The Walking Dead Volume 12: Life Among Them
The most recent installment of the graphic novel series, The Walking Dead: Life Among Them, might be one of the most layered and plot-heavy episodes in the story so far. I say might because you can never tell where Robert Kirkman may go next.
After the gut-wrenching and sad moments of episode eleven, Fear the Hunters, the story takes one of its menacing breaths. I say this based on past experience. Readers of this series know what I am saying. Kirkman is superb at the ‘calm before the storm’ tactic. I cringe at what may occur in episode thirteen.
We begin with Rick and his son Carl having a post-apocalyptic version of a father-and-son talk. Carl has once more been ‘forced’ to kill a living person and is having very human and childlike remorse. The exchange between the pair is a tiny example of foreshadowing for students of the craft of storytelling to examine. They have an interesting dialog on what differentiates Good and Evil.
Shortly after, Rick’s people meet Aaron. Aaron has a place. It is safe. Come with Aaron and you can be safe, too. Rick’s heard this somewhere before. He doesn’t buy into the claim. And really, who can blame him. They’ve met such charming folks as the Governor, and of course, we can’t forget the cannibals.
However, it turns out that Aaron is—or might possibly be—on the level. They eventually agree to accompany Aaron to his rumored community. It is real and the people seem genuine. What could possibly go wrong? There is food, homes, safety, and hot water.
Did I mention a little foreshadowing done at the start of the episode? You might do well to review that section once more. Rick’s band of survivors are inside what seems to be a well-run, well-organized compound/neighborhood. Only, they aren’t all drinking the Stepford Kool-Aid. This place is too perfect…its citizens are too nice.
In true Kirkman fashion, we are left with a cliffhanger. This episode is very heavy on humanistic behavior and character. It is light on zombies. Bravo once more to the entire team on the Walking Dead franchise—Kirkman, Adlard, Rathburn—for a wonderful example of how zombie fiction can be about “story†and have real depth. You need this episode on your shelf.
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