News: Walking Dead Finds its Woodbury?

Recently, zap2it.com reported that a large portion of seasons three and four of The Walking Dead plan to take place in Woodbury, Georgia. This is good news for comic book fans; I, personally, think that the Woodbury conflict was the real high point of the comics. In the comics, the town is home to the best darn villain of the entire series, Phillip Blake. We already heard about the casting of Phillip Blake (aka: The Governor), but now it looks like Walking Dead is courting a real life town to transform into the infamous zombie-free, crazy-abundant location.

The report is that the show is in negotiations with Senoia, Georgia for filming rights. The town has your typical small Southern town charm, but I'm guessing that what really sold Kirkman and Mazarra on Senoia was nearby Senoia Raceway. In the comics, Woodbury is infamous for its gladiatorial zombie ring which is staged in an old stadium in town. While maps seem to suggest the Senoia Raceway is not exactly in Senoia's city center, with the miracle of film, I would guess that they could make it look as though it is. Photos of the raceway have me already longing for season three...Michonne and her sword...oh yes.

Personally, I can't wait to see what they do with Woodbury. My guess is that they won't be able to do everything that goes on in the comics, at least not on screen. Don't get me wrong, AMC is pretty edgy, but this isn't HBO. Still, I think season three will be a good one and it's nice to see that they'll be staying with the comics as a structural backbone.

News: The Governor Has Arrived...and maybe Michonne?

Walking Dead, now into the second half of its second season, has begun casting announcements for season three with one of my favorites from the comics--The Governor (aka: Phillip Blake). The Walking Dead website announced today that they have cast David Morrissey as the infamous villain, and even though I am not at all familiar with his work, I have ultimate faith in the producers of this show.

Fan sites and other not as trustworthy news sources have been leaking another potential casting decision that I've, personally, been looking forward to hearing about...namely, which lucky lady will get to play Michonne, the samurai sword wielding lawyer turned bad ass. Rumors are currently reporting that Michonne will be played by Rutina Wesley of True Blood fame. While she's a little young for the role as it's written in the comics, I hear that True Blood is good and she does look the part. Can't wait until an official announcement though!

Review: Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor

Below is my amazon.com review of The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor. I finished the book a few weeks ago, but I thought I'd take the time to share the review on here, too. If you have read the comics, this novel is a quick read and would be a great weekend novel. Hint hint to your loved ones that it might make a good gift...cuz nothing says Christmas like zombies.

Just finished reading, and I must begin by saying that I'm nearly breathless. I read the final 2/3rds or the novel in a single day. Overall, this is a quick and very engaging read. It moves through plot at a reasonable and engaging pace without sparing visual description and insights into character emotions. From a gore standpoint, this is about as brutal as one could be in words, and certainly not for the faint of heart. I'd advise parents to really steer clear. This is not a stocking stuffer.

The good:
-The plot is perfectly crafted and manipulated. For readers of the comics and non-readers alike, you'll be biting your nails and throwing the book in the air for the entire ride.
-The characters are believable, both likeable and unlikeable, exactly what most people would likely devolve into given the situation. The entire scenario rings true, and it seems as though the author has clearly visualized the world of the story down to the tiniest detail.

The bad:
-I'm an English teacher, so I'm a big fan of metaphor, simile, personification, the whole lot of it. But the purpose of metaphor in literature is to further specify, describe and clarify a given image. Therefore, when your metaphors become overly obscure or detailed, it only serves to distract the reader from the story itself. Sure, it may seem like the metaphors here are beautiful to the point of near genius, but they are beautiful to the point of literary impediment. About 75% of the time, they strike true and achieve their purpose, but at least once every three or four pages you'll find yourself taking pause to dissect a metaphor. This is not the mark of great writing, even if it might appear as such to someone who is impressed by the sheer word craft.
-The author, like many writers, is clearly nurturing love affairs with certain words. I hate to point it out, as now you'll be looking for it, but the author might want to steer clear of the word "gape" and the word "primordial" going forward. The other words are getting jealous.
-The point of view, for me, was a little jarring. Usually novels written in present tense are also written in first person. Obviously, this isn't some sort of literary rule, and I applaud the author's attempt to break the mold. Still, at times I felt that this tense took me out of it. I guess that I just assumed it would be written in past tense since it is a prequel.

But overall, I'm really impressed. My above comments are nothing more than the petty nitpicking that accompanies true love and fan-dom. Why else would nerds still sit in their living rooms and argue about whether Jar Jar Binks was the worst decision Lucas ever made? When you love something, you see its flaws even more clearly, but you love it anyway. And I will say, still gasping from the mind-numbing genius of the final fifteen pages of this novel, that it is definitely worth your time. 

I'd love to chat about this with people once they read it! The ending demands discussion...or at least someone to gawk and scream with me! This will be the first in a series of Walking Dead novels, and you can read an interview with the author here. If you're still not sold on it, check on the preview below...which is basically just a dude reading the first few pages...lol.

Top 5: Characters from The Walking Dead Comics that I Can't Wait to See in the Show!

#5: Gabriel

I remember when he was first introduced, and I was so convinced he was going to be a bad guy. The "it's a trap" warning sirens were screaming in my brain. Even though he's a small character, his story is one that brings an interesting perspective to the group.

#4: Tyrese

Tyrese would be even higher on my list if it weren't for all the rumors surrounding his casting. Before the show even aired, the internet was abuzz with news that he would be portrayed by Keith Allen Hayes. Hayes is both too young and too small to be a real Tyrese, but at this point I guess the show is pretty far off the map. If nothing else, tonight's episode proved that. Still, I loved Tyrese. His relationship with Rick was genuine and interesting. He served as a good foil (and a good friend) for Rick, and his death is one of the many reasons that we watch Rick unravel. And he killed a whole gym full of zombies with a hammer. A HAMMER!

#3: Abraham

My favorite of the new(er) survivors, Abraham is pretty awesome and hardcore without being one dimensional. He serves as a fittingly brutal sidekick for Rick post-Woodbury, and I appreciate his brand of blunt honesty.

#2: The Governor

Call me crazy, but I'm still hoping that the show's writers will go the way of cruel and bitter irony and make Merle Dixon into The Governor. Wouldn't it be beyond awesome to watch him chop off Rick's hand in an "eye for an eye" gesture? Regardless of what route they chose to take on his origin, The Governor is one of the best villains in modern literature. He's a sick, sadistic monster, and yet...a great dad? As much as any reader despises him, you've gotta look forward to his inevitable and eventual appearance.

#1: Michonne

I cannot WAIT to hear who they cast as Michonne. This samurai-sword-wielding warrior woman can take care of herself and has proved it time and time again. I can't wait to hear her say "I think of all the things I'm going to do to you, and it scares me". Watch out, Governor. Whomever they cast, it better be good. I've been personally advocating for Gina Torres (of Serenity fame), but I'm sure that's only a pipe dream. Who would you love to see as the lawyer-gone-one-woman-army of The Walking Dead?




All pictures taken from http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Comic_Series_Characters