The Walking Dead, Volume 11: Fear the Hunters

It’s hard to believe this is now the 11th trade collection of Robert Kirkman’s alledgedly endless zombie-movie-in-comic-form. For seven years we’ve followed ex-cop survivor Rick and his ever depleting band of friends through the wastelands as they face not only hordes of flesheaters but the often equally dangerous remnants of a society with no rules.

It’s a series that’s had it’s ups and downs. Strongest at the very beginning, it began to stagnate when the group made a home in an abandoned prison facility and settled into talking heads and soapy drama. After the shocking attack by memorable lunatic, the Governor, which destroyed the refuge and left many of the characters dead, Rick and the survivors are again on the move with a new goal of reaching Washington and a possible cure to the epidemic.

The latest collection has some strong scenes but whether it’s Kirkman’s particular style or pacing or him losing interest in the concept, it’s hard to escape a sense of a writer treading water until the next big event.  Nothing has come close to the Governor’s attack in terms of intensity and soapy filler takes up far too much space. The “hunters” of the title are a fairly weak threat in comparison and even their effect on Rick’s team, unfortunately overplayed by Kirkman, feels lazy and not particularly interesting.

While it’s still a great concept and unique in the marketplace, the series needs a kick up the arse and a return to the anything-can-happen dangerous tone that once made it unmissable. The Walking Dead remains readable in a collected format but it’s a series that has arguably lost much of it’s edge.

3/5