The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #26, Call to Arms.

I was starting to get a bit bored with the Walking Dead graphic novels - shocker, I know. But this volume. Wow. Just wow. It really brought my love for the comics flooding back. The story was brilliant and not boring at all. 

I'm going to say *spoilers* here... so, you've been warned.

Rick is getting weak and I hate that... he's just pathetic and useless. He has been beaten up too many times and he is just (physically) far beyond his years. It sucks. He is no longer the hero we all loved and it is upsetting. 

Carl is growing up and becoming leader material.

Eugene has found someone on the radio he fixed... I'm looking forward to this story line - I hope it's a new bunch of people.

Michonne seems to be coming out of her depression.

Andrea is cool as always... as is Maggie.

And then there's Negan...

Well his character has (sort of) turned the tables and he seems... cool? I can't believe I'm saying that. Although, what he did to Alpha, is this going to bring the war with the whisperers even closer??

[Graphic Novel] iZombie, Repossession, Volume 4

Volume four is the last of the series and well, I was slightly disappointed.

I read that due to the series being cancelled the writers were rushed to complete the fourth volume. Ultimately, rushing the ending and making me feel like it wasn't on par with the previous three volumes.

Yes, I am saying that I did not like the ending of iZombie. Gutted.

I thought the whole concept was absolutely brilliant. I loved the characters, I thought they were perfect, funny and very well thought out. The idea of the zombie telling the story, again, it's an original idea with huge potential. I just do not understand how it got cancelled, I really enjoyed everything. The art work is beautiful, too. 

Such a solid basis for a top notch comic. Thus, I feel the cancellation and sudden rush for a conclusion hindered the overall ending, which I feel could have been so much different. It felt like a bit of a cop out. It was odd, and although it slightly made sense, it also did not. 

I would recommend this series though, brilliant read with excellent characters, plot, and art work.

[Graphic Novel] iZombie, Six Feet Under and Rising, Volume 3

New characters are introduced - The Dead Presidents. They seem kind of badass and cool, but I'm not 100% sure. The story is opening up and becoming more complicated and slightly tough to follow, although when you do follow, it's pretty good.
Gwen starts to remember how she became a zombie and this is pretty interesting.
I believe I have said this before, but I do love the art work.

[Graphic Novel] The Extinction Parade Volume 2: War by Max Brooks

I must be honest, I really like the idea of this series. Vampires think the zombie apocalypse is great as they aren't targeted, and they live a consequence free life as civilization falls. But they then realise their food source is on the verge of becoming extinct.
However, I really do feel like I can't connect with the two main women in this graphic novel. I find the story something that I don't remember much after I have read it.

Vampires do what they do best, and kill with their brute force and extreme strength. Turns out zombie blood isn't good when it comes in contact with vampire blood and the vampires feel that they are fighting a lost cause. They start to realise that this is not enough and that they need to use weapons. A sacred vampire army appear in order to save the day as the vampires fail at trying to eliminate the zombies with their bare hands by punching and kicking their brains. They find weaponry hard to figure out, as it is not something they are accustom to. Saying this, I wouldn't know how to use a gun either to be honest. Let's hope with some good tuition the fight can carry on.

New skills must be learnt and trust must be created in order to save the human race.

The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #25, No Turning Back.

For a while now the zombies have taken a seat on the back burner. For the past few volumes they have not really been considered a threat, and I guess it just reflects that people are living their every day life like this now. People have gotten used to the apocalypse and this is how they are going to live. Zombies are not new or shocking anymore. Thus, the story has taken a different route now. After the Governor and Negan, the Whisperers are upon the group and they are the main threat now. Humans are a bigger threat than the walking dead.

Rick seems to be getting on a bit now. He seems weak, and vulnerable and his leadership is often questioned. He has aged relentlessly and I am wondering how many more wars he can fight. In this volume, he turns to Negan for advice on leadership. How things change eh?

The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #24, Life And Death.

Just when I thought the past few books were getting slow, repetitive and boring, I'm pulled straight back in with this banger of an issue.

The Whisperers are showing their true colours, Negan is making me question everything about him and I'm wondering how much more can Rick actually take.
Carl, of course, is being an annoying little brat who needs to sort his life out.

Both 'towns' try and revert back to some sort of normalcy from the pre-apocalyptic lives - much to the distaste of The Whisperers.

[Graphic Novel] The Extinction Parade by Max Brooks

In the past we've already dealt with the idea of zombies vs. vampires. However, Extinction Parade offers a whole new concept when it comes to involving vampires and zombies within the same book.

Zombies don't 'see' vampires as technically they aren't human. Brilliant! This means the vampires can walk straight through a crowd of zombies completely unscathed. But... What's a vampires main food source? Yes.. Humans... And what is currently on the verge of extinction... Yep, humans!

Now the vampires have to figure out a way to keep their food source alive and away from this parasitic creature that feeds upon the same flesh of the living that the vampires want. 

How are they vampires going to deal with this one?!

Guess you gotta read it! 

[Graphic Novel] iZombie: uVampire, Volume 2

A great follow on from volume one. Gwen eats the brain of someone she used to know in her previous life, which ultimately complicate things for her when it comes to helping them out with their unfinished business. Ghost girl Ellie learns new tricks with how to use her situation to the fullest of its potential and the were-terrier's grandad well.. Also manages to take on a new form.

Brilliant second volume. Definitely get into this series. The art work is great, the characters are riveting and the idea is completely original. I love this comic series.

Zombie Survival Manual by Sean T. Page and Ian Moores

What's a zombie collector without a survival manual?

If you're looking to buy a survival guide/manual get this one. 

It's absolutely brilliant. It is laid out perfectly, colourful, vivid, the illustrations are amazing and detailed. It's easy to read and easy to follow. There aren't just paragraphs after paragraphs, there are charts, diagrams, drawings. Honestly, it's fantastic. 

Thought has really gone into this book too, it lists everything you need to know about a zombie apocalypse. It starts off with 'what is a zombie' and lists the types, phases, etc. 

The book also covers everything from driving in the zombie world, walking in it, long distance travel, home preparation tips, historical accounts, how to cope if you have children or disabilities, survival locations, zombie combat and weapons or combat without a weapon, how to survive in groups... And the list goes on and on.

My favourite zombie survival manual, every enthusiast needs this one.

[Graphic Novel] iZombie: Dead To The World, Volume 1

Straight away I fell in love with this graphic novel. It's easy to read and I love the art-work. For some reason, to me, this art-work feels very 90's in style which brings an element of nostalgia to the comic.

Not only does this comic have a zombie it also has ghosts, were-terriers, vampires and other sorts of mysterious 'monsters'. Some of the concepts remind me of other things, for instance, the fact that there is a group of 'monster hunters' who have been around for thousands of years trying to control and kill off the 'monsters'. This is very similar to the storyline in the film 'Jumper' but hey, it's a good film and iZombie has a great storyline.

In general, iZombie has a very original storyline, the main lady, Gwen, has to eat a brain once a month in order to suppress her urges and hunger. However, with eating these brains comes the thoughts and memories of the previous owner, very interesting.

What I loved the most was the concept of the 'undersoul' and the 'oversoul' which I haven't seen before and this creates the basis of all of the 'monsters' listed above. You'll know all about it if you decide to read it!

At the end there is a lovely image gallery from the artist Michael Allred which is a lovely touch.

This is seriously a brilliant read, straight away I was hooked. Go buy it! I've already ordered the next.

[Graphic Novel] Night Of The Living Dead: Aftermath, Volume 2

Follow on from NOTLD Volume 1, it's great to see where the characters are going, however, it was left on a cliffhanger so I definitely hope Volume 3 is in the works because I'm starting to get attached to the characters!

The storyline makes you question what people would do in a situation like this. Would they come together? Or go against one another? Especially higher status persons such as the military and the government.

Is it right to experiment on people for the "greater good" to find a "cure" despite the idea being completely morally wrong?

I feel the story really evolved in the second volume, making me itch for the third.

[Graphic Novel] Night Of The Living Dead: Aftermath, Volume 1

Within this graphic novel I love the fact that there is a strong, female character as one of the main characters. Usually we have a damsel in distress with her boobs out, but in this case if it came to zombie killing this is the character I'd love to be.

We follow a couple of characters through their story of how the apocalypse broke out - again - in 1977 a few years after the first sightings of zombies, which slowly dwindled away.

It's based in Las Vegas which is a brilliant place for this to be set in. Who doesn't appreciate a zombie Elvis?

Again, the art work is phenomenal, if you read this graphic novel really take in the detail of all the work, especially at the end in the 'Gallery' section.

[Graphic Novel] Empire Of The Dead - Act One

Zombies vs. Humans vs. Vampires.

This graphic novel has Romero written all over it. It has his signature marks that can be seen within his films, for instance, zombies that have remembered behaviour - such as Bub in 'Day of the Dead'. 

I'm not a huge vampire fan but this has a different meaning to me than just vampires. Romero gets very political with his vampires, which shows his interest in social themes and political issues. Something that I agree with profoundly - oppression by the higher social classes upon the lower classes, just because they have the wealth and basically, because they can. This issue is huge throughout the world. 

There is also reference to Barbara from 'Night of the Living Dead' which I was not expecting and I did appreciate this little tie in. 

Overall, a good read and I'm looking forward to Act Two.

The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #23, Whispers Into Screams

I must admit, with the past couple of volumes I've felt a bit lost and felt like things were a bit 'same-y' but, with Volume 23 I feel like things are coming together a bit more now and I understand a lot more of what is going on.

Focus is drifting away from Rick, some favourites are not to be seen, and some nuisances are always there. If you don't think about some of the originals the storyline is getting really good, but, I can't help cling on to the past and wonder what on Earth are they doing?

I do think though, another Survivors' Guide is due.

[Graphic Novel] Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks

Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks (author of World War Z) is a brilliant book/graphic novel and I am so glad that I picked it up. It was a random find in Waterstones and on a whim I thought 'why not?' and bought it.

This book takes real life historical events and makes zombies the reason and purpose for their happening. For instance, Brooks claims that the Egyptians removed the brain from the deceased in order to prevent re-animation. There are also examples including the Romans, who, as Brooks suggests, built Hadrian's wall (cutting off England and Scotland) in order to stop zombies coming onto their land.

Considering I study History at Univeristy, I think this is a brilliant idea for a graphic novel. History and zombies? What a book for me! I really enjoyed reading it. This is one of my favourite zombie graphic novels and I would very much so recommend it to any zombie fan.

[Book] Where's The Zombie? By Paul Moran

I got this book as a gift and it is quite a nifty idea. It's basically 'Where's Wally?' but with zombies. The reader has to find the zombie family in each page of of the apocalypse. It's random and fun and great gift for any zombie enthusiast.

[Book] Can You Survive The Zombie Apocalypse? By Max Brallier

I really love the idea of this book. When I was reading it I was given a scenario. After I had read this scenario I was then given options and whatever one I chose it would tell me what happened next and I had to continue making choices. You have to be careful though, because any choice you make could lead to your death!

Really fun book, different from a regular story - even though there is a story line, it's just more interactive.

Lovely present and I'm so glad I was given it.

Toe Tags Graphic Novel

This comic is very original regarding the main character Damien. The dead have a sort of cure where they are dead but they still remember and are able to talk and have a conscience. It's cool to see what they are thinking. The story line is good, sometimes a bit confusing but then it's easy to follow once you get used to the writing style. Finally, the art work is amazing. There are different mediums within the book and it makes a great contrast to other comics.

The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #22, A New Beginning

I've been long awaiting this considering it came out around a month of so before Christmas, so I'm probably a little late on this review. However, the story is definitely changing and things are going in all new directions.

I don't want to give away spoilers and Volume #22 is great, but I can't help feeling like I'm drifting away from the storyline and I'm starting to forget since around volume #18. I'm not confused, I know what happening and there are a wealth of new characters. I guess I'm wondering where this is going to go, I think I'm sad that the main group have split up and it's strange for me to follow their new lives separately. A certain someone, one of my favourite characters isn't in Volume #22, although they are mentioned, so their circumstances in the post- apocalyptic world are presumed, once you refer back to what they were doing in he previous novels.

There's one set out dialog that will get you thinking. I suppose it reminds me of George Romero's 'Land Of The Dead' however... You find out more towards the end. This is the first scene in which you think 'what?!':

Now I just eagerly await Volume #23.

[Books] Finally Finished Reading TWD's The Governor Books

Tonight I finally finished reading the amazing books written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. These books are absolutely brilliant. I loved them and I wished there were more to read.

Following the comic book story line from The Governor's and Lilly Caul's point of view, it makes things a lot easier in understanding the feelings of the people of Woodbury when it came to the people living in the prison. From this side you can see where they came from and what they were being told, no wonder they went along with The Governor.

In Rise of the Governor, we get to see where it all started for Phillip Blake. How he adjusted to the apocalypse and what he did to survive and how he came to be the leader of Woodbury.

In The Road to Woodbury we meet Lilly Caul and we get chapters from her point of view, we see how she becomes a strong character and I really like her character. She is in the comics too and we follow her until the fourth book.

In The Fall of the Governor, Part One, we come across the characters we know and love, Glenn, Rick and Michonne, we see their ordeal through The Governor's eyes.

And finally, in The Fall of the Governor, Part Two, we see the final face off between two certain characters, and that's all I'm going to say.

I previously wrote a post about these books before I finished reading them, check it out: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/twd-special-governor-books.html

These books are outstanding and I enjoyed them so much!! They are full of emotion as you put yourself in the shoes of the character. I one hundred percent recommend these to anybody.

I now have him to sit with his books.