The Walking Dead, Volume 09: Here We Remain

After the heightened action of previous volumes, we finally get the chance to breathe and regroup. More importantly, we focus on Carl and Rick's relationship as it has changed. Watching Carl struggle as a man-child is all at once heartbreaking, frightening and tinged with moments of pride. Kirkman also takes time to show the obvious mental wear and tear that lead to certain, shall we say, cracks in those who have been surviving in a world where there's no rest for the undead. Of course, new developments promise that this breather was only temporary...

I can't imagine reading these issue by issue and having to wait a full week to see where things go next. The story moves so smoothly in Omnibus or Trade Paperback collections, and is honestly a joy. There aren't too many cliff-hangers from issue to issue, but rather a focus on the psychological ramifications of all that has happened - at least in this issue. The breathing room was much needed after the first arc wrapped up, although now what looks like the next arc should be a bit of a doozy.

Are we really going to try to get from Georgia to Washington DC? Do they really know what caused the plague? Can these people be trusted? Questions upon questions, and Rick is done with providing answers. While the losses from the fire fight with show more the Governor weren't quite as devastating as they could have been, and old friends are slowly being found once more, they were still more than enough to make one wary of any new people...

And with the psychological stress of the situation everyone is on edge and not quite as sane as they started.

So far, so good for the series. It's a heck of a lot of fun and the artwork remains fantastic. show less

After the epic deathfest that was Made to Suffer, it was pretty much inevitable that Here We Remain would feel like a letdown. As the very few remaining survivors found their way back to one another, I couldn't help but feel that Here We Remain is more like an epilogue to Made to Suffer rather than the next volume in the series.

Having completed the Governor story arc in Made to Suffer, Here We Remain begins setting up a new adventure for those who've managed not to die yet. The volume is slow going, having the survivors find one another before alluding to anything resembling a plot. Towards the end of the volume the survivors take on a new mission of sorts, but their destination and plan leave a lot to be desired.

Those remaining join up show more with a separate group, one of which claims to be a scientist who knows the cause of the zombie outbreak. When asked to share what he knows, he claims the information is classified. I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous. Information needs to be shared in a world where the one holding the knowledge could be eaten at any moment. This is an obvious attempt to drag out the revelation for as long as possible and it is very much unappreciated.

After experiencing volume after volume that focused on the horrors of man, it was nice to read a volume where the only threat to the survivors was zombies. It was refreshing to remember that while human nature is often an evil thing, zombie fans want to read about zombies. A clearer focus on zombies in the future may be a welcome thing, but it'll all depend on how this new arc pans out. show less

Rick and Carl try to make their way alone, meet up with Michonne, are found by the group at Greene's farm, and follow a possibly mad scientist on his group's mission to DC. I appreciate the pacing in this installment - Rick clearly hasn't been able to recover from his wound, so it makes sense that his mind is playing tricks on him and that he finally decides to relinquish control. It fits with his character - he did, after all, start this saga as "a regular Barney Fife," not a superhero. It also fits the character, though, that he won't relinquish responsibility - his words to Carl are those of a leader, just of a smaller unit. I appreciated that Abraham admits to following Doctor Porter mainly because he needs a task - it would be a show more little too much with a whole group of potentially loony people. Looking forward to seeing how far "our group" gets with these new people. show less

and life in The Walking Dead goes on...

I really love Rick's vulnerability in this volume, he has lost almost everything he ever cared about and the cracks are starting to show. He has gone through a massive metamorphose since the first volume and it's so interesting to see.

My favourite character is definitely Michonne, she is such a strong female character, and I love her skills with the katana. Sure she has a screw loose but I would have had a complete nervous breakdown in that kind of situation.

I am excited to finally be introduced to Abraham and Eugene. I am also glad that the twins and Sophia are still alive and I am still so sad about Judith. But I guess having a baby around while you are on the road would be a terrible idea.

In this volume we learn what happened in the aftermath of the attack on the prison. But really we only know who is for sure still alive, because no one actually saw anyone else die. And the gang decides how to proceed from here.

As usual, the mayhem of last volume is balanced by a volume of quiet, introspective desperation. The next one will probably be crazy again.

Here we see that the bloodbath of Volume 8 really pays off. After their escape from the fighting at the prison, Rick and his son Carl spend an unusually long time as the only characters in the comic. This section of the book, with Rick getting sick and Carl coming into his own, has been one of my favorite parts of the series so far, and the heartbreaking surprise of the dead telephone topped it off perfectly.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-walking-dead-volume-9-here-we.html ]