By Matt Peters
This year is scheduled to be one of the biggest of note in the world of comics, video games, and all-around geekiness. We here at Pads & Panels would like to give you twelve reasons that 2012 will be awesome. Let’s hope our Mayan overlords don’t return from outer space until we get to experience most of it. Take a look below for some of the highlights:
By Jon DePaolis, Contributor
Halloween is truly a magical time.
It’s a day that brings people together, dressed as princesses and pirates, or, as seems to be the recent trend, extras from The Walking Dead.
I have loved Halloween since I was a little kid, watching a VHS of The Exorcist alone in my room during summer vacation. While other kids were being raised on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin or The Lion King,
I was watching Laurie Strode somehow walk away from Michael Myers and asking myself why Sydney Prescott continued to answer phone calls after what happened the first go-around.
Obviously, I am in love with horror movies as much as I am in love with celebrating Halloween. That is why this October I decided to embark on a mission to watch a horror movie for every day in October. For those math majors out there, that equated to 31 horror movies of my own choosing.
Now, all cards on the table, I am a full-time writer and, because of that, I knew going in that I wouldn’t be able to watch a movie a day, so I chose to go with doubling — or sometimes, tripling — movie selections on certain days. (more…)
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By Thomas Braaksma
One of the highlights of C2E2 on Day 2 was a Q&A with The Walking Dead’s cast members Laurie Holden (Andrea) and Jonathan Bernthal (Shane). They talked about their experiences working with the material, Frank Darabont and their feelings on a zombie apocalypse, while also getting into some interesting possibilities for the future of the show. (more…)
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Title: The Broadcast
Publisher: NBM Publishing, Inc.
Writer: Eric Hobbs
Artist: Noel Tuazon
Rating: 
Review by: Aaron Ray
Inspired by the actual panic that resulted from Orson Welles’ original 1938 broadcast of “The War of the Worlds,” The Broadcast is a short and simple story about the lengths that people will go to while protecting themselves from danger. Eric Hobbs and Noel Tuazon craft an engaging story full of relatable characters, suspense, and possibly even a moral or two in among its ink washed pages. (more…)
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Title: The Walking Dead Vol. 13: Too Far Gone
Publisher: Image
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
Rating:
Review by: Bill Jones
“Too Far Gone,” the 13th volume of The Walking Dead, brings the set-up of Kirkman’s Washington, D.C. arc to a head. In “Life Among Them,” the group of survivors we’ve been following were taken to a walled community in the nation’s capitol. “Too Far Gone” finds them settling into their new lives, protected from the dead and living back under the constructs of society. But things are far from settled, as Rick and Co. are finding themselves with different levels of suspicion and trust, and blending in or failing to blend in (to different degrees) with the people of the community. Luckily, Kirkman gives two big moments for these relationships to come to a head, with Rick arguably going a bit too far in his role as sheriff, and an aggressive group showing up at the gates. And even with everything in motion, Kirkman finds a way to offer a twist at the end, while remaining faithful to the characters he has created.
“Too Far Gone” collects The Walking Dead issues #73-78.
Pros: Great big moments that bring things to a head for the D.C. arc. Great contention between the group and new community. Solid action all around.
Cons: That there’s not more of it. Rick’s outburst a bit overdone.
For more info, www.imagecomics.com
Pads & Panels received a copy of the book courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.
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Title: The Walking Dead Vol. 12: Life Among Them
Publisher: Image
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
Rating:
Review by: Bill Jones
Volume 12 of The Walking Dead, “Too Far Gone,” is the start of a very important arc for Kirkman’s ongoing zombie epic. The first half of the trade is still packed with zombies, but by the second half they are barely seen. That’s because the group finds its way to Washington, D.C., where a large group of survivors has made it with the comforts of the old world in a walled-off community. Surprisingly, the group is welcomed with open arms, but the question becomes – do they have the trust in them to submit wholeheartedly to the group, and does the group truly have the best of intentions in mind? It’s a nice chance of pace, reminding readers that while the zombies are the catalyst for The Walking Dead, it is the people that keep us reading. It is a very important set-up for the series, and asks the important question – can this group survive in a “normal” society after everything they’ve been through? – but readers will have to wait until Volume 13 for the payoff. (more…)
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By P&P Staff
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The Walking Dead is the best zombie comics series hands-down. If your significant other is a comics aficionado, he probably already has the first 12 trades. Number 13 just hit shelves, so the timing couldn’t be much better. If he’s just picking up on the AMC’s television adaption of the series, the massive Compendium (collecting trade paperbacks 1-8, or issues 1-48) is a great way to get caught up at a fair price. (more…)
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By Bill Jones
The hype was there for The Walking Dead. AMC has been running promos incessantly leading up to the premiere Sunday evening, which by no coincidence was Halloween. A countdown timer ran at the top of the screen while AMC played a “Fear Fest” marathon to get people in the mood. Just days before, zombies roamed in cities around the world to get the attention of potential viewers.
And that’s all on the promotion side, not even touching on the hype from the comic community about Robert Kirkman’s phenomenal series finally getting the live-action treatment. It is, after all, probably the best zombie comic series ever written. It is filled with gory action, great characters, big moments and has lasted the test of time as its 13th trade is about to be released. So cutting to the chase, did the show’s premiere live up to the hype? (more…)
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The Walking Dead
Interview with Robert Kirkman
Interview by: Bill Jones
Robert Kirkman may be one of the greatest ambassadors to the comics medium alive. As a writer, he has created the best ongoing zombie series comics have seen in The Walking Dead, carved his own space in the realm of superheroes with the popular Invincible, and has tackled the horror-meets-superhero genre with The Astounding Wolf-Man. All of this while keeping control of his properties through the creator-owned publishing model of Image Comics. That is all, of course, in addition to his work at Marvel, where he became known for his run on Ultimate X-Men and launched the Marvel Zombies series. He also earns cred for starting his career with a concept as awesome as Battle Pope.
In addition to juggling a number of comics franchises, Robert Kirkman has been hard at work in the position of executive producer of AMC’s television series adaptation of The Walking Dead, set to debut this October, directed by Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile). Kirkman took some time earlier this month to answer some questions about his long-running zombie series and delve into the gory details of the upcoming show. Kirkman talks about seeing his comic come to life as a show, his philosophy on adaptations of his work, AMC, working with Frank Darabont, how fatherhood influences his work and what fans can expect from both the show and comic. (more…)
Title: The Walking Dead Vol. 11: Fear the Hunters
Publisher: Image
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
Rating:
Review by: Bill Jones
The Walking Dead is finally back firing on all cylinders for the first time since the Compendium. Trade #11, “Fear the Hunters” first introduces a new character, a loner preacher who has some secrets to reveal, but also a church to offer the group sanctuary, if they’re willing to trust him. The bigger conundrum, though, is a group dubbed “The Hunters,” who have been staying in the shadows and watching the group, for a gruesome purpose that Dale learns of first hand. Carl begins to cop an attitude in the new arc, and by the end of the first issue, we learn just how far he has come since the onset of the zombie apocalypse. This all follows the big revelation of Dale’s and Andrea’s children, which is one of the few things in the series that has felt a little forced, and not totally true to the characters involved. We also learn how much everyone else has changed in the way they deal with the Hunters. A solid story all around, with a great conclusion, but not without its glaring flaws. (more…)
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