The Walking Dead: V.8

The Walking Dead Volume 8
(Made to Suffer)
Written by: Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn
Paperback: 136 pages
Publisher: Image
Language: English
July 2008, $14.99

In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. There was a time when he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. But now everything has changed. A few months ago, he and a small band of survivors had found a haven behind prison walls. But nothing lasts forever and this time it isn’t just the undead they need to worry about.

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If you love zombies and like comics, you really should read the Walking Dead series. In fact, it is this series and a couple of others that renewed my love of comics and got me reading and buying them again. To be honest, if you haven’t read the Walking Dead series, shame on you as it is a very good series.

Issues 43 through 48 sees the return of the sadistic Governor who has manipulated his small town of survivors into attacking the prison. The first few pages we discover what has brought this about from the Governor’s point of view. And then we return to Rick and the other survivors’s point of view.

Some say the dialogue is flawed and I will admit it is very basic and obvious at times. However, the story still hits you and for me that is what matters. All of this time Rick and the other survivors have been trying to rebuild their lives and a society after zombies took everything away and finally got them to start living again. It has always been zombies vs. the living, but this time around it is man against man, and that man is the Governor. This is one of the most violent of the volumes and because of it the loss of life is heavy as well. In previous volumes, Kirkman held no punches when it came to taking out some of your favorite characters and this time there are no exceptions. In fact, I think my jaw dropped just a little with the cliffhanger ending. It is safe to say that things will never be the same again.

The artwork continues to have the same impact. At first I wasn’t wholly impressed with Adlard’s artwork, but over these past 8 volumes I have grown to appreciate it. Well worth the read and I cannot wait to see what happens again.

4 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks