The Walking Dead, Vol. 23: Whispers Into Screams by Robert Kirkman

Whispers Into Screams by Robert Kirkman

2015, Image Comics

Series: Book 23 of The Walking Dead

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Synopsis: The new era of peace and prosperity is interrupted by a new type of enemy. One that travels amongst the walkers. One that will turn whispers of their appearance to screams.

The Good: Crazy people. It's always crazy people. Whether it be the Governor or cannibals or Negan, at the root of it all is just people who mentally can't handle the world as it now is and act out in ludicrous ways. This new threat is no different, other then there is a whole hell of a lot of them. This new brand of crazy is unlike anything we've seen before and that makes this volume completely worth the read.

The Bad: We seem to be going from Carl being a reckless child to being a irresponsible teenager. He's gone from attempting to protect his friends and family is dangerous ways to doing whatever his hormones dictate. I suppose it was to be expected, but one would hope that growing up in this post-apocalyptic environment, a boy in his position would have developed better priorities. Never underestimate Carl's ability to find the most inappropriate way to deal with something.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 22: A New Beginning by Robert Kirkman

 A New Beginning by Robert Kirkman

2014, Image Comics

Series: Book 22 of The Walking Dead

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Synopsis: In the aftermath of ALL OUT WAR, Rick Grimes and his allies begin to rebuild their communities. But in the world of the dead, tranquility is only temporary. How long will it be before a new, unexpected foe emerges?

The Good: The volume starts out a couple years in the future. Seems we skipped over everybody settling into more stable, mundane lives. I feel this is a good choice. It's a lot more believable that there would be a prolonged period of peace than having new villains appear one right after another as they have in the past.

The Bad: A very slow volume, as they all are right after the epic battle volumes. It's an established cycle in The Walking Dead comic world and we continue on it yet again. Rick makes a truly stupid decision, guaranteed to put the group in danger, in an effort to pretend they are civilized people despite years of bloodshed. The new big bad is introduced and it feels like Kirkman is really reaching here.

San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats by Mira Grant

San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats by Mira Grant

2012, Orbit

Series: Novella from Newsflesh

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Synopsis: It was the summer of 2014, and the true horrors of the Rising were only just beginning to reveal themselves. Fans from all over the world gathered in San Diego, California for the annual comic book and media convention, planning to forget about the troubling rumors of new diseases and walking dead by immersing themselves in a familiar environment. Over the course of five grueling days and nights, it became clear that the news was very close to home…and that most of the people who picked up their badges would never make it out alive.

The Good: This novella was rich with geeky splendor. Set at the 2014 Sand Diego Comic-Con. A bulk of the main characters are Firefly fans selling merchandise at the con. Another main character is the star of a hit sci-fi show, fictional but seeming to more than mildly resemble Katee Sackkoff (the actress who played Kara Thrace on BSG), but that could just me my own interpretation. Taking us back to the first major outbreak of the zombie apocalypse that is in full swing during the Newsflesh trilogy, trapping us in the convention center as first of the zombies come and begin to multiply (as they are wont to do). This was an amazing, fun story that added little to the Newsflesh world, but was still a super fun experience.

The Bad: It's a novella, when it really should have been a full novel. It has more than enough plot and action to fill a full novel. I'm not a fan of novellas to begin with, but this one clearly had all the makings of something more.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 21: All Out War Part 2 by Robert Kirkman

All Out War Part 2 by Robert Kirkman

2014, Image Comics

Series: Book 21 of The Walking Dead

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Synopsis: Alexandria has been destroyed. Can Rick rally the other communities against Negan's army?

The Good: The war ends in a surprising twist not everyone will love. I'm not sure I love it, really, except that it's surprising and 21 volumes in, surprising is always good. Negan facilitates a few surprises of his own, chiefly bringing some good, old fashioned biological warfare into the mix. More than anything, the best thing about this volume and the war being over is that we are left with more than one community to build from. The future of The Walking Dead has something it has never had before, a real society - beyond a small community of a few of Rick's people. Varied towns where things don't work exactly the same. Society will have the ability to finally, really begin rebuilding into something normal.

The Bad: Not a thing.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 20: All Out War Part 1 by Robert Kirkman

All Out War Part 1 by Robert Kirkman

2014, Image Comics

Series: Book 20 of The Walking Dead

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Synopsis: The biggest storyline in Walking Dead history starts here! It's Rick versus Negan with a little help from everyone else!

The Good: A whole lot of action going on here, as there should be during a war. Rick has a surprisingly decent plan, especially surprising when we know from the last volume that this isn't a war they were actually prepared for before Rick went rage crazy. Negan is pushing himself to all new levels of skin-crawlingly disgusting yet still pretty hilarious. I have no idea how AMC is going to be able to portray him on the show at all, he's not even close to appropriate for TV, even cable TV.

The Bad: War means people will die. That should be heartbreaking. Except it really isn't when you can't remember who any of these people are. Minor characters die here, but it's more distracting than emotional when you have to stop and think who they are. It's not that their unrecognizable, but people start meaning a whole lot less when there are so many characters now. It really makes a reader miss the good old days when there was a core group and that was who you cared about and focused on.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 19: March to War by Robert Kirkman

 March to War by Robert Kirkman

2013, Image Comics

Series: Book 19 of The Walking Dead

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Synopsis: Rick. Ezekiel. Gregory. Negan. Each man holds the fate of their community in their hands... and WAR is on the horizon!

The Good: I would really enjoy a graphic novel that was all Negan, all the time. A large amount of readers seem to have a problem with his near constant use of profanity. I find it to be realistic. We all know someone who uses the f word a minimum of three times per sentence. It's part of his personality. To write him as a cuss free psychopath would take away from the his character development. With Ezekiel, we see another form of surviving society - a kingdom with a ruling king. I liked seeing this because it makes sense that the societies that came after the zombies would vary greatly. Not everything would be a Ricktatorship, so why not a monarchy of sorts.

The Bad: Rick isn't cut out to be a leader. We've seen it time and again. He's never been able to handle his own son, never mind keep the peace within the group. Now he's gone all rage-filled crazy (not for the first time, either) and starts a war (again) that his forces have little chance of winning (much like last time). He just plain lacks diplomacy and shouldn't have the authority to put people in the situations he routinely does.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 18: What Comes After by Robert Kirkman

What Comes After by Robert Kirkman

2013, Image Comics

Series: Book 18 of The Walking Dead

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Synopsis: Following the events of "Something to Fear," Rick and the other survivors start their new life under Negan and the Savior's rule...but not everyone agrees to go along. Also, who is Ezekiel? And why does he have a tiger?

The Good: Negan's absolutely more vicious than the Governor, and infinitely more entertaining. He's psycho quality crazy and it's surprisingly hysterical. He's positioned himself as lord and master of his own uniquely off-kilter society, one that I couldn't get enough details about. This story arc is quite possibly Kirkman's finest.

The Bad: The most unbelievable thing in this entire series isn't the zombies or even the pet tiger introduced in this volume, it's that Carl has managed to survive past the first few days of the zombie apocalypse. He just refuses to listen to any sort of authority, refuses to stay in a relatively safe environment and refuses to use any type of common sense. Carl is no longer a child. He should absolutely know better. He should be dead fifteen times over by now. He's annoying and almost always puts others in danger when they are forced to rescue him from whatever stupid position he's put himself into. Good, smart, useful people keep dying. Why can't Carl die? We know Kirkman has no qualms about killing off kids, so why are constantly subjected to Carl's idiocy?

The Walking Dead, Vol 17: Something to Fear by Robert Kirkman

 Something to Fear by Robert Kirkman

2012, Image Comics

Series: Book 17 of The Walking Dead

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Rating

Synopsis: In this volume of the NYT bestselling survival horror, Rick and his band of survivors work to build a larger network of thriving communities, and soon discover that Negan's "Saviors" prove to be a larger threat than they could have fathomed. Crossing Negan will lead to serious, dire consequences for the group; it seems that for the first time since the Governor's reign of terror that Rick may have Something to Fear.

The Good: The previous volume was slow and full of setup that we could only hope would pay off. Something to Fear is everything a reader could have dreamed of and more. Absolutely mind blowing. Huge, unexpected twists that change EVERYTHING. The introduction of Negan will make the groups interactions with the Governor seem like a minor altercation. This is exactly what the series needed. Action, emotion, and a bad guy that will chill you to the bone. Absolutely renews my love of the series.

The Bad: Not a thing.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 16: A Larger World by Robert Kirkman

A Larger World by Robert Kirkman

2012, Image Comics

Series: Book 16 of The Walking Dead

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Rating

Synopsis: Rick discovers that there are communities of survivors nearby, and begins to explore a larger world.

The Good: Jesus is interesting. Yeah, that's all I have in the good column.

The Bad: While obviously the lead up into something far more interesting, A Larger World is slow and low on action. It's not story driven enough to make up for the lack of excitement. It's set up and nothing more. And it seems to be the setup for the same situation we've seen play out with Rick and the group often. Start believing they can settle down safely, then comes evil guy to muck it all up, big showdown that leads to deaths, safety compromised and have to start over.

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

 The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

2009, William Morrow

Series: Book 1 of The Strain

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Synopsis: A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing.

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city - a city that includes his wife and son - before it is too late.

The Good: I love the TV series and, as it turns out, it rarely deviates from the book. Minor details are changed, but overall, it's the same exact story. If you love the show, you'll love the book. If you haven't seen the show, you need to read this first - I wish I had. This horrific vampire reimagining is everything new and different the subgenre needs to evolve. Looking at vampires as disease vectors, along with changing up a good portion of the vampire biology and lore makes this book especially interesting. For some unknown reason, I had imagined this book was going to be dry and postponed reading it for year while it sat on my shelf. It was nothing of the sort. It was fast paced (extremely in my case having seen the show) and very engaging. Even knowing what would happen, I had trouble putting it down.

The Bad: Not a thing.

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

2009, Disney-Hyperion

Series: Book 1 of The Enemy

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Rating

Synopsis: They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

The Good: This is a really interesting take on zombies. Kids are immune, only the adults turn into monsters. All the adults, every single person over 16 years old. The situation itself is terrifying. The kids stick together, search for safety. There were more than a few deaths and some were pretty painful to experience. I found both the plot and the writing itself highly engaging and well done. The action is nonstop and level of violence is brutal. I especially loved the series being set in England and the situation at Buckingham Palace was insanely interesting.

The Bad: The book has some romance that feels totally out of place. Of course, teens and stressful situations will always breed romantic entanglements, but here it was forced and inconvenient. Almost as though it was wedged in there as an afterthought.

Countdown by Mira Grant

Countdown by Mira Grant

2011, Orbit

Series: Prequel Novella from Newsflesh

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Rating

Synopsis: The year is 2014, the year everything changed. We cured cancer. We cured the common cold. We died.

This is the story of how we rose.

When will you rise?

The Good: This is a must read for any Newsflesh fan, especially if your a fan of background and origin stories. We learn, in detail, how the zombies came about. The steps that led up to the outbreak. I especially loved that we got to see how the Mason parents were, before the outbreak and their total focus on stardom. The novella was told in the same format, including official documents and other outside information mixed in with the story.

The Bad: This could have been much longer, with all the information it contained. It felt rushed. The author has a knack for fleshing out a story in a way that is so vivid, yet doesn't get lost in minutia and I fell this was a missed opportunity in that respect.

Once Bitten and Jacob's Ladder

October Horror Movie Challenge Day 32

Once Bitten (1985)

Why I Watched:

Halloween Theme Night

What I Learned:

• This movie is so 80s it bleeds neon.
• In the 80s, before the term cougar was coined.
• Epic dance off. For a man.

Rating:

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

What I Learned:

• Too much foreshadowing.
• Seriously, we get it.
• Great movie, but loses something in the reveal. Because we freaking know already.

Rating:

Idle Hands and The Town That Dreaded Sundown

October Horror Movie Challenge Day 31

Idle Hands (1999)

Why I Watched:

Demonic Possession / Satanic / Witchcraft / Hell Theme Night

Rewatch

What I Learned:

• More movies need Jack Noseworthy. 
• I love Seth Green acting. I always get so excited when he's in something and more than half the time it's just voiceover.

Rating:

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

What I Learned:

• I didn't know Edward Herrmann was in this. Must have been one of his last films.
• I liked this a lot better than the original.

Rating:

Paranormal Activity 4, Tremors 5: Bloodlines and A Fantastic Fear of Everything

October Horror Movie Challenge Day 30

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Why I Watched:

Bats/Cats/Rats Theme Night

What I Learned:

• There's always a lot of empty room scenes and people sleeping scenes in these movies.

Rating:

Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)

What I Learned:

• Oh Burt Gummer, I missed you.

Rating:

A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012)

What I Learned:

• Simon Pegg in a towel dancing and rapping is everything I ever wanted to see in life.

Rating:

Jessabelle, 100 Feet and Undead

October Horror Movie Challenge Day 29

Jessabelle (2014)

Why I Watched:

Supernatural Theme Night

What I Learned:

• Her accent seems to come and go.
• Sort of twisty, but thankfully they spell it all out of you in case you don't understand.

Rating:

100 Feet (2008)

What I Learned:

• Early Gossip Girl Ed Westwick
• The dead husband's partner is ridiculous. He hates her, then he wants to help her, then he hates her, just stop.
• This all could have ended so much sooner, stupid woman.

Rating:

Undead (2003)

What I Learned:

• One type of movie, and then a completely different type of movie.
• May be trying too hard to be different. Like a genre mashup.
• Light, but not really funny. Lacking the humor needed for a legit horror comedy.

Rating:

Spring, The Dark Hours, The Awakening and Case 39

October Horror Movie Challenge Day 28

Spring (2014)

Why I Watched:

Were-Creature Theme Night

What I Learned:

• "White people love Italy"
• Interesting but slow and not at all horrific.

Rating:

The Dark Hours (2005)

What I Learned:

• Girl gets her hair chopped off with an ax by a psychopath and it still looks better than every haircut I've ever had.

Rating:

The Awakening (2011)

What I Learned:

• Consider yourself lucky if just see something scary when looking through a hole in the wall. I always expect eye gouging

Rating:

Case 39 (2009)

What I Learned:

• I knew Renee Zellweger was in this, but Bradley Cooper is a total surprise. 
• Hornets. Nope. Nope. Nope.
• How do you not know your cell phone is missing for days? Even in 2009, that's crazy.

Rating: