Unlike... a LOT of people (not everyone, a large handful. A very excessive number of individuals.), I still enjoy the comics.
I see a lot of people gettin' their knickers in a twist over all the stuff Mr. Kirkman's been doing, and to be honest... okay. I see your points, if some of ya'll are just acting outrageously salty for shits and giggles then I understand. I respect all opinions. I can see why people don't like the turn the comic is taking.
But oddly enough, I kinda feel like my opinion ain't welcome.
I mean I know it's the internet in 2017, so opinions are basically reason for a human being to get lynched on the spot, but still. I look at the comics not only from a zombie fanboy standpoint, but from a writing standpoint too, as I myself am an amateur writer.
And to be honest, I guess I must suck as a writer if this is the stuff I think is good! :D
See, I'm not calling out anyone or trying to change opinions or stuff. But my sense of humor is usually shit so I can never tell if peeps are actually saying I should kill myself or if they're just joking. But enough about that.
Here's why I like the comics, and why I am very very wrong in my opinion:
1. It's still keeping things pretty real. I mean, sure, we're seeing zombies and shit, but we aren't seeing any aliens or people who can fly and stuff. Hell, even the craziest of people we see are pretty realistic. Think about it, we're about 4.25 years into the outbreak at this point in the story. Anyone who is still alive at that point is either really good at not getting thrown out of a community, or is insanely tough and capable. For example, the Princess. Ya know, the bitch everyone hates.
I... I like her and her design. Yeah, she dresses funky, but can you blame her? The world is free reign in the undead outbreak. People will do whatever they want. Dress however they feel. And I like that, it's unique. It makes her stand out, and it isn't as unrealistic as people think.
If people think that generally quirky and strange individuals is an unrealistic concept, you clearly don't get out much. But I CAN see why people don't like her, don't get me wrong.
2. Unlike apparently everybody, I liked Andrea's death. Cause I hated her.
Okay, I didn't HATE her, most of my dislike towards her is specifically for the Road to Survival app (fuckin' Eagle Eye, fuckin' 800% damage, fuckin' OHKO... sucks ass...). But... it kinda had to happen? I think I remember Kirkman saying back at the time of Tyreese's death that nobody lives forever, and he has deaths planned for everyone and he's deciding if they work or not and if they'll be used in the end or something like that. Like... really, I know it's a story, but still. It's also a concept of real life in the zombie apocalypse. So if it ever seems very strange, sporadic, and downright badly paced... welcome to life.
Life is strange, sporadic, and downright badly paced. And if you don't like the comics because of that, all the power to ya. You don't have to like them. But you really have to be accepting of what LIFE is to be okay with the story. Because it's documenting life. It's showing what the fuck people are doing and what the fuck people are coming up with in terms of methods to survive.
And abrupt deaths are insanely realistic. That's why Abe's death is pretty decent. It just... HAPPENED. And so did Andrea's death. She didn't get to go out like a badass? Yeah, I know. And Robin Williams didn't go out guns a blazin' like a badass, either, but we didn't care (I mean, we all cared he passed, may he rest in peace, but you get the point).
But still. I can see why people don't like it. It may show LIFE and LIVING in the apocalypse, but it's still a STORY. And in stories, liberties are meant to be taken. And that's what Robert Kirkman did.
He took liberties with the Governor. I mean, c'mon, a lot of people love him (I think), and he was pretty realistic. A man driven insane, and with some sweet gear because let's be honest, as I said before you can wear whatever you want.
He took liberties with EZEKIEL. I mean, I LOVED Ezekiel. He was just so interesting and creative. He's the kind of guy I WOULD TOTALLY BE in the apocalypse. Someone with such an unexpected stance and aura that in a sense, it WOULD be imposing. And that was good writing. We had never, EVER encountered someone as unique as Ezekiel before. That made him a very unpredictable character. Nobody knew what he would do, he could've done anything to either side.
And Shiva isn't unrealistic. Plenty of people in the real world now have exotic pets. I found that really cool, actually. I mean, if you're gonna kill zombies, might as well find new ways to kill them!
3. The story itself isn't getting stale, at least not to me. I have a huge amount of respect for Robert Kirkman for his intricate ways of making the story flow. It's just like life, it's unexpected. You can't predict life and you just can't predict the story. I mean yeah, you can predict the next issue, or the one after that, but you can't predict volumes ahead. Nobody saw the Whisperers coming at the time of Negan. Nobody saw Negan coming at the time of Alexandria. Nobody saw Alexandria coming at the time of the Governor. Nobody saw the Governor coming at the time of the Prison. Et cetera and et cetera.
My point is... There's always something new around every corner. I mean, going back to the Princess... can you really blame him? The real world is already full of nutcases. We can't act like nutcases don't exist, shouldn't exist, and are the worst things in the world. But that's not saying you have to LIKE the stuff. I personally can think of how someone would relate to character, and not how I myself can relate. It helps me understand the character more because I can see a person I KNOW in them, allowing me to wonder, "what will this character do?" I'm not saying I see a Princess in the people I know IRL, but still.
And why am I wrong on all this?
Because it's the internet in 2017. I'm wrong unless I hate all this.