", picking up where the television series left off.  For the purposes of not spoiling the end of the series, I'll continue to be vague, but suffice to say, Buffy's team has expanded now well beyond the "Scooby Gang" as her friends in the series were known.  

Interestingly, the "boss" villain, who is usually introduced on the early side in the series doesn't make his appearance until Part II of "season 8", and even then we don't know much about him- the mysterious figure called "Twilight" who has yet another apocalyptic plan.   

In order to keep these villains interesting (because they all have apocalyptic plans), Twilight is unique because rather than fight his own battles, he manipulates the various players as chess pieces - pitting slayer against demon, slayer against witch, slayer against slayer, slayer against US Army.  

The beautiful thing about these books is that they manage to capture not just the clever dialog that is so key to the show, but also the comedy, the tragedy, the awkward pauses, the teen abuse of language, and the complicated relationships of the various characters... and what makes it even more amazing is that long after the actors and actresses have abandoned their roles, their characters are still growing and changing.  Moreover, characters who have never appeared "in real life" on the television show are handled with equal depth and complexity.  

My only (minor) criticism is that it still feels a little "cameo happy", but for the most part, it works. 

Recommendation: Its the best thing next to the TV show, and it only gets better. 

Grade: A

7-14: The Walking Dead

7. Days Gone By

8. Miles Behind Us

9. Safety Behind Bars

10. The Heart's Desire

11. The Best Defense

12. The Sorrowful Life

13. The Calm Before

14. Made to Suffer

Written by: Robert Kirkland

Illustrated by: Tony Moore

Ah, I have wanted to read this series for a long time, but 8 graphic novels is a big investment.  So nice to have found them on Bit Torrent.  

The story opens with protagonist, police officer Rick Grimes, taking a nearly fatal bullet which lands him in a coma in the hospital.  Lucky for him, because he sleeps through the onset of  the zombie apocalypse.  Unfortunately, when he awakens, he is alone, his family is gone, and no one is explaining the dead-ish folks who are trying to eat him.

The Walking Dead more or less follows the Romero formula for Zombies: They're dumb, slow, and relentless.  Despite owing this massive debt to its predecessors, in a lot of ways, WD is one of the most successful Zombie stories of all - as it has run for now four years, it has had the opportunity to develop a sense of not just what its like to be faced with the end of the world- but how it must be endured day after day, month after month, and year after year.

...and in this way, WD pulls no punches.   It works exceptionally well as a horror story- no one is safe, and Throughout its run, characters who you grow to know and love will often succumb to the undead horror.  Its a tough world.  

It draws on some of the best elements of the Zombie movies that have inspired it- its crisp black and white is no doubt influenced by the original Night of the Living Dead, the issues of how communities of humans devolve owes a debt to 28 Days Later and the sometimes ridiculous gore tips a hat to the 80s zombie flicks that had to top each other for most grotesque killings.  

However, the sheer scope of this story is what separates The Walking Dead from any other zombie story.  The 48 chapters (so far) allow characters to develop in response and reaction to their world.  The mild mannered and fair Rick must become a fearless -and ruthless leader.  The god fearing farmer must accept a life of violence.  Those who need to cling to their pre-apocalypse self concept are often the most rudely awakened. 

Recommendation: For anyone who is a zombie (or horror) aficionado - this is a unmissable classic. A+