4. Here We Remain

The Walking Dead
Vol. 9
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Illustrator: Charlie Adlard

The next chapter of the Walking Dead presents a bit of a lull in action from the last few chapters, which together built towards a brutal and long awaited climax. In the wake of the devastation of volume 8, Rick and what is left of his family and friends (being intentionally vague here so as not to ruin anything) look for a new safe haven.

This lull is necessary though, as the series marks the end of one massive story arc and begins another. The first 8 books describe in detail how people change and react to their horrific circumstances. By book 9, we know what the 'zombie apocalypse' has done to both the dead and the living. Now its finally time to turn back to the 'why' and 'how' - as in, how to get things back to normal. The potential solution comes as a bit of a deux-ex-machina, but in this case, it seems necessary to keep the series going, by at once continuing the themes from the last volumes, and starting new ones.

What is also pretty interesting in this 'long form' zombie narrative - is the long term effects of dealing with the horrific day-to-day exisitence of violence and survival. People adapt pretty quickly and often go off the deep end, but those who have been able to maintain their sanity begin to show cracks as well. Really a great psychological study in many ways.

Again, highly recommended, although this one was not as exciting as the last few, it whets the appetite for the next one.
Grade: A-