The Walking Dead (Season 1)

Shortly after reading the 15th TPB "We Find Ourselves," I finally got around to watching the first season of AMC's The Walking Dead. I had heard from friends who had already watched it that (WARNING: SPOILERS FROM THE COMIC) the first season still sees the crew just outside of Atlanta, with Shane alive and well, Rick and Lori still in reunited bliss, and strangely, coming off the heels of an added adventure to the CDC. I felt they must be milking it--how could it go an entire season without even making it out of Atlanta? But of course, my concern with the comic had been that the pacing had been too quick--this was the solution to my speed-reading ways.

It was strange to see all the characters with whom I'm so familiar back again in their softer, shinier forms, before the circumstances of their lives and deaths had changed them inside and out. I'm already starting to see some of the characteristics of what will define them later in the series, though perhaps that's me projecting a bit.

My only frustration thus far has been the character of Jenner at the CDC. I understand the need to sometimes adapt a storyline significantly for television. I understand they needed to pace the meta-story differently for mass audiences. I was totally fine with the CDC storyline on the whole. Always down for more of a story I've grown to really enjoy.

What I was not fine with was Jenner's apparent insanity. The series is not short for characters with a death wish for themselves or for others. There were plenty of "what the fuck" moments in the first six episodes to appease even the most disturbed audience members. It simply felt unnecessary to me, and I feel it will take away some of the power of some of the characters we meet later in the series, such as Davidson. If nothing else, I wish we had had some foreknowledge that shit might get nuts, some inkling that something was off about Jenner. Yes, he mentioned that he may commit suicide, but in the face of so much death, so much isolation, and so little power to change his circumstances, I think most of the audience felt his decision to kill himself was reasonable--painful, but not without logic. Scary that a show can make us sympathetic to such a decision. Deciding he could choose whether an additional 20 people live or die, however, and giving them no meaningful forewarning, felt like an impromptu script change not unlike when the LOST writers lost their way a bit in Season 2. It felt reactionary, though I'm not sure it would be in reaction to if not simply apathy for the storyline.

It seems to me The Walking Dead will be on for quite a while, as I've heard they've only just now introduced Michonne at the end of Season 2. I've found I can only watch an episode or two in a row on account of the intensity (and sure, probably the guts too, seeing as I'm usually eating when I watch TV.) All the same, I'm excited for Season 2 to show up on Netflix Instant.

The Unwritten

I've come to realize I consistently prefer Vertigo and Image comics above other publishers. It's convenient; it adds a filter to the impossibly large library of content that I've begun to explore in the world of comics. It's kind of like Anthropologie--I already know I'm going to like most everything in there, so it takes the whole slog-through-all-the-shit-on-the-racks stuff and throws it out. Sure, it also means I spend way too much money there (which is a bit redundant considering it's Anthropologie) but it makes for a much more pleasant experience.

/end clothing metaphor

My friend E.B. has been somewhat of a comics mentor to both Alex and I, and given my love of the Harry Potter series, he suggested I try The Unwritten. It's funny, because what I love about The Unwritten so far has very little to do with the moments of delight when something familiar pops up in Mike Carey's story of Tom Taylor, namesake and inspiration for the Tommy Taylor book series that closely resembles HP. It's actually the commitment to and exploration of the world of stories. It's easily one of the most sophisticated comics I've ever read, and more closely resembles a thesis on story and religion than it does an entertainment property itself. Which of course is not to say that it doesn't entertain--it draws from so many schools of storytelling that the creation story of each comic would likely be as engrossing as the narrative of the issue itself. I've always been a sucker for the play within a play, and with as many layers of storytelling going on in The Unwritten as there are, I'm certain I'll continue to love it.

It also explores the intersection of fiction and real life, which is an interesting area in an age of scripted reality television and a kind of rebirth of supernatural fiction. But both of these comparisons would likely whisk me away into some boring diatribe that I'll save us all from by moving along.

Peter Gross' art is a step away from the style I'm usually drawn to (and yes, that pun was unintentional), but I'm finding it vibrant and exciting in ways that actually pull me away from the text to explore the panel first. So often, you see amazing cover art that feels a world away from the art inside the comic, which I've always found disappointing. So far, the art feels consistent but always evolves to match the style of storytelling taking place in that particular issue.

I'm nine issues in with much to go, but I've got to track down some of the older issues before I can move on. In the meantime, I've realized I ought to give Fable a try, given my penchant for stories about stories. The list is ever growing...