Embracing its gritty and realistic feel even more in “Safety Behind Bars,†the third volume of “The Walking Dead†graphic novel collection, continues the fantastic story and raises the bar even further by giving you as much drama, sex, blood and confusion as you can possibly handle.
Throughout the tale, you begin to see the ravages of the zombie infestation begin to take their toll on Rick Grimes and the people around him. After a while, everything you thought you knew about the characters begins to fade away and out of those ashes, new characters are forged, ones now toughened up and dead inside like a scab that won’t go away.
Women once scared to speak up are now snipers and convicts are now given a second chance with barely a second thought. Make no mistake about it; the world has changed. Robert Kirkman’s writing here is once again stellar as he captures the essence of the human spirit- ever-changing, ever-adapting, ready to survive in the harshest of conditions. Through the allegiances that are made and the relationships that begin during this time, you see what Kirkman’s reasons for telling this story were. Even in the worst of times, people still need love and friends. They need to be appreciated and have a reason to live. Having necessities such as food, shelter and safety are important, but through this tale, it’s easy to see that Kirkman feels the small things aren’t as small as you would first thing.
Add in zombies to this emotional drama and have a smorgasbord of elements to play with and a story that has the type of depth most comic book series’ can only dream of.
Artistically, the work of Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn channels the emotional tones of KIrkman. The smiles on the faces of the characters have more feeling than you would think, as they seem to have wrinkles of desperation and lines of stress in all the right places. Simply put, the art here almost tells the story all by itself. When things get gruesome, Adlard and Rathburn pick up the pace and provide the type of visuals that will send chills down your spine. One scene in particular has one character fighting his way out of a room practically covered in zombies, which is scary enough, but what that room looks like at the end of the battle is nothing short of comic book genius.
While there are other trades out there that have the same type of cohesion between the writing and art, there are few that continue to grow the same way this one this one does. Brilliant, bloody and brooding, “Safety Behind Bars†is proof that this series is continuing to demand more of itself.
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