REVIEW: Walking Dead Vol. 9: Here We Remain
After the gut-wrenching conclusion of volume eight, Made to Suffer, you might be a bit reluctant to crack open volume nine, Here We Remain. If Robert Kirkman has done anything, he’s proven that he is a fearless storyteller. He refuses to coddle the reader. The series up to now has been harsh, gritty, and real.
Here We Remain feels like a chance to catch your breath. Unlike volume seven, The Calm Before, where you are actually warned that there are bad things happening so take a moment to find your ‘Happy Placeâ€, this chapter of the story feels like a bit of a reset button having been pressed.
Some time is spent allowing Rick’s son, Carl, to take center stage. Kirkman does a remarkable job of capturing the resilience of children while balancing it with their fragility. It is painfully realistic and, once more, confirms his place as the new master of the genre.
A handful of the cast remain after the raid, led by the Governor, against the prison. With everybody scattered to the winds, this episode details the slow coagulation of the remaining members of the group once led by Rick Grimes. There are a few new dynamics introduced, including an unsettling bit centered around a telephone.
Some new faces arrive to fill the vacancies created by the climactic conclusion of Made to Suffer Sergeant Abraham Ford and two companions, one of which claims to know how to “cure†the problem of the dead returning.
This far into the story, the reader is probably just as skeptical of newcomers as the characters. It doesn’t help that Sergeant Ford is a bit scary looking. Judging by appearances, he seems like a problem. Perhaps we’ve become just a little bit gun-shy. I blame Mister Kirkman.
Here We Remain is a chance to catch your breath in this series. It maintains the tension, adds depth to some characters, and introduces others. A purpose is now introduced beyond mere survival. Can there really be a cure? all any of us can do is pick up volume ten.
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