Dead Men Tell Great Tales!

I grow bored with zombie chat rather quickly. I like zombie stories in print and on film pretty well, but sadly the discussion of those movies seems to always become micro-seminars in make-up and after a very short while, this is deadly dull to me. I don't care about the minutiae of how to make gore appear realistic. It's the overall effect of a film's narrative I'm interested in, and not how to make a head explode convincingly.

But the second season of The Walking Dead wrapped up last evening, and I have to confess I'm a fan. I came to this series grudgingly, not wanting to get hooked on another television show, but definitely intrigued by the subject matter. I found this episodic tale of a plague of undead unleashed on the world, specifically the southern United States a fascinating examination of what people will do in a crisis which draws on the deepest resources.


After the first season I was interested, but it's the second season with its patient yet relentless storytelling (not unlike the deadly stride of an undead "Walker") which has made me rate this show at the top of my current television crop. Lots of folks seemed to find the quiet of the early shows frustrating, but it was during these stories in which the zombies didn't dominate the storyline that we began to really learn about the interior of our cast. It's their struggle against the overwhelming threat of the "walkers" which is what this show is about, not the creatures themselves. This season showed that and more.

I don't want to say much for fear of ruining it for folks who might not have seen it, but the way this show will kill off its cast, sometimes key members also has my attention. I truly believe that no one is safe in this dangerous world. I've never read the comic (nor much want to actually) so I don't have lots of expectations for this show to frustrate. I just watch the story as it unfolds and so far I have to say they've done a magnificent job.

I already hanker for the next season, but that will be months away.

Sigh.


To fill the void, I might have to dig out The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics which I picked up a few years ago mostly because it had a choice adaptation of Robert E. Howard's "Pigeons from Hell". Or I might have to get the massive collection of zombie stories titled directly enough Zombies!Zombies!Zombies! edited by Otto Penzler. I'm a fan of Penzler's mystery collections and this gigantic set of undead stories seems ripe for the buying. Since It might be a great time, before the coming zombie apocalypse makes getting orders from Amazon a tad more difficult.

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