Robert Kirkman’s ‘The Walking Dead Compendium, Volume 2’

With the show moving steadily into season four, it seems fitting that I review the comic that follows the same chronology: Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead Compendium, Volume 2. If you saw my review of the first compendium, then you know what kind of “book” this is. The Waking Dead compendiums are massive collections of the comic books, and are divided roughly by a few story arcs. This volume picks up at the aftermath of the attack on the prison. Now, none of the following will really be spoilers for the show, as the show has deviated GREATLY from the events of the comics. That being said, there are obvious spoilers ahead for the first set of comics. Rick Grimes has lost almost everything. The Governor’s attack on the prison has claimed several lives, and has had to lead the remaining survivors away from the prison, due to the walls’ being torn down. Before long, the group stumbles across the Community, and receive a well-deserved short rest. The operative word being short. As is typical with organizations named after vague concepts that capitalize the name, the Community is not all it seems. What follows will be a trial the likes of which our survivors have never faced, and the oncoming storm threatens to blow them all away.

If you read my review of the first compendium, I described the comics as being inferior, plot-wise, to the show, as it seemed Kirkman was trying to reach for shock value above a deeper character development. This book really shows how the years of authorship have honed Kirkman’s creative faculties. Everyone feels a little more human, and everything feels more realistic, as a whole. That doesn’t mean that Kirkman is shying away from killing characters. By all means, fear for your favorite characters. The added perk is that now, their deaths will be tenfold as devastating, as you will actually see them as well-developed, intrinsically human characters. The overall story arcs are also fitted together in a much better way. Before, the series was venue-oriented. Move to Atlanta. Stop. Be forced out. Move to Farm. Stop. Rinse and repeat. Now, the motivations behind plot decisions are a little more clear, yet more natural at the same time. Character interaction has improved considerably, making the comic one of the more believable entries in that particular medium. While he has a ways to go before he is crushing our dreams like George Martin or evoking the same level of sheer humanity in dialogue as Joss Weadon, The Walking Dead Compendium, Volume 2 is a definite step in the right direction by Robert Kirkman. If the first collection had you uncertain if the comics were for you, give this a shot. If you liked the first one, then this should be a definite buy, as it is leaps and bounds ahead. If Kirkman keeps this trend of improvement up, these comics could very well become a staple of literature on human interaction in the lowest point of morale.