Sometimes I collect a bunch of issues in a series so I can read an entire story arc at once as opposed to over the course of half a year. I recently did that with Image's The Walking Dead, written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Charlie Adlard, having finished reading issues #55-#61- and holy shit balls!

To those of you who have deterred yourself from reading this series because it's about 'zombies', smack yourself in the face right now. In TWD, the zombies play a role similar to that of scenery or props as the real story lies with the people who have survived this crazy zombie holocaust; how do they live? what do they do? how do they function as a society in this apocalyptic setting where the undead roam the Earth? It's a gripping tale, and if you haven't read the series yet, take my word for it- stop reading this article and do yourself a favor and pick up The Walking Dead Compendium (containing issues #1-48) for a mere $60 (that's pretty cheap, do the math: 61 x $2.99). Seriously. Pick. It. Up. You'll be glad you did. But for those of you who have been reading this series monthly or in trade form, please read on...

So how shit kickingly awesome is this book right now? Over the last 7 issues we've seen some major character development; Rick's growing confidence in his leadership abilities and all around bad assness; Carl, the 8 year old son of Rick, is maturing rapidly despite his young age as he begins to accept and understand the dark world around him; Dale getting stern in his desire to split from the group with Andrea; Abraham being all tough and hard on the outside despite having a very human inside (issues #56-#58); Glenn and Maggie solidifying their relationship after she tried to hang herself (issues #55 and #56); Michonne keeps getting more awesome with her katana and ever present common sense; and the new additions, Morgan and Father Gabriel Stokes, have definitely shaken things up with the group (issues #58-#61).

choomIssue #57 has been my favorite in the series so far because of the scene where Rick comes to the defense of his son Carl from a trio of bandits who were trying to rape him. Even though he is missing a hand, Rick kicked the shit out of two assailants by gruesomely biting one in the neck and relentlessly stabbing the other. Abraham gave the third a bullet to the head. Bad. Ass. Then in issue #58 we discover that Morgan's son has been turned into a zombie. As if this wasn't grippingly sad enough, we learn that Morgan has been killing people who pass by his house to feed them to his undead son. At the end of issue #59, Morgan, Rick, Carl, and Abraham get attacked by a HUGE herd of roamers which they eventually escape from. However, this forces the group (whom they meet back up with in #60) to take to the road in-case the herd followed the foursome back to the camp.

In issue #61 shit gets real. The 7 year old Ben kills his twin brother Billy because he think he'll come back from the dead. This causes an uproar in the group as Billy is now seen as a liability who could snap at any moment. While the crew is split as to what the appropriate form of disciplinary action should be, Carl sneaks in to where Ben is being held and shoots him. And now as our group of characters continue their voyage to the nation's Capitol, we learn that they are being stalked (or hunted?) by what appear to be a platoon of militant men...

Wow.

I really have no clue where this book is headed, and as Kirkaman has stated in his letters columns, no character is safe... and that's scary. Seriously, if you aren't reading this series you're missing out- go and begin at the beginning and pick up the compendium or the first trade. If you are reading this series, be prepared for more shit to hit the fan...

This article was also published at ComicImpact.com.

Written by yourfriendandy May 28, 2009