By: Brandy Serra
You'll have to pardon my slight
tardiness on this one, kids. Until five days ago, I hadn't even
decided what to write about for January. Once I started kicking
ideas around, though, it was easy to peg down what I wanted to do
most: The Walking Dead. With everyone gearing up for the ever nearer
return of Season 3 (only a few days left!), I figured this would be
an excellent time to blow my geek load all over this beast.
Fear not, dear readers, for no spoilers
lurk within.
We are going to start way back at the beginning,
where my love of The Walking Dead bloomed. Almost seven years ago
now, Brobocop and I started our raging magical lovefest with each
other. I must admit, prior to meeting him, I had never even really
been interested in comics; but, that was due to the fact that no one
had ever taken the time to show me how fucking badass they were. He
began dumping oodles of amazing books on me (Invincible, Girls, Y:
The Last Man, etc), and I read
them with the fervor of a teenage boy first discovering porn – in
short, I was hooked. Although all of those books are still among my
favorites, The Walking Dead
retains it's place amongst the head of the pack. This is a comic
book where nothing is sacred and no one is safe, constantly pushing
the reader into uncomfortable situations and making us as paranoid as
the survivors themselves.
Kirkman is a
fucking god when it comes to writing comic books. As a giant nerd
himself, he knows what his audience wants to read, or what would be
shocking, or how to get personable, and he pulls it all off
spectacularly. He manages it so flawlessly because he surrounds
himself with amazing talent, with the likes of Moore (prior to the
legal hubbub), Adlard, Rathburn and Ottley throughout the life of the
series, he has made a solid book that is now past the 100's in single
issues. The black and white artwork helps convey the desolateness of
their situation: it's a fucking zombie apocalypse, guys, that shit is
bleak. Quit bitching about it not being in color. That being said,
the detail poured into the covers is fucking amazing, and I love just
having that one bit of color, that one point to focus on in the
issue.
note the reflection
of the survivors in the
smashed glass of the helmet the geek is
wearing
Upon this writing,
I am years behind on my comic reading, and am disheartened to report
that I'm still lingering in the low 80's with TWD. I keep reminding
myself that I need to get caught up when I am at work on my lunch
break or sipping my coffee in the morning. Yet, my sieve of a brain
fails to retain this important factoid for me, and I seldom remember
to sit down and take the time to get caught up when I actually have
some free time to kill. I have had some major things spoiled for me
(thanks a lot, interwebs) and I promise I'm not that asshole out
there to ruin shit for someone who hasn't even had a chance to find
out for themselves yet. Because, fuck that guy.
Anyway, skip ahead
a bit, and in the letters column in the back of TWD, Kirkman starts
talking about selling the rights for a TV show. Instantly and
simultaneously, Brobo and I creamed our jeans. The possibilities
made us as giddy as asian school girls, and we kicked around who we
would want to play Rick. Now, neither of us can even remember who we
had picked because neither of us can imagine anyone but this fucking
badass playing Mr. Grimes.
As the
details rolled out and names started popping up, our excitement
mounted. Frank goddamn Darabont and half the cast of The
Mist showing up in their
character stills had us eagerly anticipating Season 1. This was
seriously one amazing casting and costuming job, as each actor looked
so spot on to his/her comic counterpart, some of them looking like
the black and white art brought to life.
As the
date drew closer and closer, I felt like a kid anticipating
Christmas. Finally, the day came, and we reveled in the splendor,
and rewatched the first episode at least a dozen times before the
second one ever aired. We were addicted immediately. The mere six
episodes of the first season served to whet the appetite for the main
course that was the second season. A lot of people were bitching
about the lack of zombie action from the word go, and to them I say:
this show isn't about zombies, it is about the people surviving, and
at most times the greatest threat to their safety is not the undead,
just as was true in the comics. I can really dig on how well the
show can at times coincide with the comic storyline and at others
completely branch off and stand on its own. The show, for me, is a
fucking joy because even though I should know everything that is
going to happen, I don't. There are characters around that don't
even exist in the comic; there are others that die earlier/later in
the comic, and their presence (or lack thereof) changes the scope of
a situation entirely; there are events that come about differently.
Basically, it is a different dimension in the same universe, and I
get to experience and enjoy everything all over again, but in a whole
new way. The crew working on this show has absolutely nailed that
aspect for me thus far. Here's hoping they don't screw it up when
Mazzara leaves at the close of this season.
Then, in April of
2012, just as the more serious side effects of withdrawal were
creeping in, Telltale released the first chapter of The Walking Dead
(originally a downloadable game, but the entire game – five
chapters – is now available for purchase on disc). A lot of people
are classifying it as a “point and click” type deal, but to me
that description is entirely lackluster and inadequate. I have
played point and click games before, and all of them pale in
comparison to the immersion I felt playing TWD. The numerous awards
it racked up for Game of the Year should speak volumes of the quality
of this title. For those of you that haven't played it, here is a
brief synopsis:
You play Lee, a man
in the back of a squad car on his way to a lifetime behind bars in
Atlanta, when the outbreak happens and he is involved in a car
accident. After he frees himself and moves on to find shelter, he
discovers a young girl named Clementine, whose parents were away in
Savannah when shit went down. He teams up with her and promises to
help her find her parents. The game follows them and the people they
meet up with trekking to Savannah, and all the horrible and fucked up
shit that occurs in between.
cameo!
The gameplay is
very involving. You have to interact with your environment and items
in it to progress the story. This is where the “point and click”
descriptions come in. Honestly, I would call it more of an
explorative action adventure. You control your character and direct
him through the scenarios, while investigating everything you can
along the way – that does not equate point and click to me. There
is also an assortment of people to deal with, and the problems that
arise with their differences and combative personalities. When you
are involved in a conversation with someone, you have a span of
responses to choose from, and sometimes you have a time limit to pick
an answer. Everything you say to people (and the decisions you make)
will affect how they feel about you down the road, continuing into
each chapter. This means you can play it through again and have an
entirely separate experience. In short, this is $25 well fucking
spent.
So, whether you are
familiar or not with the span of The Walking Dead goodness available
to you, odds are you are a fan of at least one of them. If not, pick
one and give it a shot. I'm yet to be disappointed.
-Brandy Serra
