Speculation: Who are the "Wolves"?

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/03/

In the second half of The Walking Dead's fifth season, we've been seeing a number of ominous signs of a person or group that may be lurking behind the scenes. The main sign is the increasing prevalence of zombies with a "W" carved into their foreheads. Why would someone do this? Is it pure brutality or does it serve a purpose? Is this person/group a threat? From a narrative standpoint, this seems like a pretty obvious "duh". The increasing appearance of these "W" dead seems to be pretty clear foreshadowing of some sort of looming, imminent threat, but what is it? Many speculations have been circulating, so below are a summary of those thoughts and my opinions on them.

Possibility #1: The Wolves are the Whisperers
In the comic, there is a group of survivors who walk the world among the dead wearing the zombie skins as protection and blending in among the walkers. They could be the ones carving the "W" symbol into the dead and could be lurking around unseen, just waiting to make an appearance.

Why this idea makes sense:

http://i.imgur.com/tDP9igV.png

• Whatever the threat is, it seems to be pretty hidden and has gone unnoticed by both the Alexandria community and by the members of Shirewilt (before they were killed). The Whisperers would be easily overlooked since they blend in with the dead that no one thinks to examine any closer.
• Kirkman is notorious for screwing with the audience. No one would be expecting for him to shuffle the deck of upcoming "big bads", so to jump right to a plotline that is still unfolding in the comics would be a great way to keep comic readers on their toes.
• Enid fits this storyline perfectly. In the comics, Carl falls for a young member of the Whisperers who has seemingly defected. We don't know much about Enid's past, but what we do know makes perfect sense with the concept of her being a Whisperer. First, she didn't talk for a month when she first came to the society, a trait that matches up well with the entire philosophy of the Whisperers. Second, her romantic storyline with Carl seems to be following the same line. Furthermore, we have yet to see her kill a zombie, which might indicate that she doesn't view them in the same way that the other survivors do. This is further strengthened by her comment of "It's their world: we're just living in it", which is a very Whisperer-y thing to say. Also, Enid is very good at moving through the landscape undetected, which matches with someone who had lived among the dead for a prolonged period of time. Lastly, she seems pretty terse when mentioning her mother (or her entire back story, really). She doesn't say that her mom is dead, so could her mother be the mysterious Alpha of the Whisperers that made an appearance in the last issue of the comic?

  

  http://www.craveonline.com/tv/reviews/838201-the-walking-dead-5-15-try-recap

• The Whisperers have a legitimate reason to mark Walkers. Since they seem to move within them, marking them to keep their group together and tag the hoards they are moving within would at least make some logistical sense. It's probably the only explanation that matches with any real purpose other than intimidation and brutality. The same goes for collecting torsos. Since the Whisperers wear zombie skin, they would have a reason to collect flesh from the torso and face since it would be the most easily applied to their own flesh for the purposes of concealment.
• If they go the way of Enid being a Whisperer, they could easily replicate the "prisoner trade" that happens in the comics by capturing Daryl, Aaron, or even Morgan, who are all outside of the walls.



http://k32.kn3.net/taringa/C/4/3/D/B/D/terrynova/528.png

• The name "Wolves" makes sense with the Whisperers if you think about the phrase "A wolf in sheep's clothing".

Why it makes no sense:

• This storyline isn't finished in the comics and jumping ahead of the comics could get very muddled and confusing for Kirkman.
• A prisoner swap between Morgan and Enid would not be as obvious a decision as it is in the comics because Enid has been in Alexandria for a longer period of time, and no one in Alexandria besides Michonne and Rick even know whom Morgan is.
• This storyline might be too time consuming. They may need something brief to kill time until they get to Negan, and the Whisperers aren't that. In order to do the Whisperer storyline justice, they would have to delay Negan's appearance for at least a season, and while they've made it clear that that's certainly a possibility, I doubt they will given that it's one of the most dynamic plots of the comic and people are already salivating awaiting it.
• It looked like the citizens of Shirewilt were attacked by humans. While the Whisperers are "technically" human, they don't necessarily fight or attack like them.
• This plot line doesn't do enough to give Rick a hero moment. Without that hero moment, Deanna has no reason to not boot him out on his ass.

Possbility #2: The DC Scavengers are the Wolves

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/The_Scavengers

It's been awhile since I read this part of the comics, but before Negan arrives, a group of savage scavengers attack and almost destroy Alexandria, resulting in multiple deaths and the loss of Carl's right eye. Could they be the Wolves, out to destroy and overrun?

Why it makes sense... 

• The way in which Shirewilt was attacked seems very much like the way the Scavengers attack and destroy Alexandria in the comics, and clearly that attack was undertaken by these "wolves".
• Their timeline matches up with where we are in the comics. If Kirkman follows his original narrative, it's their time to appear in the small space before Negan's men start causing havoc. 
• Their brutality makes sense with some of the actions that we've seen, namely the tied up naked woman in the woods. They seem like the kind of guys who might hack up other survivors, overrun a town, tie up and abandon a woman. 
• Marking the walkers could be an intimidation tactic, and they're the kind of guys who would think of something like that. 
• Sasha being in the tower is a great setup for this since she's quickly becoming Andrea from the comic, and Andrea in the tower was a part of the Scavenger plot line. (If I'm remembering properly)
• Protecting Alexandria from the Scavengers would save Rick from the inevitable exile that awaits him after his little blood-splattered monologue this week.

 Why it makes no sense...

http://www.twdenthusiasts.com/2015/02/walking-dead-comic-spoilers-wolves/

• Why would they take the torsos and heads? It seems like a silly thing to be carrying around and to my recollection the Scavengers didn't have a very developed base camp. Furthermore, there's just no motivation to do it. Dismembering is congruent with simple brutality and a desire to intimidate those who might happen upon a scene afterwards, but if that's the goal, then what's the point in taking the torsos?
• This is what people are expecting, and Kirkman likes to keep people on their toes.
• They may be too similar to Gareth's group in the idea of them just being messed up, selfish, vengeful humans. The show's producers might want a little more variety.

Possibility #3: It isn't a "W"...it's an upside down "M".

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Morgan_Jones_%28TV_Series%29

My least favorite theory and by far the most implausible, but worth a brief mention, is that the "W" is actually an "M" for Morgan. Is Morgan really as crazy as he seems at times, running around the woods and marking up walkers? He certainly seems to have a predilection for getting fixated on one phrase or symbol (aka: Clear), but is that really possible for one man to pull off?

Why it makes sense:

• We have ample evidence to support that Morgan is unwell, and a lot of the signs we have about this group seem to indicate that they're not exactly winning the mental health of the year award.
• What if he still has Duane? Okay, this is far fetched, but hear me out. In the comics, Morgan keeps Duane alive as a zombie and feeds him the remains of survivors that he captures and kills. What if Morgan is still dragging Duane along with him? That would support why the girl was tied up and devoured in the woods--food for his undead son. This would also be (sort of) a reason to dismember corpses so that their flesh is easier to feed to Duane and to carry along with Morgan for later feedings. Also, we have very few wide shots of Morgan, so Duane being on a rope behind him is not entirely impossible.

  

  http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Duane_Jones_%28Comic_Series%29

• It would honestly be easier to carve a letter upside down on a head if the body was on the ground, rather than having to lean over the torso and dangerous jaw of the ghoul to tattoo it with your symbol.
• Morgan has to make an appearance somehow.

Why it makes no sense:

• Unless Morgan found a last minute flight from Alexandria to Richmond, there's no way he could've beat the group across four states since they were driving and he was walking. They haven't been in Alexandria long enough for him to catch up, let alone catch up and already make his presence this known.
• He just has no reason to.
• The damage inflicted by the Wolves is too great for one man.
• We want to like Morgan...and we don't like these people.
• He may already be dead and a victim of the Wolves. Some have observed that the dismembered arms at the campsite that Daryl and Aaron found are wearing the same color shirt as Morgan, the hands belong to a black man, the wedding band is the same, and a pair of sunglasses are nearby. Personally, I think this is typical Kirkman misdirection, but hey...it's possible.

So...your thoughts? I guess we'll probably find out in five days, but until then...it's an excellent use of time to kick around some theories. 

News & Review: iZombie going from Panel to Screen

http://enewsi.com/television/191-26026.html

God, I hate the CW. Obviously, I'm not their intended audience, and that's fine, but would they stop touching my things? Seriously? All my life, my nerd fascinations have somehow found their way to the popular culture. I was obsessed with the Titanic, so much so that I knew the type of wood in the 1st class dining room, and then BOOM! James Cameron makes the hideous piece of garbage called Titanic. I was in to pirates, so much so that I would read nonfiction pirate history books during Saturday detention and then BOOM! Pirates of the Caribbean. I was into vampires, so much so that I looked into how you'd get your teeth filed into fangs, and then BOOM! Twilight makes the genre into a freaking joke for girly girls. And then one of the great loves of my life, zombies. Sigh. Oh CW. Can't you just make another show about spoiled human girls in an upper middle class suburb who can't seem to stop sleeping with each other's boyfriends?

But I have jumped ahead. This isn't supposed to be a rant. It's supposed to be a review and news piece. Let me refocus.

http://www.biblecomix.com/?p=2253

So about four years ago, my friend was in town and wanted to give me a gift for hosting her. She got me the first trade paperback in the "iZombie" series. Good friends know you well. Anyway, I neglected it and let it sit on my shelf for nearly half a decade until today. Having just read it cover to cover, I can say that I really did enjoy it by the end. It was rough getting started because there are a fair number of characters and it's sometimes difficult to connect the thought and talking bubbles to the correct character. You definitely have to take it slowly and reread in places at first, but it does get easier. It's just that there are a lot of characters of various supernatural afflictions (zombies, ghosts, vampires, and even a "wereterrior"), and it takes you brain a minute to process and categorize all of that.

The story follows the life of a girl who has turned zombie. In order to keep herself from turning into a shambling, rotting mess, she has to eat a brain every month, but doing so floods her with the memories of that dead person. As a gravedigger, the people she eats often have unfinished business, namely their murders, which she is then compelled to solve because their voice is in her head. That's the basic premise, but there's a lot more going on here. We have the normal awkwardness of a bunch of people in the upper teens/young twenties, but we also have the battles between the evil forces of the supernatural, the good forces of the supernatural, and the monster hunters who often can't tell the difference. This story really finds its stride when it moves beyond the CSI plot of Gwen solving murders and attacks more important subject matter like the idea of a soul and the decisions to take a life.

http://io9.com/rob-thomas-explains-why-izombie-is-more-like-buffy-than-1614649263

And that's where I get concerned. iZombie is, ostensibly at least, the source material for CW's new show premiering in 2015 of the same name. CW's iZombie already shows a number of differences, however. First, they feel compelled to change of heroine's name for some reason, calling her Liv rather than Gwen. Next, she's a coroner rather than a gravedigger. I guess they thought that was sexier? I think it changes the tone of the plot though. It makes it more official. It also seems like she's helping the police, which is something that doesn't happen, at least not in the first trade of the four part iZombie series. The preview shows basically no sign of her other supernaturally inclined friends, and has instead replaced them with stock standard Law and Order types. While watching the preview, I just kept thinking of the spoof trailers in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Maybe it will be good, but I have many doubts. I'm not sure how they'll preserve the internal monologue of the protagonist, which is an important element of the comics. Honestly, I'm sure they won't. The preview already seems to suggest that they're honoring the source material in name only. It'll be closer than World War Z was, but not by much I'd guess. I'll read the other three trades first, and then maybe give the show one or two episodes. It's from the people who made Veronica Mars and nerdy people seemed to like that, so maybe there's hope. Read the comic though; it was a good time. And if you want to laugh at how silly the CW is, check out the preview for the iZombie TV show below. Let me know your thoughts!

Events: C2E2 at McCormick Place

Okay...so after much stress and after a few new guest announcements...I guess I'm going to C2E2 as well this weekend. C2E2, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, will be at McCormick place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend. It will feature zombie-rific guests such as Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead), Chris Hardwick (Talking Dead), and Tony Moore (Walking Dead issues 1-6). Also, for those interested in running around and fighting zombies, Humans vs. Zombies will be hosting events throughout the weekend.

Check out the whole line up here, as there are many non-zombie related guests that will also likely grab your attention. The event is in the North Building at McCormick Place, and free shuttles are available from downtown to the convention center. It doesn't get much more convenient than that.

News: Michonne the New Centerfold?

Image Credit: Playboy

I'm not a prude, but I'm also not an avid reader of Playboy, but now I might have to head to my local...7-11? Is that where one goes to buy such things?

Why? Why would I be picking up the infamous rag? Because the April issue of Playboy will feature an appearance by Michonne from The Walking Dead. No, I'm not talking about an appearance by the actress playing her in the TV show; I'm talking about a comic. Yes, Hugh Hefner will be putting pictures of naked, silicone-infused women next to Charlie Adlard's sketches. Why? I have no idea, but I don't question a good thing.

The issue will feature the origin story for the fan-favorite character, finally explaining who Michonne was before she became a samurai-sword wheeling BAMF. I expect to see her stealing those swords from her neighbor's house, chopping off her boyfriend's zombified arms, etc. All these details were explained in the comics but never actually seen. After reading the first Walking Dead novel which chronicled the origin story of the governor, I'm totally down for another Kirkman-created back story. So this liberated woman might be picking up a Playboy next month. But I swear, I only read it for the comics. lol.

Review: The Walking Dead, Episode 2.12

Sorry it took me so long to post, but what an episode, right?!?! I knew, given all the internet buzz and the comics, that Shane was likely to kick the bucket in the next two episode, but I was getting pretty certain that they were going to hold all their cards until the finale. I, for one, am really, really glad that they didn't. A finale filled with too many "wow" moments would have really made me mad, especially considering that it's only the regular 44 minutes long.

I will say though, as an angry comic book reader, I really wish it had been Carl to pull the initial trigger on Shane. They did throw us comic readers the proverbial bone by having Carl put down zombie Shane, but in the comic it's the other way around. It doesn't really matter that much; I'm just happy he's gone. Not that I don't like you, Jon Bernthal, but it was time. I will say that the show did a good job of throwing in a plethora of red herrings to suggest that it would be Carl to pull the trigger. You can trace moments of foreshadowing on that front all the way back to the first season, but the moment of Shane giving Carl the gun at the beginning of last Sunday's episode were pretty creepy. Very "why do I have a feeling that you're going to be the death of me?"

Some great zombie kills in this episode, too. My personal favorite was Andrea's pitchfork-to-the-face move at the beginning of the episode. Think Dale's death got her a little riled up? Maybe just a bit. But I bet that one will be nothing compared to what's coming in the finale. I'm not one who watches the show entirely for the guts and gore, but hey...it's not a bad side dish. With the zombie horde fast approaching the farm house, I'm assuming we'll see plenty of skull-bashing, brain-splattering delight. In addition, I'm assuming we're about to say goodbye to a few more characters (I'd place bets on at least one or two from Herschel's crew), and as I've stated before, rumors say we're about to see the first appearance of the samurai lawyer, Michonne. I can't wait. I'm hoping we get a first glimpse at the prison as well, but that might be a stretch.

What were your thoughts and reactions to this episode? Hopes for next Sunday? Let me know! While you wait for the episode, check out the very brief preview of next week below...

Review: Walking Dead Volume 15

So I read the newest Walking Dead trade back on Thursday, but didn't get a chance to post my review until now. Honestly, part of my lack of urgency might have been due to a fairly palpable feeling of indifference I felt upon finishing. It's not that the comic isn't good anymore, it's just that it's not great anymore. It's really hard to wait like 6-7 months for something, only to have it fall far short of your expectations.

In earlier issues, the characters were almost all engaging and dynamic. I was interested and invested in Tyrese, Axel, and even the Governor's goons. But now it seems that our remaining intrepid heroes are lost amongst a fog of otherwise mediocre and simplistic characters. This is largely due to the sheer volume of new people, as it just makes it difficult to develop characters as individuals rather than just faces. There are too many people in this damn town, and it makes it even harder to follow the narrative than when Herschel showed up with his 7 million children. And the characters that have been introduced seem a little hollow; they have nothing original or dramatic to bring to the table. I keep thinking of them as zombie food--just more people for Kirkman to kill off as he stalls for time before killing off more major characters.

Also, I'm a little disappointed on the villain front. I know truly horrifying villains like the Governor aren't simply spawned out of an author's pen every day, but come on. Either Rick is going to become the villain or he's not, and if he isn't, then let's start establishing a more consistent and ongoing conflict like Woodbury. Doing so would give the story a clearer and more engaging arc. I'm a little tired of this villain of the month crap. The series is becoming increasingly serial--the law and order of zombies--and I'm not down. As a result, there's no continual sense of fear anymore. I don't end each trade like I used to--by running to the calendar and counting the weeks until the next release.

And what's with Andrea bringing up Shane after all these months? He's been dead for over a year at this point. In the comics, there was never anything between them, so it almost seems like Kirkman is trying to fuse the comics to the TV show rather than the alternative. I hope this was a one time thing, and Kirkman doesn't go the way of Lucas and the prequels. You can't just start changing and rewriting stuff as a result of your own hindsight and a changing fan base. That's not how publication works.

Also, it's getting a little soap opera-y. The whole "Rick's demons" thing is becoming more melodrama than actual drama, and...this is a bit of a spoiler...there's literally a part where a character develops amnesia. Come on. Is Kirkman pulling for a lead writer gig on The Young and the Restless?

But, all my carping aside, I did enjoy it. All our favorites are still there and there's some pretty anxiety-inducing stuff with Glenn. Michonne is being her usual, gloomy self, and this one at least has some romantic drama, even if it's lacking in other dramatic conflict. The ending is eyebrow raising...if not a little predictable, and yes, I'll still be reading. I'd just like to see it gather the intensity it once had. It's grown a little amorphous over time.

There's still time to order it and ship it before Christmas! Walking Dead: Volume 15 is available from amazon.com for $10.18.

Review: The Walking Dead Board Game by Z-Man

When I heard there was going to be a Walking Dead board game coming out this fall, I couldn't wait to get my paws on it. I'm a big fan of board games (Risk, Settlers of Catan, Scrabble, Scattegories...just to name a few), so a Walking Dead board game was basically combining two of my favorite things.

It came over a month ago, but I've been so busy being a boring adult that I didn't get a chance to sit down and give it a first go with some friends until last night. After having read about 50% of the instruction manual, we sat down to play at around 8:45pm.

The game set up wasn't difficult. It's a little like Clue, and each of your players has a different designated starting place on the board. You also pull location cards, a follower card, and a hero card. We each picked our own main character to start, but you're technically supposed to assign it randomly. They each have different benefits and weaknesses, so it's probably better to just pull them without choosing.

Basically the goal of the game is to scout three locations on the board (places such as The Greene Farm, The Prison, Wiltshire Estates, etc...plus some non-comic locations such as The Mall and The Airport). You can only scout locations when that location card is turned up, which means that the majority of the time you can only scout four of the locations. This leads to more competition between players and more strategy involved in your movements.

As you move, you leave behind you a trail of zombies. To move back through this trail you either have to waste gasoline driving through them, or you have to fight your way through--hence why it's a good idea to plan your movements so you don't end up cutting yourself off from your final destination.

As you scout locations, the tasks become more and more difficult. The tension of the game is also maintained by encounter cards, which are drawn on almost every turn, as you need to complete an encounter do almost anything. I really enjoyed the variety of tasks in the encounter stack. Some required you to fight zombies with the dice, some required you to roll hats (or "actions") with your dice set. Some even required that you poll your other players about what they would do in apocalyptic scenarios, and I was really impressed that the game didn't reward you for being the "nice guy".

The game took us a little while to complete (we finished about 2.5-3 hours later at 11:30pm), but part of that might have been that we had to keep stopping to read the directions and clarify some of the stranger encounter cards. The box says the game takes 30-60 minutes, but I doubt that. My guess would be that subsequent games will take us around 90 minutes or so.  But it was an exciting 2.5 hours, and the variety of cards in the encounter deck keeps it fun and fresh. Depending on which characters and locations you pulled, this game could feel completely different with each play.

I really enjoyed it, and I hope my friends will be down to play soon. The only thing that frustrates me is that it'll take a while to explain the game to new people and, admittedly, I'm pretty bad at explaining directions. But if you're willing to devote an hour or so to learning the game, it was pretty darn fun. Sometimes games with a gimmick like this are poorly thought out, but this one pretty much had it all. The only complaint I might have is that if you had enough followers, there weren't enough dice and you had to reroll some of them to add up to your full dice pool. But whatever, not a big complaint.

There is a TV show board game, which I haven't checked out yet. Seems a little ridiculous that they'd make two, but this version by Z-Man would make a great holiday gift for the gaming and zombie fan near you! It's available for $29.19 from Amazon and it can still be ordered in time for Christmas!

News: Damn You, Walt Disney!

A former student of mine came to visit this afternoon and told me about some auditions she's been doing recently. She was especially excited to tell me (since all my students know about my undead obsession) about one audition she had: an appearance on an upcoming Disney show called "Zombies and Cheerleaders".

Why must Disney steal everything worth being interested in? Disney, stop trying to be cool. Stick to your reasonable domain: singing bunny rabbits and catchy show tunes for the single-digit set. The Little Mermaid was brilliant. Why must you attempt to capitalize every market? Don't you have enough money? Ugh. Head. Desk.

Look, I know the zombie thing is getting crazy popular. I know that being a zombie fanatic is the new, chic thing. But then be a REAL zombie fanatic. I don't care if you just jumped on board with the rest of America, that's just fine! We're happy to have you! But then for the love of Romero, can you please be an actual zombie fan? Watch real zombie movies?

I don't usually judge a book by a cover, but I'm judging this one. When the cover has a Disney castle on the front of it, I must protest. I mean come on, Disney. Are your zombies going to sparkle and fall in love with humans? Are they going to eat Happy Meals and drink Sunny D? Looking at the show's teaser description, sadly my attempt at humor isn't far off. Seriously...check it out here.

What is the apocalyptic world coming to? At least the show won't be premiering for a while. Fingers crossed that the actual zombie apocalypse comes first.

Found out about this older comic series that is potentially the inspiration, but I highly doubt that Disney's in any position to do it real justice. After all, this was the most "appropriate" cover I could find.