Walking Dead Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars

In a world where the dead rule, a band of the living take refuge in a prison. Seems a little too easy, but what could go wrong...don't worry about the dead ones. It's the living prisoners you need to watch out for. When Hershel opened that door and I turned the page...my jaw dropped to the floor. Totally wasn't expecting it. Volume 3 is the best so far.

Like many readers, I've been an on again/off again comicbook fan for many years... In the last couple of years (since the year 2000) I've returned to the fold, this time taking advantage of the many top-quality graphic novels out there, and Robert Kirkman's "Walking Dead" was one of the titles most frequently recommended to me since I started this reading spree. It lives up to the hype. I just finished reading books 1-4, which collect the first twenty-four issues of the comic, and man, I can't wait for book #5 to come out. The series tells the story of a guy named Rick, a small-town cop and self-described Barney Fife who wakes up from a hospital stay to find the world changed around him -- it's zombie time, but zombie time with twist. The twist is that, unlike all the movies and TV shows we've all seen, "The Walking Dead" has a much longer, open-ended story arc -- Kirkman and co. don't have to wrap things up in a tidy, two-hour package, so there is space for the story to unfold at its own pace, with character development that's more prolonged and in-depth than the usual zombie flick allows. By the end of Book 4, the crisis has lasted about a year and Rick and his band of survivors are about twelve strong, having lost about an equal number of family and friends over the course of the story. It's a taut, grim, reflective plot line that keeps your interest and compels you to read. I, for one, hope this isn't just another one of those neat B & W comix that kind of fizzle out, but rather that Kirkman really gets the chance to do what he says he wants to do, and follow Rick's saga as far as he can. Anyway, I'm hooked. As long as he keeps writing this series, I'll be first in line to buy it. [copyright joesixpack @ slipcue.com ]

Excellent story and artwork. The author really put some thought into the plotline. He did a great job of using the overall concept to examine other societal issues in a fresh way. If you are a fan of the zombie genre at all, then you are sure to enjoy this book.

Safety Beind Bars is the third collected volume of Robert Kirikman's excellent The Walking Dead comic book series from Image Comics. This volume collects issues 13 through 18 and it continues that journey and travails of surviving in a world overrun by the undead. As the tagline of the books proclaim, in a world ruled by the dead we are forced to finally start living. This is so true in Safety Behind Bars as Kirkman and returning artist Charlie Adlard tell the story of Rick Grimes and his band of survivors as they come across what they think will be their salvation from the threat of the hungry dead: an abandoned prison complex. The last we saw Rick, Tyrese, Lori and their ragtag band of survivors they had just been forced off the the presumably safety of the Herschel farm after the tragic events which transpired within its fences. But Safety Behind Bars starts off with the group discovering an abandoned prison complex that may just solve their shelter, safety and food problems. Once again, Kirkman's writing is tight and to the point. The characters of Rick and the rest of the survivors continue to evolve as the days and months pass by in the journey to survive. What they find in the abandoned prison is both safety and danger, but not in the way of most people thought it would come in. Sure there are still zombies both inside and outside of the prison's security fences, but as the enormity of the crisis finally crashes on everyone --- that there won't be a rescue --- the survivors reach the threshold of their breaking points to the detriment of everyone involved. It's especially tragic for Tyrese as a tragedy pushes him to acting on his base instincts in an act of vengeance that is both understandable and horrifying. More people are introduced to the group in the form of surviving group of inmates left behind by fleeing prison guards. This new group acts to change the group dynamics and even add more conflict to what Rick and his group thought was going to be safety from the dead. Instead, human nature --- as Kirkman sees it --- causes more problems and danger than the dead represent. The events of The Walking Dead has really changed everyone involved and we lose more people to both living and the dead. The volume ends in an even bigger cliffhanger than the previous two collected volumes. Like the best drama series on TV, The Walking Dead hooks you in with great writing, well-drawn characters and a great hook that pulls the reader in and doesn't let go. The cliffhanger at the end of the book just reinforces it and it is an understatement, to say the least, that I will be anticipating the next volume with bated breath to see what Kirkman and Adlard has in store for Rick and his people.

"The Walking Dead" is one of the best comic stories I've read, and I've been into the medium since the early 70s. This is the third collection of the ongoing series; the first two are "Days Gone Bye" and "Miles Behind Us." The plot is this: America has been overrun with cannibalistic zombies, and the few remaining human survivors struggle to hang on. The main protagonist is Rick Grimes, a cop who awakens out of a coma (a la "28 Days Later") to this new and horrifying state of affairs. After some close calls, he reunites with his wife and young son. He soon becomes the leader of a group trying to find sanctuary in a world gone mad. In "Safety Behind Bars," we pick up with Rick and company as they attempt to put down roots in a maximum-security prison. Rick is certain that it will be an easily defensible home, but he hadn't reckoned on finding four living occupants - and they aren't guards. The two factions settle into an uneasy truce, but events conspire to bring about yet another cliffhanger confrontation (that's why I hate waiting for the next installment). I enjoy this series for a number of reasons. First, it accomplishes what the creator intended: to show what happens after the typical zombie movie ends. Robert Kirkman's desire is to follow Rick for years and watch him grow and change as a person who's trapped in an extreme situation. Second, the story centers on what we really want to see in a good zombie yarn: how the humans react to and deal with a post-apocalyptic world. Finally, Rick, his family, and the others are three-dimensional characters, with strengths and weaknesses that come to light under duress and create the series' bread-and-butter conflicts. The excellent writing accomplishes these goals in an original and compelling way, and has kept me hooked on "The Walking Dead." In fact, when I saw this edition at a Stockholm sci-fi store, I bought it there instead of waiting until I got home (even though it cost more and I had to carry it around in my pack). That's how much I like it. Some reviewers have wished for the return of the original artist who did the "Days Gone Bye" story arc. I initially wanted that as well after comparing it to the penciling in "Miles Behind Us." But the current illustrator has hit his stride with "Safety Behind Bars," and I've come to appreciate his darker and rougher style (be advised that the series is in black and white, but it really fits the tale's grim nature). I have only two issues with this format. The first is waiting six months for the next one. Second, it would be cool if the letters pages from the comics were reprinted. I guess these are the downsides of buying the collection vs. the actual series. Even with the zombie genre at the point of over-saturation, "The Walking Dead" stands out as an excellent character study that transcends its subject matter. I recommend reading the first two collections before diving into this one. Bravo to Mr. Kirkman for creatin