A review by stephen_arvidson
The Walking Dead: Compendium 2 by Robert Kirkman

4.0

By the time readers get around to wading through the one-thousand-plus pages of The Walking Dead: Compendium Two, they’ll see that Robert Kirkman's hard-hitting world of the zombie post-apocalypse has hit its stride, and the ground rules firmly established. The vast majority of mankind has long since been wiped out by an inexplicable pandemic, one that has left hordes of shambling corpses in its wake. Society has crumbled. Supplies are scarce. No one is truly safe—anywhere. People die with heart-breaking frequency…and once decent, law-abiding individuals must now commit heinous acts just to keep breathing.

The Walking Dead: Compendium Two, which collects Issues #49-96, is an excellent companion piece for fans of the monumental TV adaptation, though these collected comics make the show look lightweight in terms of sheer brutality. Here, we see how Kirkman has driven Rick Grimes and his ragtag group further into the darkest recesses of humanity. Rick’s tortured son Carl struggles to mature in an unforgiving world wherein innocence is stolen and daily survival remains the unwritten code. In the wake of the deadly prison onslaught, new allies are gained in the form of ex-military type Abraham Ford, Rosita Espinosa, and Eugene Porter (who claims to hold the key to curing the infection and thus restoring order to this bygone world). Survival is paramount as Rick and Co. face new threats, amongst which a small band of desperate humans who’ve decided to forego whatever canned goods still remain and hunt bigger, more convenient game: other humans. Even as the survivors find sanctuary in a lively oasis called the Alexandria Safe-Zone, the unremitting cycle of death continues.

While the artwork remains consistently impressive—though it’s still occasionally difficult to distinguish some of the characters at times—the tone dark and gritty, but the awful dialogue and paper-thin characterizations are even worse than that of the previous compendium. Kirkman uses the word “just” a lot—and I mean A LOT! The narrative takes some familiar turns though not without throwing an occasional fork in the road. Still, this compendium is not without its share of tedious plot rehashing. For instance, on two distinct occasions, the group encounters a new character with a proposition that seems too good to be true, and Rick’s response is to sucker-punch the character, subdue them, and squabble for numerous panels before eventually accepting the newcomer’s offer. There’s also a weak amnesia storyline that only serves to compel Rick and Carl to retread familiar introspective territory. Despite being a good, sprawling adventure, these abovementioned flaws prevent this hefty tome from being a mammoth achievement.