Walking Dead 8: Made to Suffer -- zombie comic keeps hitting it out of the park

The eighth collection of the long-running zombie adventure comic The Walking Dead is called "Made to Suffer," and it proves that the creative team of Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn still have plenty of capacity to scare the shit out of me with grisly, relentless adventure stories that grab hold and don't let go until you've turned the last page.

The Walking Dead is your basic zombie story: zombies roam the land, survivors try to avoid them. Over the past several years, the story has had the plucky adventurers move from cities to campsites to a prison to a walled city governed by a retarded sadist of a mayor who uses blood-sports to keep the population in check.

In volume 8, we see the first major post-zombie war of the story, in which two bands of survivors go all-out to destroy one another, on a battlefield filled with biting zombies who pose a grave threat to both sides. There's some interesting stuff about human nature, mob mentality and so on in this volume, but that's not what I read it for.

I read it because it is so goddamned well plotted that I can't stop reading it. It's the kind of adventure yarn that gives you just enough characterization to get you caring about the people so that you won't be able to look away when they are plunged into disastrous combat. If you're looking to have an afternoon swiftly and mercilessly ripped out of your life, sit down with all eight of these collections and get scared and sweaty. The Walking Dead Volume 8: Made To Suffer

Link to Volume 7, Link to Volume 6, Link to Volume 5, Link to Volume 4, Link to Volume 3, Link to Volume 2, Link to Volume 1

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Book • Comics • Happy Mutants

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Caleb Monroe

What is quite refreshing about the series is simply how linear the progression is – unlike the superhero structure based on the “illusion of change.” You can almost see Kirkman making sure he’s never letting himself remain in his comfort zone and pushing the plot into areas he didn’t necessarily plan for.

This is why almost all the cool things in comics happen in creator-owned books.
Anonymous

A friend of mine has all 8 trades and i tore through them recently over a weekend. Freaking creepy. Terrifying comic. Great science fiction that explores the human condition under pressure.
belgium

I’m glad to see that I’m not alone in being put off by the direction Kirkman’s gone with this series, particularly with this book.

This book isn’t scary, it’s grotesque, pure exploitation torture porn for a good proportion of it.

I get that global catastrophe and societal collapse is likely to bring out the worst in people, but seriously, there isn’t a singly likable or respectable character in the book. I couldn’t give a damn if they lived or died – the worst characters, including some of the ‘good’ guys, I actually would quite happily have seen die.

This series has become the ‘Saw’ of comics.
kaosdevice

I still really like this comic. It continues to surprise me and go in unexpected directions. My only gripe about TWD is that I miss the original artists, but hey whaddayagonnado?
macdonst

If you think Volume 8 scared the pants off you wait until Volume 9 with the seminal 50th issue.
freshyill

After starting out with the trades, I’ve fallen a few months behind with the Walking dead individual issues (can’t really call ‘em monthlies the way Kirkman puts them out). I’ve got to get caught up again. It’s an absolutely fantastic series.
rojay

One of the issues in this trade was the last straw for me. I have a soft spot for zombie apocalypse stories, but Kirkman has ended up only slightly less sadistic than the Mayor of the town you mentioned.

I understand where he’s going with the story, I suppose, I just don’t want to go there with him.
jer2665

I found the Walking Dead off of your recommendations (as well as DMZ) and have thoroughly loved both of them, them and absolute sandman have really made me get back into comics again, now to get through y the last man and fables so i can move on to more.

But I’m absolutely amazed at how, I guess I call it brave, they are to do what they did in this comic. Most comics I feel would take the easy way out.
Peaceflag2007

I was reading until the torture scene…then I stopped and thought “why am I reading this for entertainment?” too violent for me thanks
Jesse Raub

This is definitely a wonderful series. I could re-read it five times. In fact, I’ve already re-read it twice.
theclaw

For a fantastic horror comic series, check out the series “Runoff” by Tom Manning. Kind of hard to find (seen it at the Meltdown on Sunset in LA and Comic Relief in Berkeley) but pretty much have to order it online at http://www.robotsandmonkeys.com
Anaxaforminges

God help me I loved the torture scene. The man who had been raping a female protagonist repeatedly and brutally gets his comeuppance. (It was in the context of the story and not what the whole series is based on.)

When the zombie apocalypse comes, I want her on my team.

Just sayin’
mortis

This comic and Ennis’s The Boys are the only two comics I read and actually have the store owner pull for me each month. Both are FANTASTIC!

TWD needs to be an HBO series!
Barnaby Claydon

I loved The Walking Dead, until the last few pages of vol 8. It was just /too much/ in my opinion. I understand what Kirkman’s trying to do, but sometimes you can leave a ray of hope and dash it later instead of rubbing our faces in the despair.

So? I’ll still pick-up vol9 and read it eagerly, but the monthlies covers for those issues look pretty grim. :/
A New Challenger

If I wanted to have an afternoon mercilessly ripped out of my life while getting scared and sweaty I’d have sex with my wife.

(Kidding- I’m completely single.)
Chang

Man, I love this book. I got it on the rec from here. I got to book 5 and had to stop because it was soooo intense, and also scaring the shit out of me. Maybe I need to pick it up again and only read it during bright sunny days while Spongebob is playing in the background.
gordyt

Cory thanks for posting this. My son loves the series. As soon as I read your post I had a copy shipped to him at Fort Benning.
jrc

I just read this on my flight from Halifax to Ottawa and was just as engaged. I’m always a bit shocked at the fact that the series can still shock me. Like a few of the others though I was turned off by the torture (which is as it should be, I suppose) but I found myself snatching up the next volume when I found it.

What is quite refreshing about the series is simply how linear the progression is – unlike the superhero structure based on the “illusion of change.” You can almost see Kirkman making sure he’s never letting himself remain in his comfort zone and pushing the plot into areas he didn’t necessarily plan for.
Bionicrat2

I was trembling when I finished this one (Vol. 8.). I had started reading it before bed and mistakenly finished it all in one sitting. I needed an Owly chaser afterward to get to sleep.
TheGorch

“TWD needs to be an HBO series!”

Absolutely.
zuzu

“TWD needs to be an HBO series!” Absolutely.

So that means AMC will pick it up? (like with Mad Men and Breaking Bad.)