Walking Dead with the Fantastic 4

First issue covers: Fantastic Four: Foes (2005) by Jim Cheung and Before the 
Fantastic 4: The Storms (2000) by Charlie Adlard.

While reorganizing my comic book collection this summer (for the umpteenth time), I was pleasantly surprised to come across some individual earlier works by the creative team of the über-successful The Walking Dead comic book, writer Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard. The connection was made as I was chronologically filing older issues of mini-series featuring my favorite Marvel comic book characters, the Fantastic Four. While neither Kirkman nor Adlard contributed to the main team title (which was recently made "dead" by Marvel Comics), both were part of two separate creative pairings that each produced a miniseries involving the team.

Cover to The Walking Dead #50
by artist Charlie Adlard.

The timeline of The Walking Dead's ascension to cultural phenom suggests that both Fantastic Four mini-series came prior (especially in the case of Adlard's work on The Storms) to the pair's work on the popular survival/zombie series. The first issue of The Walking Dead, written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore, hit comic book stands in October 2003. By the release of issue 7 in April 2004, Moore had given way to the now familiar black-and-white artistic stylings of Charlie Adlard. The Walking Dead television series premiered in the U.S. on October 31, 2010.

While Kirkman has had success on Marvel properties such as (shocker!) Marvel Zombies (2005), the real back issue find here for me was Adlard's early work on an unusual background building mini-series featuring two key members of Marvel's First Family. Other than the recent publication of his earlier online series Astronauts in Trouble (hailed in recent Image solicits as "The series that brought... artist Charlie Adlard to the attention of Robert Kirkman"), I haven't seen any other work by him, that is, until now. Both Fantastic Four: Foes, written by Kirkman, and Adlard's pencils on Before the Fantastic 4: The Storms reveal two independent creative minds that would one day cumulatively birth The Walking Dead cultural phenomenon.

Fantastic Four: Foes was released as a six issue limited series in 2005 written by Robert Kirkman with art by Cliff Rathburn. Though I have not read any of Kirkman's other superhero books (Ultimate X-Men and his creator-owned Invincible, for example), this one plays into the strengths demonstrated in both The Walking Dead comic and television show: nuanced character development, with an emphasis on smaller interpersonal character interactions. This approach works well as this miniseries seeks to show us the Fantastic Four as family; the entire traditional supporting cast is along for the ride including Alicia Masters and the Richards children. The focus of the narrative is on how two of the family's foes (get it?) team-up to use the combined powers of  nearly their entire rogues gallery to finally defeat them. In telling the story, Kirkman tries to get at what motivates individuals, in this case super powered crazy individuals, to repeatedly attempt to do that thing which they have demonstrated little ability to succeed at: defeat Marvel's First Family.

Interior art by Cliff Rathburn
from FF: Foes (2005),
issue #5.

Cliff Rathburn's artwork is also fairly clean consisting of sharp lining and bright colors giving the book a look similar to an animation cell (perhaps this pairing was intentional as by this time Kirkman and Adlard had been working together and a clearly positive stylistic synergy had been developed). In Rathburn's hands, even the Thing's crusty rock-like hide, though minimally shaded for depth and texture, is smoothed and softened for a look very much like that of the old cartoon from the 1980s. Some awkward facial expressions aside, Rathburn's art does a good job communicating the close interpersonal relationships of the characters, even during series of panels with little to no dialogue.

After reading the limited series for the first time since its publication, it surprised me how many plot and character points have since become part of of Fantastic Four cannon. As a means of holding the captured villains, Reed builds a new Vault (prison) in the Negative Zone, a vision that would eventually be seen in the mainstream Marvel comic book universe during the 2006-2007 Civil War event. (In that continuity, the prison from Foes is not referenced as the Civil War prison is code named "Project 42" because it was the 42nd project they had developed after the Stamford tragedy.) Also, this series reintroduces the possibility of a bearded Reed Richards leading the team. Though used briefly following Reed's return form being lost in the past, the current visual presentation of Mr. Fantastic with full beard in Secret Wars is a design which is now cannon.

Just like old times: In issue #1
 Johnny is back to fixing cars!

Before the Fantastic 4: The Storms was one of three mini-series published, along with Reed Richards and Ben Grimm and Logan in 2000. Each mini-series focused on the characters that would ultimately become Marvel's First Family while weaving in minor plot elements that contributed to some of the larger storylines (none too memorable following the numerous ret-cons that have followed) in the main Fantastic Four at the time. Scripted by Terry Kavanagh, The Storms is very much in the vein of a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys novel with Sue and Johnny serving as junior suburban investigators trying to solve the mystery of a magical amulet. Kavanugh does not do this at the expense of the classic character traits of both Sue and Johnny, including their big sister-little brother dynamic. Frequent nods to character nuances (Johnny's love of cars and girls, Sue's natural leadership ability) allow for the fan to easily see this fitting into the larger continuity of the Fantastic Four mythos.

At its core, The Storms is about showing the groundwork of these two key characters that could logically result in the building of the superhero team. This set-up, of course, leads the brother, sister and friends into conflict with all sorts of creatures of the night. In addition to the monsters they battle, other recognizable plot devices turn-up throughout the proceedings. The first issue alone includes the classic Scooby-Do investigative strategy of having a character, in this case Johnny, hide in a suit of armor as others offer helpful exposition and clues. As corny as this may sound, and as familiar as the tropes being intentionally applied may be, The Storms is a whole lot of fun.

Perhaps somewhat prophetically, the Storms' adventures give Charlie Adlard perhaps his earliest opportunity to publish artwork chock full of ghouls, monsters, and... wait for it... zombies! As entertainingly structured as Kavanaugh's narrative is, it is Adlard's artwork which grounds The Storms. The creatures that pursue and battle our heroes fit neatly into the real world visuals established by the artist in the first issue. Interestingly, the mini-series doesn't feel like a "superhero comic book" until one makes a brief guest appearance in the final issue.

The elements of Adlard's work that make The Walking Dead such an engaging read are visible in this earlier work--with the notable addition of a color palette beyond blacks, white and gray tones. Dynamic action and willingness to break from panel conventions in the interest of building energy propel the action forward. In fact, while much of the action in The Walking Dead is responsive in nature (the characters are acting out of necessity to survive certain circumstances), it was nice to see this dynamic flipped as the Storms take the fight to the bad guys. This slight shift in motivation is interesting to note.

Left, original panels from The Storms #3,
right: same panels recolored in grey-scale.

It would be easy to say that the only difference is the addition of color, but as you'll note from the original color and recolored black and white panels to the right difference is subtle and runs deeper. While the similarities are obvious (Adlard was still Adlard), there is an active motivation on the part of the protagonists throughout the Storms that only occasionally comes to the surface in The Walking Dead. Thematically, this makes sense. The Walking Dead is about establishing a norm, albeit a post-apocalyptic one, and building to various narrative climaxes; The Storms follows a much more basic plot map which requires action on the part of the characters to propel the much shorter, three issue story toward a logical resolution.

Given its growing place in popular culture, I am confident that someday a graduate student somewhere will write an amazing analysis of Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's Walking Dead work in contrast to their earlier efforts. With little doubt, this analysis of those creative seeds will be of interest to both fans of the product as well as fans of good literature (which Walking Dead most certainly is). Until then, I will continue to periodically comb through my longboxes, hoping to inadvertently stumble across these sorts of issues. Not only does it create the chance to re-read such excellent mini-series as Fantastic Four: Foes and Before the Fantastic 4: The Storms in light of more recent comics, but, as is the case with these two minis, it's fun top revisit a time when superhero comic books had a stronger sense of FUN.

Eventually a precursor to Ghost Rider makes an
appearance in The Storms #3.

Comic Book Beard: Rick Grimes

Sporting his current comic book "look", The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes
in issue 127, with art by Charlie Adlard.

Electing to write daily posts about comic book characters with beards last November was much more challenging than I had anticipated.  After hitting five characters with varying degrees of recognizability (from DC Comic's Aquaman to Robert Crumb's Mr. Natural) to any but the most dedicated fanboy, things petered out.

From issue #1 of The Walking Dead (2003),
art by Tony Moore.

Rather than taking that as a hint to cease-and-desist, I've once again accepted the challenge to ferret out examples of comic book characters who have jumped headlong into beardedness, this time kicking Novembeard off with a very high Q rating. Though this character originated in Robert Kirtkman's successful comic book, he has reached an even greater degree of popularity on the small screen: Skybound Comics' The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes.

In an interview given by actor Andrew Lincoln prior to the start of the most recent season of AMC's The Walking Dead, the actor responded to a question regarding his character's progression in season five that, “I've been growing my beard. I decided this season we’re gonna need a bigger beard. It’s all about the beard this season. I’m just waiting for them to tell me to stop growing it.”

From The Walking Dead, Volume 7,
trade paperback by Adlard.

Of course, those of us who've been reading Robert Kirkman's comic book for the past 10 years already knew that it has always been about the beard. In fact, Rick's reoccurring facial hair (as illustrated by Tony Moore and especially, Charlie Adlard) can be tracked throughout the comic book series since it's first issue wa-a-a-ay back in 2013.

Issue #1 kicked of with 5 o'clock shadow Rick (above, left), recently awoken from a coma to a zombie apocalypse. Though he has lost the facial hair on occasion, Rick's look has lately evolved and developed into the "crew-cut wearing, thick, hillbilly bearded Rick" that stars in the most recent issues of the comic book. In a slight twist on the standard "character grows a beard when they go nuts" motif, this new Rick is living a fairly well-adjusted existence in as orderly a world as possible (heck, even Carl has achieved a level of normalcy!) given the cannibals, psychopaths and murderous zombies. But we all know that current state of affairs won't last long...

From The Walking Dead, Volume 12, trade paperback with art by Adlard.

As seen in The Walking Dead, Volume 12, even Rick occasionally goes clean shaven.

Of course, the beard is back for the showdown with Neegan in the final installment of
the "All Out War" arc in issue #126

Comic Book Finds: Revival

Issue 8 finds "embedded" reporter,  May Tao, attempting to go undercover in one of Revival's many character arcs.

I collect quite a few comic books. While some beg to be read immediately after being purchased, I find the enjoyment of other titles enhanced by waiting for a few issues to be published before sitting down to read them. These types of titles would seem to be good candidates for my purchase as trade paperback collections (a practice called "trade-waiting"), but I and my "dark purchaser" are slaves to my childhood urge to collect comics as single issues if humanly possible. This strategy seems to work best with series that build a broad character driven narrative, especially one with multiple character arcs. This is much the same reason I prefer to watch some television series (American Horror Story, for example) when they have been released in their entirety on DVD.

Cover Revival #14
by Jenny Frison.

Fortunately, I jumped on this title early as the first issue, released in July 2012, sold out quickly and I happened to pick one up as it appeared tonally to be at the very least a distant cousin of Image Comics's recently concluded horror thriller Severed. Image Comics' Revival is a series I have been saving up issues of for reading over the past year and, interestingly enough, the television show of which is most reminiscent is the aforementioned American Horror Story particularly the Season Two arc, Asylum. With two weeks off from school, in addition to catching up with a few novels that have been awaiting attention, I've also begun making my way through series I have been holding onto.

The cover of each issue declares Revival to be "A  Rural Noir by (writer) Tim Seeley + (artist) Mike Norton," just above the stunning cover work by artist Jenny Frison; Issue 12 is the only issue thus far to not feature Frison's artwork, that honor going to the popular Skottie Young. While the book does contain elements of "rural noir"--it is indeed the bleak setting of wintry Wausau, Wisconsin, and each issue contributes to an intricately woven story of cynical, broken characters--it offers much. Weaving sci-fi and horror (including instances best described as body horror, gore and torture), writer Seeley keeps the reader engaged by subtly shifting genres and characters without losing sight of the larger story, one that as of the recently released issue 16, has not yet come fully into focus.

From Revival Issue #1.

The initiating event of the primary action of the comic is seen off-page and precedes the vents of Issue #1. Apparently one day, only in the town of Wausau, a select number of the recently deceased were "revived." Touching on a range of political issues (the town's mayor establishes internet camps for the revived) and social (both left and right wing media vie for the proper angle on the story), the comic book methodically established a broad tapestry of characters neither of whom are particularity good or evil, but all of whom struggle with the events shaping the world around them. The 'good guys" brutalize the deserving "villains" and the bad guys experience conflicts of conscience as they in turn plot against the "heroes."

Other than briefly explaining the set-up, to say much more would ruin the enjoyment of reading Revival. The highest praise I can give it is that after 30+ years of reading comic books and enjoying horror books and films, I have little idea where the story is going. Best of all, the trip looks to continue to be an entertaining ride!

Issue 16 of Revival is probably still on stands at better shops, and if you're lucky, your local comic shops may have individual issues on the racks (though I doubt #1 and 2 are readily available). Your best bet in getting on the Revival bandwagon is likely... wait for it... picking up the recently released trade paperbacks which can also be bought at your local comic shop--just ask.

Nuff Read: Rise of the Governor

So just how does one become accustomed to watching floating zombie heads to relax? It's in the book!

While on our Spring Break college visit trip to Washington, D.C., rather than a t-shirt or bumper sticker I found something much cooler to purchase as a memento, an honest-to-goodness novel with no pictures: The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. After getting bitten by the zombie bug a few months ago (and having voraciously read my way through the comic book trades as quickly as budget would allow), I soon became aware of this novel.

Written under the auspices of Dead mastermind Kirkman, this first of an intended series of novels tells the background story of the Walking dead universes greatest villain to date, the Governor. Unfortunately, the novel (currently only available in hard cover) has been unavailable at my three local Barnes and Nobles for a number of weeks, so much so that I had half-forgotten about it, figuring I would pick it up when the paperback is released.

I was most pleased that a copy for purchase was brought to my attention at the George Washington University bookstore. While perusing the book stacks my stepson asked me if I had seen this, holding up the hardcover edition of the novel, and I immediately decided to make the purchase. (Fortunately for me, I have an ally in my stepson who also really digs all things Walking Dead at this time.) Despite having packed all of  Wednesday's new comic purchases, as well as some headier reading for the trip, Rise of the Governor quickly displaced the other reading on my night stand.

The appeal of the Governor character is not hard to see. In the comic books he is (properly) presented as the antagonist's (Rick's) opposite number, a leader of survivors who makes some very different, and primal, choices in placating and managing the people who have appointed him their leader. He is also very nasty towards those who threaten the world he has created for his community (note: this is definitely Mature Content stuff).

As a novel, this book could have gone very wrong. While definitely not a cash grab, and while being very readable and entertaining, it stays so true to the comic book in that the story that little new ground is covered. Because The Governor has yet to appear in the eponymously titled AMC television series, (though David Morrissey has been cast for the next season) one has to wonder how much interest beyond those who read the comic books there is for such a book.

Even if one has not been previously introduced to Philip Blake (the Governor's "real" name), the novel does read as an interesting alternate (and parallel) survival story set in the same world as that our television heroes are also fighting through. Rest assured for those who have met the Governor before, our least favorite appendage amputatin', zombie head collectin' leader has been at times a much more sympathetic character than we've seen in the funny books.

So, the college t-shirt will have to wait until my stepson chooses a college, though a school bookstore that carries such fare (and comic books, too!) has a decided advantage in my book.

Alluding to Books While Left for Dead, Too

  WARNING: The above trailer contains gratuitous zombie killing!
Following my recent fascination with Walking Dead it seemed only natural to pick up one of the many zombie first person shooters available for the X-Box 360, and following an entirely too long conversation with the electronics department representative at Target, I settled on Left for Dead 2. My son, who had come shopping with me, reminded me that we had actually ha the game briefly on our house a few years ago (a friend of his had brought it over), but that must have been during my "I don't do first person shooter games" phase which I have thankfully (?) "grown" out of.

Left for Dead 2 is an entertaining game with some good old fashioned jump scares and a great potential for replayability. Though I had been lead to believe it was a gory, I did not find it very objectionable at all--it is after all a zombie survival game, so what is one to expect?

Like any high quality video game, Left for Dead 2 has an engaging narrative and fairly dynamic playable leads whose canned voice work avoided being too caricature-y despite the potential for such a thing given their diverse backgrounds: a middle aged African American professional male, a twenty something Southern good ol' boy, a twenty-something African-American woman, and a thirty something Caucasian male grifter. After a week of occasional play, there is still much to discover and I have yet to scratch the surface of the online potential match play.

Another interesting aspect of the game is the use of puns and wordplay in titling the achievements one can master during game play. For the uninitiated, "achievements" are "games-within-the-game" that players can accomplishments during the course of play. For example, if you revive ten other players using a defibrillator during match play who earn x amount of player points which are then added to your "Gamer Score." What is not unique is the presence of achievements (all games have them), but what is rather clever are the names of the achievement, some of which allude to other sources, such as books and historical figures.

In a previous post, I wrote about coming across a similar phenomena observed while playing Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption.

In Left 4 Dead 2 there are 65 possible achievements. Of those, the titles that appear to have been given some extra thought seem to fall into two types of allusions to works of literature and to musical works. While nearly all of them engage in some form of wordplay, it's just that these two groups that seem to have a literary bent.

An allusion is a reference to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature. Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events. Two titles in particular seemed to most obliviously intended to allude to literary works. Just why they were chosen, other than that they just sound "cool," requires digging a little deeper:

• "Crass Menagerie": Kill one of each Uncommon Infected. (Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie; pick any single (or all) of the main characters--Amanda, Tom and, most visibly, Laura--each of whom can be said to be "infected" with one malady or another. Though the setting of Williams' play is St. Louis, Amanda is referred to as a Southern belle.)
• "Confederacy of Crunches": Finish a campaign using only melee weapons. (A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole; the setting of the game is Louisiana, and the author was born and grew up in New Orleans.)

A number of allusions to classic popular music titles are also made.

• "Bridge Over Trebled Slaughter": Cross the bridge finale in less than three minutes. (A Bridge Over Troubled Water was the fifth and final album recorded by Simon & Garfunkel; the allusion is fairly literal here given the achievement acquired.)
• "A Spittle Help From My Friends": As the Spitter, spit on a Survivor being choked by a Smoker. ("With a Little Help from my Friends"written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Other than being a clever play on words... nothing too deep here.)

As I reflect on what this means, the reality is that to many, these allusions mean nothing... sort of like when students get frustrate when the teacher (me) "sees" things in writing that they don't. What I try to remind them is as their own reading grows broader and deeper, they'll see things too--like literary nods and allusions in zombie video games!