As I’m sitting here trying to think of something to write about, my mind drifts back to the very first post I made on this blog five years ago. It was about a little comic called The Walking Dead. You might have heard of it. So, it seems only appropriate that my return to this blog comes just as The Walking Dead has ended its nearly sixteen year run.
To say that Robert Kirkman’s decision to end his popular comic series came as a shock to his fans is a bit of an understatement. Even I was caught off guard when I heard the news. It seemed like the series would go on for years, and for a while it did. The series has continued in its popularity and spawned not just one television show, but two, but after 193 issues, Kirkman had decided it was time to bring it to an end. For over 15 years, Rick Grimes and his people faced numerous challenges, made friends (and enemies), lost loved ones, discovered new communities, and fought for a sense of normalcy in a world that was far from normal.
By the end of the series, the peace that Rick Grimes had fought so hard for has been achieved, but it comes at a cost. Ezekiel, Rosita, Andrea, and even Rick Grimes himself, are just some of those who have sacrificed their lives in the struggle for peace in their communities. In the end, Carl, now a grown man, has settled down, married to Sophia and raising their daughter. Characters like Michonne, Maggie, and even Eugene, have lived long enough to see a new world come to fruition. Communities have grown into an expanded safety zone, where walkers are almost never seen. Beyond this zone, the world is pretty much the same as it was when the outbreak started, with zombies roaming everywhere.
While there may not be a complete resolution to this story, the characters have come to terms with the world they now live in. It really isn’t the kind of world where everyone gets a happily ever after. Life just doesn’t work that way. Those who have survived have learned to accept this new reality, but if they ever dare to forget what life was like before, if they ever become complacent, survivors like Carl, Michonne, and Maggie, will be there to remind them.
Heather, the Graphic Novel Goddess
