The Walking Dead, Volume 23: Whispers Into Screams

What could have easily ended up as a novel twist has instead turned into an interesting question of morality. Do you interfere with others because you believe their way of life is wrong, or do you simply let them be to hold the peace? At what point are you simply protecting someone because you care about them, and putting others at risk? What if people only suspect you're doing so, when indeed people they care about are in the wrong... but they refuse to see it?

You can't please everyone, but can you hold the peace?

This volume introduced us formally to the Whisperers, a group who believes the proper way to live in this post-apocalyptic world is to accept that the old way of life is dead. You can't rebuild, you can't make it better, so show more you join with the dead. They wear the skins of zombies to move among them, and live off the land, moving with the herds. Is it right? Is it wrong? Is living with the dead you will soon become a step too far?

Questions, questions, questions. And then young Carl Grimes gets involved. Carl's character development is some of the best in the series, and this volume truly shows his mixed upbringing with Rick and Negan, to a certain extent, coming to its full fruition. His development just fascinates me because it's so believable. He didn't have the luxury of childhood, and he's had to go through so much to stay alive. Here, as it previously has, these hardships come to haunt him...

What will happen next? show less

This episode puts Carl Grimes front and center as he moves to Maggie’s hilltop town to train as a blacksmith. He gets into trouble by using excess force when two local boys try to harm his friend, Sophia. With Sophia unconscious, there is no one to back up his story. These boy’s parents want both Carl severely punished and, with Gregory’s prompting, they also want Maggie deposed as the leader of the community.

Meanwhile Jesus is on a patrol and they get attacked by Walkers who appear to be able to use weapons and talk. Jesus manages to capture one of these Walkers but when they get back to town, he realizes that she is just wearing a “dead” suit and is, in fact, a sixteen year old girl called Lydia. Carl and Lydia bond. She show more doesn’t want to go back to her people, but Maggie arranges a trade in order to get a couple of her own people returned. A sad Lydia leaves with her people. Carl is upset and the last page of the book shows us Carl about to set off into the wilderness after Lydia.

I enjoyed this new direction that the story has taken and I look forward to finding out what happens to Carl as well as whether Maggie will be able to stay in control. Also, I am sure Rick will have something to say about Carl’s wandering off. show less

In the first few volumes I didn't fully understand the point of having it all in black and white but, especially with this volume, I both understood and appreciated it. The black and white art work allows there to be a feeling of distance between the reader in the present and the characters surviving years into the zombie apocalypse. What makes the Walking Dead unique is that it gives insight into the "what now?" at the end of the typical apocalypse film. This particular volume is even further down the road, years since the first onset. I appreciated that there was a time gap, allowing the characters, especially the younger ones, time to age and mature. Because Rick's group has grown so much, the story jumps around allowing the reader show more to see into what everyone is doing, building on the suspense of when shit finally hits the fan (as it always does). Really enjoyed this volume and I look forward to the future issues. show less

The Good: Crazy people. It's always crazy people. Whether it be the Governor or cannibals or Negan, at the root of it all is just people who mentally can't handle the world as it now is and act out in ludicrous ways. This new threat is no different, other then there is a whole hell of a lot of them. This new brand of crazy is unlike anything we've seen before and that makes this volume completely worth the read.

The Bad: We seem to be going from Carl being a reckless child to being a irresponsible teenager. He's gone from attempting to protect his friends and family is dangerous ways to doing whatever his hormones dictate. I suppose it was to be expected, but one would hope that growing up in this post-apocalyptic environment, a boy in show more his position would have developed better priorities. Never underestimate Carl's ability to find the most inappropriate way to deal with something. show less

I don't think I've ever rated a series so high as this one. Kirkman and company always seem to breathe new life into a concept that should be running on fumes by now.

Not a lot happens here, this volume is more of a set up for what comes next, obviously, but it opens up the character of Carl Grimes so much more. I'm still getting used to this new, older world, and I do miss Rick and Michonne, but there's some work being done here to lay a groundwork for the next few years.

Still loving it.

Well, the whisperers weren't as frightening as I thought they would be, but I don't think we've heard the whole story yet. Points for coming up with a new way for people to go crazy in the zombie apocalypse. If they really did want to settle things peaceably, looks like Carl's going to muck that up, but I can't really blame him. I'm curious to see where Kirkman goes with this.

The last volume of The Walking Dead introduced the Whisperers, a group of people who wear skins of the dead so they can walk and live among the undead. In this volume, a girl from the Whisperers is captured and during her captivity, Carl befriends her. Meanwhile, Maggie is facing opposition as leader of the Hilltop community. It's a nice change of pace to take the focus off of Rick for once. I feel that these issues are kind of dragging their heels for now, but there's a lot of potential that could be building for the Whisperers' story. They could become the next group our heroes have to fight a war against (god, I hope not), or there could be a more nuanced story of how these different types of survivors interact.