Kill Zombies Vol. 1

As we’re in October, the month of Halloween, frights and chills, the second season of The Walking Dead has started. So far, it hasn’t impressed us much.

Before The Walking Dead season 1, I read the first trade of The Walking Dead comic and found it kind of boring. Clearly, it was supposed to be a character driven comic as the majority of the story consisted of people sitting around talking about what their lives were like before the zombie plague. The problem was that all of the characters felt extremely stiff and one dimensional. I didn’t empathize with the characters, so they didn’t draw me in. Since there wasn’t much else going on in the story, there was nothing that compelled me to keep reading. The first volume ended very well, but that was purely because of shock value. However, the OMG moment didn’t overcome the Meh of the rest of the volume, so I haven’t read any more.

When the TV series came out, I was hoping that actors could bring some life to the characters and make it more interesting. I made three episodes in (which is actually half way through the first season, so not bad) before giving up that it too was boring. Kris has stuck it out into the second season, but from what he’s been saying it hasn’t improved that much.

I think the writers of the show realized the source material needed something to give it more substance, which is why they introduced things like the abusive husband and the Racist White Brothers and their associated subplots. In the episodes I watched, I found both situations were presented in such a ham-fisted manor that they were more of a hinderance than a help. I get that zombie movies and social commentary have walked hand in hand from their inception, but the union only works well in a well-crafted story woven with subtly and skill. If you don’t think you can pull that off, just grab a shotgun and start blowing heads off. It makes for much more entertaining cinema.