Horror Graphic Novels — The Walking Dead: The Calm Before

“If they come in here they get Maggie. I’m not letting that happen.”

Rick’s community knows that sooner or later they will have to confront the Woodbury community . . . and it won’t be pretty . . . but for now it’s the calm before . . .

TITLE:

THE WALKING DEAD: THE CALM BEFORE

WRITER:

by Robert Kirkman

ARTISTS:

by Charlie Adlard (penciler, inker)
Cliff Rathburn (gray tones)

SERIES:

The Walking Dead — Vol. 7
Reprints The Walking Dead comics #37-42

PUBLISHER:

Image Comics

GENRE:

Graphic Novel (collection), Horror Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Suspense

DESCRIPTORS:

Horror, Zombies, End of the World, Survival, Psychological Studies, Life and Death, Disaster, Prisons, Trust, Love, Leadership, Scavenging, Pregnancy, Birth, Death, Suicide, Amputation,

CHARACTERS:

Rick Grimes, A Kentucky police officer who struggles to keep his community safe from zombies and other threats.
Tyreese, An African-American man and former football player who swings a mean hammer.
Michonne, A mysterious African-American woman who survived alone among zombies for a long time.
Lori Grimes, Rick’s wife who loves him but doesn’t always agree with his ideas.
Carl Grimes, Rick’s son.
Judith Grimes Rick’s daughter.
Glenn, A young Asian-American teenager and camp scavenger, married to Maggie.
Dale, A older man who recently lost his wife. He owns an RV which is the camp’s primary shelter and rescued Amy and Andrea.
Andrea, Amy’s sister, rescued by Dale. She is a sharp shooter.
Carol, A young mother who is somewhat troubled in these troubling times.
Sophia, Carol’s daughter.
Ben and Billy, Alan and Donna’s sons.
Patricia, She seems like a nice person and is Otis’ girlfriend.
Hershel Greene, Former veterinarian and now a farmer where his family lives in some safety.
Maggie Greene, Hershel’s younger daughter and married to Glenn.
Billy Greene, Hershel’s youngest son.
Axel, In prison for armed robbery.
The Governor, The leader of the small community of Woodbury (His real name is Philip).
Alice, Dr. Stevens “nurse” who picks up thing very quickly, including medicine.

SUMMARY:

The prison camp is put back into order although they know that one day they’ll have to reckon with with the Woodbury community. In the meantime they have their lives to lead and what eventful lives they are. Two months pass during this collection.

The book opens up with Lori and Shane’s brief affair while on the road to Atlanta and then jumps to a quiet moment between Lori and Carl as it sinks in that they will soon have a second child. They reach a resolution about Shane and the paternity of the baby in a way I didn’t expect.

Maggie and Glenn get married and Carol tries to befriend Alice the somewhat reserved “doctor”.

The community agrees that they need to find the National Guard station and raid it for supplies. Tyreese, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Andrea, and Axel make the trip leaving Rick behind feeling useless.

The supplies in guns and ammo are less than they’d like but the gas alone repays the effort. There is even a tank which no body can drive. The group decide to blow the station up to prevent Woodbury from using it anymore. On the return trip, Glenn and Maggie suggest that they detour and raid the Wal-Mart store. That side trip is even more successful until they’re discovered by four gun toting strangers.

Meanwhile, Lori goes into labor. Alice sends Billy to get more gas for the generator to keep it running because labor started in the evening. Rick was going to go help but Lori demanded he remain with her.

Billy gets Dale to help instead. They run out into the dangerous parking lot as the sun slips down under the horizon. That’s when Dale gets bitten by a zombie.

Judith is born and Carol finally comes undone.

Two months have passed and the collection ends on a cliff hanger . . . the arrival of the Governor.

APPEAL:

This book continues a multi-book epic as two entirely different communities collide. It began in The Best Defense and continues to at least volume 8 Made to Suffer. (I haven’t finished Made to Suffer yet so it may continue beyond that.)

This extended storyline will change Rick’s life forever.

Script writer Robert Kirkman has already proven that there is no such thing as a status quo in this series during this extended story arc he proves it. However, this collection comes as close to a staus quo as any. Judith joins the community and another member checks out. Some things change but mostly Rick’s community has to deal with the threat of the Woodbury community hanging over their heads.

More than the previous volumes, Kirkman explores ideas in this epic. Two communities of humans, struggling to survive against the zombies, are a study in differences.

Both communities are gearing up for war, although you only see members of the Woodbury community in the Wal-Mart fiasco. Rick’s community, however, is preparing to be attacked.

Rick is less a leader these days. He is getting used to his lost hand and focuses on Lori in her last days of pregnancy. The decision to raid the National Guard station is Dale’s plan and agreed upon by Tyreese and Rick.

Despite these measures, Rick’s community does not become militant or even try. This may be their undoing.

This is definitely a character driven book. Kirkman has spent a lot of time developing these characters so that when disaster falls — and it is about to fall again — you can’t help but to care. Who will step up and save the community from the Woodbury threat.

Do they even fully realize what’s about to rain down on them?

This book ends on a huge cliffhanger — One that leaves you in no doubt that the contest between communities will be the focus of the next collection and people will die.

One idea Kirkman returns to time and again is that the zombies aren’t the worst monsters that Rick’s community must face. The Governor and the people who have traded their humanity for his brand of safety are, in some respects, more monstrous. Of course, Kirkman reminds us that zombies aren’t to be forgotten either.

NOTES:

This is a black and white comic with greytones.

The Walking Dead Book Four reprints The Walking Dead comics #37-48 in a 304 page hardcover edition.

The Walking Dead Compendium One reprints The Walking Dead comics #1-48 in a 1088 page trade paperback extravaganza.

READALIKES:

If you find yourself turning into a fan of Robert Kirkman’s writing and wouldn’t mind reading another one of his creator-controlled comic series despite there not being any zombies involved, may I turn your attention to the Invincible series.

Mark Grayson is a teenager who happens to be the son of the most powerful superhero on the planet — and he’s just beginning to discover powers of his own. As his super hero career gets off to a flying start, Mark discovers that not everything is what he thought it was.

Start with Invincible: Family Matters (Book One), Invincible: Eight is Enough (Book Two), Invincible: Perfect Strangers (Book Three), Invincible: Head of the Class (Book Four), Invincible: The Facts of Life (Book Five), Invincible: A Different World (Book Six), Invincible: Three’s Company (Book Seven), Invincible: My Favorite Martian (Book Eight), Invincible: Out Of This World (Book Nine), Invincible: Who’s the Boss? (Book Ten), Invincible: Happy Days (Book Eleven) and Invincible: Still Standing (Book Twelve).

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Tagged as: Horror Graphic Novel Summary, Zombies