COMIC BINGE: The Walking Dead, Vol. 24 & Arkham Manor, Vol. 1
In celebration of The Walking Dead‘s return to television, I decided to go ahead and read Life and Death, the newest volume from The Walking Dead comic series. Since the fifth season of the show, I’ve been a large advocate of the comic over the TV show. I’m not saying that show is awful, because it isn’t. When you hold the two next to each other though, it’s really hard to compare them on terms of identical traits. However, you take where each story has gone from essentially the same beginning. And of course, the book is a lot further along than the show, but I’m going to go ahead and assume that they will not end in the same places. The book can go to darker and grim places, where the show can’t necessarily touch. I have to say, that this volume ramped up the intensity yet again. We see Rick and the rest of our survivors still struggling in the aftermath of Negan’s rampage. However, Carl is now on the run searching for his new love. The girl he’s after, belongs to a cult of hunters who dress themselves as zombies to disguise themselves, and have questionable lifestyles. The culmination of the following events leaves the book in utter tragedy in its final pages. Not only is there one death, but there are multiple, and they are on display on the final few pages. The first two-page spread reels you back like Rick’s reaction in the book, and as you flip again you see more death and despair. Then, flip to your final page of the volume, and one of the major characters has met their untimely end. Much like the last few volumes, Life and Death drops a major hook at the end. It’s nearly impossible now for me to wait for more of this book. If only I felt the same way about the television show, though the premiere last weekend was pretty good. Walk on!
RATED : ( R )
STORY : ( 10 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 8 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )
Also this week I checked out the first volume of Arkham Manor. I hadn’t heard of this book until a friend gave it to me to read. I gave it a shot of course because it’s Batman. It was a pretty decent book. Basically, Bats has taken it upon himself to bring the criminal element of Gotham into his home for shelter. The villains will no longer be able to escape nor will they be lost track of. Bruce Wayne has found a way to bring them into the house, but is this possible a dangerous situation that he is putting himself into. As the villains begin to run rampant, Batman finds new challenges in cornering the bad guys as its in his own home. He tries to keep his worlds separate, which this move in Arkham Manor symbolizes considerably, but it doesn’t go perfectly as usual. I at one point during this book thought that the story was going to go the way of Shutter Island, and I suppose it’s not too late. I liked the eerie backdrop of this book, as it gives it a little personality to differentiate it from the other Batman titles on the shelve. Overall it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Batman villains. Also, Gerry Duggan who most recently wrote some Deadpool, takes a crack at it here.
RATED : ( PG-13 )
STORY : ( 8 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 8 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 7 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 8 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )