The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us

Like many readers, I've been an on again/off again comicbook fan for many years... In the last couple of years (since the year 2000) I've returned to the fold, this time taking advantage of the many top-quality graphic novels out there, and Robert Kirkman's "Walking Dead" was one of the titles most frequently recommended to me since I started this reading spree. It lives up to the hype. I just finished reading books 1-4, which collect the first twenty-four issues of the comic, and man, I can't wait for book #5 to come out. The series tells the story of a guy named Rick, a small-town cop and self-described Barney Fife who wakes up from a hospital stay to find the world changed around him -- it's zombie time, but zombie time with twist. The twist is that, unlike all the movies and TV shows we've all seen, "The Walking Dead" has a much longer, open-ended story arc -- Kirkman and co. don't have to wrap things up in a tidy, two-hour package, so there is space for the story to unfold at its own pace, with character development that's more prolonged and in-depth than the usual zombie flick allows. By the end of Book 4, the crisis has lasted about a year and Rick and his band of survivors are about twelve strong, having lost about an equal number of family and friends over the course of the story. It's a taut, grim, reflective plot line that keeps your interest and compels you to read. I, for one, hope this isn't just another one of those neat B&W comix that kind of fizzle out, but rather that Kirkman really gets the chance to do what he says he wants to do, and follow Rick's saga as far as he can. Anyway, I'm hooked. As long as he keeps writing this series, I'll be first in line to buy it. [copyright joesixpack @ slipcue.com ]

Fire dude absolutely fire man seriously fire dude really fire guy I mean truly fire brother I mean it's fire

As with many creative works The Walking Dead allows us to question things. All of the what ifs regarding our priorities, motivations, concerns, breaking points, etc... can be explored and pondered, without violating any ethical constraints of human experiment, in the safety of our home in our favorite reading spot. On a practical note the book does contain some violent images, implied sex (everything is covered by blankets, the partner, etc..), and gratuitous profanity. Because of the black and white nature of the artwork the more visceral images are less graphic than they would be if they were in color.

Unlike most zombie novels, movies or comics, "the walking dead" is more a story of inter-personnel relationships in a time where survival is a day to day affair. You see the bonding of kinship and the micro fracturing of oneself in the face of adversity and danger. Family become strangers as strangers become family. In an age of technology where survival of the fittest no longer applies it is astonishing to see such innate ingenuity amongst the group. As one person you surely are not going to survive long but as a semblance of a society with some hierarchy and democracy survival of the fittest moves from a person to person basis to a general measurement on building a society. In times of great adversity our most primitive behavior comes to the forefront but also our most sympathetic. "The walking dead" is a masterful depiction of that.

I'm starting to get attached to a lot of the characters already but did I miss something earlier? Where was Beth? Does she not exist in the comics or did I skip over something important? Beth's one of my favorite characters in the show so if she isn't in the books I'm going to be kind of upset. Other than no Beth (I think) the book was super interesting to read. I still like the plot and I like how the characters are expressed. Lori is a bit bossy though so she will get kind of annoying. I'm done now. Good books.

Great! Not for the pure

I am a fan of The Walking Dead show on AMC. I did not know the show was based on a graphic novel. After I learned that the show was based on a graphic novel I started to read them. So far so good. It is interesting to see how some of the events on the show are, in fact, related to events in the graphic novel. Granted, the events are not in the same order and don't always involve the same characters on the show, but it is fun to see how the novel has influenced the show.

The Walking Dead is a very mature story that takes a look at topics ignored by many of the other examples of the Zombie Survival Fiction genre. It shows how emotion leads to action in ways that can shock modern readers' sense of stability. It provides an interesting commentary on how thin the veneer of civilization is despite all attempts by the characters to cling to it. It lets the reader experience the loss of structure and provokes thoughts of "what would I do" beyond the typical "raid the gun store, grocery store and head for a cabin in the woods" mentality we've seen before. The entire series thus far (1-7) has been top notch and a real example of how graphic novels can tackle stories that would take a 600 page novel to cover in detail.

Good graphic novel! Nice quality.

Vino rápido y en el formato que decía, aunque diga que va a tardar mucho llega antes de lo esperado

We just love the book as much as we love the series.

A real treat. My second comic. Fantastic writing and drawing. I really loved it. I’m also enjoying all the extra stories not included in the tv series

Muy bueno