4.5 stars out of 5.
Revelations after revelations after revelations. This is what the third volume of the this series contains.
The third volume contains Issues 13 to 18.
The series keeps getting better and better for me and it never fail to shock me even if I already know some of them by watching the TV series. I just love the transition between the way the story moves.
I like that it is not only about zombies now but rather it is also talks about human psychology, how individuals can change under different circumstances. I like how I am seeing their moods shift and how their different attitudes are revealed because of the different situations they are in. This volume also talks about morality as it discusses capital punishment in a world where there is no more law to be followed. Who or what should be followed. Motives were questioned, there’s distrust and unease from the group and shaky balance of power. This volume showed the characters ranges of emotions and more of their personalities.
In this volume we follow as the group was evicted from Herschel’s farm and them finding a prison overrun by zombies. Having high hopes that it is a sanctuary waiting to be discovered, they tried infiltrating it and eventually succeeded. In the prison, they meet four new individuals who tested the groups trusting powers. The four had never left the prison and stayed hidden, living off of the left over food and supplies. They are unarmed, and seemed to be harmless, so Rick’s group decided to befriend them despite the uneasiness of others. Despite Herschel’s attitude toward them, Rick’s group also still took them in because they believe that Herschel’s farming skills would be of great help to them when spring comes. Rick and his group start to settle in and use one of the cell blocks as a place to sleep. This volume has the details how they coexisted with convicted criminals and what happened as they tried to clean the prison of zombies.
From here we learn that whether you’ve been bitten or not, once you die, you become a flesh-eating zombie. I am also amused as how the book calls them zombies but on the TV series you can’t hear them say the word zombie, they prefer the word “walkers”.
The inclusion of the inmates in the story also added a spice of murder mystery to the series as the group tried to catch the serial killer who decapitated Herschel’s kids. They no longer have to not only fear the zombies outside the prison but also the people around them who seem to be far more dangerous adding more thrill to the story.
For the characters, Rick and Tyreese are on top of their elements. The other secondary characters are also beginning to step up. Love connections also begin to deepen particularly that of Glenn and Maggie. Lori’s character, though, is really getting into my nerves. I am not sure if that is just how the author wants her to be portrayed or they just don’t know how a pregnant woman should really act. She was not like that on the TV series that’s why it pains me how she is acting very weird in the comics. And, again, my issue of not being able to distinguish some of the characters from each other. I guess I really have to get used to it.
Volume 3 for me is the most disturbing of the ones that I have read so far. Despite the fact that they are already growing in number, still more in more in their team are killed and this time even the kids were not spared. There’s also Rick digging up Shane, who turned into zombie, just to shot him in the head. We have suicide pacts between Tyreese’s daughter Julie and her boyfriend Chris and also the one that I was not able to take was when two children were decapitated.
As always, the book ended with a cliffhanger. I am excited as to how the story will progress.
And as always, nobody’s safe. There’s always that fear the your favorite character will die. The books is really a step up from the previous two books.
4.5 stars out of 5.
BONGBONGBOOKS 