The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain by Robert Kirkman

Book Details
The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain by Robert Kirkman
Paperback, 136 Pages
Year, Image Comics
ISBN: 1607060221
Series: Book 9 of The Walking Dead

Synopsis
In the last volume we learned that no one is safe. Now, after the staggering losses they've sustained, Rick and Carl are left to pick up the pieces and carry on, knowing that they could join their fallen friends and family at any moment. This volume collects The Walking Dead issues #49-54.

Review
After the epic deathfest that was Made to Suffer, it was pretty much inevitable that Here We Remain would feel like a letdown. As the very few remaining survivors found their way back to one another, I couldn't help but feel that Here We Remain is more like an epilogue to Made to Suffer rather than the next volume in the series.

Having completed the Governor story arc in Made to Suffer, Here We Remain begins setting up a new adventure for those who've managed not to die yet. The volume is slow going, having the survivors find one another before alluding to anything resembling a plot. Towards the end of the volume the survivors take on a new mission of sorts, but their destination and plan leave a lot to be desired.

Those remaining join up with a separate group, one of which claims to be a scientist who knows the cause of the zombie outbreak. When asked to share what he knows, he claims the information is classified. I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous. Information needs to be shared in a world where the one holding the knowledge could be eaten at any moment. This is an obvious attempt to drag out the revelation for as long as possible and it is very much unappreciated.

After experiencing volume after volume that focused on the horrors of man, it was nice to read a volume where the only threat to the survivors was zombies. It was refreshing to remember that while human nature is often an evil thing, zombie fans want to read about zombies. A clearer focus on zombies in the future may be a welcome thing, but it'll all depend on how this new arc pans out.

Rating