The Walking Dead: Safety Behind Bars

The group finally has found a place they might be able to survive. They have found a prison, and if they can clear out all the zombies it could be the safest place to live so far. They can keep other zombies from entering and finally have a place to rest and let Lori have her baby. The problem is, there are not just zombies in the prison. Some of the inmates have survived. The group led by Rick must decide if they can trust the inmates enough to let them stay. The alternative is sending them out into the world and almost certain death. The group grapples with these decisions as they attempt to make the prison safe to live in.

This is the third volume in the series The Walking Dead. I did like the added element of the prisoners to this book. It adds a whole bunch of new issues for the characters to deal with. They must decide if they will add the prisoners to their group or leave them to the mercy of the zombies, what to do when crimes are committed now there is no government, who decides the rules for the group, and who decides when they have been broken. The prison setting really helps the readers see how much this zombie infested world is affecting the main characters.

I am still not overly impressed with the character development. There is a little more distinction to the characters over the previous two volumes, but not a lot. I do not care for the way the women are written, and think this can and should be improved upon. The dialogue could also use improvement. I feel conflicted about this series. I really enjoy the show, but the graphic novels not so much. I keep reading it hoping to find the social commentary about the dilemmas people face when society falls apart that was the stated goal of the series. While there is a little bit of that, it is not meeting my expectations. I will continue with the series a little longer to see if it continues to improve. I am also curious to see how the show and the graphic novels are similar, and where they differ.

If you like the series The Walking Dead, you will probably like this one.