Broken Frontier

Is this the calm before the storm? It certainly seems that way as everyone in the prison waits patiently for the return of Rick, Glenn and Michione.

I think it’s safe to say that things have certainly calmed down some after the horrific turn of events for Rick, Glenn and Michione began two issues ago. Well, I am sure this is only going to be a brief reprieve but in the meantime we get an issue that solely devotes itself to examining a lot of the supporting cast in this series.

It turns out to be a nice change of pace and in doing so it allows the readers (including me) to take a much needed breather from the menace and dread of a sticky situation. Instead of watching Michione being raped repeatedly and Rick and Glenn being beaten senselessly about for information, we are treated to watching the others go about doing daily chores. Now this may seem rather dull to describe a synopsis for this issue, but believe me it’s not. In fact Lori sits and nearly worries herself sick wondering if her husband Rick will ever return. Dale and Andrea wonder aloud about their chances for survival if a larger group of individuals attack the prison looking to overtake it, and Maggie and her father work desperately to get the generators started at the prison.

So as you can see there are plenty of side plots that fit nicely into a cohesive story outlining the human condition of everyone involved. Of course, this is after all a Robert Kirkman story and I get the feeling the writer is just toying with everyone’s emotions. He knows full well that all hell is about to break loose yet again, so much of the issue is just the calm before the storm. Again though, Kirkman is so good at writing believable dialogue and setting up convincing scenarios, and after reading this issue I felt that everything happening here rings totally true for me.

More importantly for me is how the strengths of artist Charles Adlard lend such great credence to this type of emotionally charged horror series. Most of the stories tend to revolve around human emotions and almost all of it is basically cause and effect, so Charles tackles the bulk of the art with that thought in mind. His work gets harsh for the brutal scenes and he pulls back quite significantly when a tender moment is needed. As is the case here, I thought his work blended well for scenes involving conversations between Lori and Carol and with interactions between Dale and Andrea.

There really isn’t a lot of action nor are there very many gross-out moments in this issue. Some readers may think this story to be rather dull, but after the stomach churning moments taking place in issues 28 and 29 I think this type of story was needed to calm everyone down. It’s not often that you find stories infused with so much emotion and I think that’s a credit to Kirkman for his strong sense of story and characters. He really believes in this series and I can tell you he sold me on it a long time ago. I’m definitely along for the ride until the bitter end.