[Martin21114]

Anyone else feel the comic is getting progressively weaker? The "No Way Out" arc didn't live up to my expectations at all, and the follow up issues have all been really boring. The most exciting thing in the last half dozen issues was Carl getting shot, but that doesn't look like it's going anywhere. What's Kirkman going to make a dozen issues and the only story progression is Carl got an eyepatch? The comics seem kind of mediocre since fear the hunters...

[demondenguin]

I feel the same way, honestly. I thought for sure that Carl was gonna die very soon after getting shot but now, it seems like Kirkman wants him to live. I just don't know anymore. And the cover art for 86 was misleading and that disappointed me a bit more. I really hope 87 picks it up and something even mildy interesting happens.

[Living Dead Grrrl]

demondenguin, on 06 July 2011 - 07:31 AM, said:

I feel the same way, honestly. I thought for sure that Carl was gonna die very soon after getting shot but now, it seems like Kirkman wants him to live. I just don't know anymore. And the cover art for 86 was misleading and that disappointed me a bit more. I really hope 87 picks it up and something even mildy interesting happens.

yes the story is becoming boring and drawn out.

[xaviersaint]

This is the lull that most stories, games, really anything creative gets after something major like a No Way Out storyline. Give it some time, let the six issue cycle happen and we'll probably be looking better here by Autumn.

[demondenguin]

That's true, I guess. Me wanting more action and unpredictability is just a reflection of how much I love the earlier issues. The last few issues have been boring but there haven't been very many boring issues so I guess I'm just being picky. I would love for it to pick up, but I'm not gonna stop reading, even if it stays boring. Unless it's boring for the next year, which I doubt is going to happen.

[xaviersaint]

I've found as a writer that once you write something that's heavy or emotionally charged, it can drain you. And you need a chance to recover some what. No Way Out was heavy, that's for sure. And I think we're seeing RK go a little hot to cold here. I doubt we've jumped a shark or anything close to it. Not every issue can be a mind-blower, not everything can be hugely eventful. Sometimes you gotta work out of the situation you were in and start setting up the next one to come.

[Martin21114]

xaviersaint, on 06 July 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:

I've found as a writer that once you write something that's heavy or emotionally charged, it can drain you. And you need a chance to recover some what. No Way Out was heavy, that's for sure. And I think we're seeing RK go a little hot to cold here. I doubt we've jumped a shark or anything close to it. Not every issue can be a mind-blower, not everything can be hugely eventful. Sometimes you gotta work out of the situation you were in and start setting up the next one to come.

my point was it doesn't feel like RK's been hot for quite some time. Even the no way out story line was a let down for me. Luke warm at best. Wondering what would happen was more interesting than what actually did. All that build up and for what? The fence got a hole in it, some zombies came in, the people killed them, Rick feels social, and carl got an eye patch. It just feels...weak. I wonder if all RKs good zombie mojo/ideas are going into the show instead of the comic.

[PoleAxe]

Martin is dead on, just saw Fonzy in speedos and a leather jacket.  I think corporate zombies have eaten Kirkman's creativity, guess its a small price to pay for a huge bank account!

[Living Dead Grrrl]

Men in speedos make me sad. Especially running in a group on the beach.  =(

[Sasquatch]

C'mon people...
Can't you see what happened? ****SPOILERS*****

Rick now thinks they have a safe place, and Carl forgot everything that happened so now what Rick will do?

Keep Carl safe inside, ignorant of everything they been trough, without any emotional scars, but maybe not fit for survival outside,

Or help him return to his old shape, sad but strong?

I can't understand why everyone is complaining and some even saying that RK is losing touch...Maybe because I have a son I can relate more to the history, but when Carl said "where is mommy?" it was mind blowing, and not "boring" or "lukewarm" at least for me...

[Kaf_Feh]

Sasquatch, on 31 July 2011 - 03:36 AM, said:

C'mon people...
Can't you see what happened? ****SPOILERS*****

Rick now thinks they have a safe place, and Carl forgot everything that happened so now what Rick will do?

Keep Carl safe inside, ignorant of everything they been trough, without any emotional scars, but maybe not fit for survival outside,

Or help him return to his old shape, sad but strong?

I can't understand why everyone is complaining and some even saying that RK is losing touch...Maybe because I have a son I can relate more to the history, but when Carl said "where is mommy?" it was mind blowing, and not "boring" or "lukewarm" at least for me...

+1

[digitard]

I think RK is setting us up for something new.

In the past, until the current storyline, it's really been this environmental rollercoaster for Rick and the posse.  They've been trying to find a home and somewhere they can be safe.  The Prison was never going to hold up.  You could tell that from the beginning.  

Now it's a different game.  Rick has had an epiphany.  The whole TWD world as we know it is going to change because the man who has driven it has had that moment in which everything changes for him.  Then you add in Carl, and the battle he will have with his own mind, and recovery.  

Could it have possibly been a bit stronger getting to this point?  I guess.  I mean in retrospect you can always look back and see things that could have changed things, but that's done with.  We have a new world for the people we've watched grow in this series.  I think, for all the characters, we're going to see a big change in them.  They have something to fight for.  They have something they want to call "Home" in a world destroyed.  

Now we get to watch them fight to keep it, and finally start a new.  

I hope that makes sense.  

Long short:  It setup something different for all our characters, and it served its transitional purpose.

[juicius]

The "No Way Out" arc (is it over yet?) is/was an epic psych-out.  But if it's the calm before the storm, and seeing how the last calm at the prison ended up in a shitstorm, it could be a set up for something major.

But this can't last.  The complex may be secure and has certain amenities the prison didn't have (mainly power and creature comforts), but it's just not a sustainable environment because the inhabitants have to rely on foraging.  At the prison, with ample land and with Hershell's knowledge, they could have grown enough food to supplement the stored provisions.  What's more, with Hershell, they could have preserved the extra for winter.  I'm assuming of course, but the farm folks generally know how to can stuff. (as an aside, my friend bought an old farmhouse in probate sale, and it was eerie to walk through a pantry full of home-canned vegetables and stuff, just rows and rows of tomatoes, okra, peaches and other stuff in mason jars.  That, and old cancelled checks written with perfect cursive handwriting...)

Anyway, with foragers, they are risking contact with other zombies and perhaps more dangerously, contact with survivors.  A couple of years have passed and we can assume a large number of human population has died out.  But I think the ones who managed to survive would be far scarier than the zombies at this point.  The survivors wouldn't have survived if they didn't have certain resources, a capacity for decisive, violent action, and a streak of self-preservation even at the expense of others.  It's a sort of natural selection: Only the meanest, toughest, and smartest would survive.  If a sufficiently large and well-armed group discovers the compound, it won't go like the last assault.

It's pretty clear that the survivors at this point have largely grown used to the zombies.  They understand the zombies' capabilities and limitations.  The horror factor is down, if not entirely gone for some of the more hardened ones.  But we've seen time and time again the truly dangerous ones are other human beings.  And there could be a big showdown brewing.

Or not.  The comic is about zombies after all.  Kirkman could be seen as going away from the root if it became human on human conflict.

If then, maybe...  Mega zoombies!  Different variety of zombies, other than just roamers and lurkers.  Who knows.

[greatbignow]

Martin21114, on 03 July 2011 - 11:01 AM, said:

Anyone else feel the comic is getting progressively weaker? The "No Way Out" arc didn't live up to my expectations at all, and the follow up issues have all been really boring. The most exciting thing in the last half dozen issues was Carl getting shot, but that doesn't look like it's going anywhere. What's Kirkman going to make a dozen issues and the only story progression is Carl got an eyepatch? The comics seem kind of mediocre since fear the hunters...

I agree as well.  I think Kirkman is losing his edge due to the show, upcoming game (which will more than likely suck because of the rush to produce it in order to maximize sales from corresponding with release dates), and corporate hee-haw.  It is pretty common in the U.S. with any successful artist, but still a tragedy nonetheless.  Also, if you will notice the letter's column is getting more and more harsh.  It seems the writers are correct though; one criticized Kirkman for making fun of his readers at times, and being arrogant.  I have to agree that at times they do come across that way.  With Frank D. gone, I also see things going south. It's a classic case of screwing up something really good.  Horrible to witness and apparently those involved are either powerless to do anything about it or do not care because of the money factor.  In fact, I even stopped posting previews and reviews of the comic because the quality is declining in my opinion.  Nothing really worth writing about. The characters are becoming cliche in some way.  While "unpredictable" can be exciting, the "No Way Out" arc bordered on unbelievability.  I wrote about it in a review.  Wonder if Kirkman will ever focus on the zombies getting weaker, and the apparent cause of the outbreak.  He never went back to it.  Anyway, I'll keep reading for a bit, and then if it gets too bad I'll just stop buying and download from BitTorrent.