The Walking Dead Vol. 5: The Best Defense (v. 5)

The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled: no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, the survivors are forced to finally start living. As the survivors settle into their prison home something has drawn them out into the open... out of the prison... out of their sanctuary. This is a major turning point for the overall story of The Walking Dead, setting the stage for years to come. Reprint Edition

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the wait...

By Erik Olson "Seeker Reviews" - October 11, 2006

Well, it took forever for Image to release "Walking Dead 5: The Best Defense." Thankfully, it was worth the wait.

Our heroes are still holed up in their prison fortress, and they're trying to make it homier by restoring electrical power. Glenn and Maggie have discovered some riot gear, which leads to the idea of siphoning gas for the generator from abandoned cars in the prison lot. However, during that operation Rick and Tyreese spot a helicopter overhead. It starts spewing smoke and goes down a couple of miles away, so Rick decides to mount a rescue mission. But Rick, Glenn, and Michonne discover that another group has beaten them to the crash site. They track them to the nearby town of Woodbury, where a leader called "The Governor" has created a stronghold with around forty souls. As Rick discovers too late, zombies can be the least of one's problems.

The characters continue to evolve nicely in this series. As with other apocalyptic stories such as "The... read more

The Best Defense brings new dangers to our small band of survivors.

By A. Sandoc "sussarakhen" - October 27, 2006

The fifth volume in Image's The Walking Dead zombie series has finally been released after a very long delay. Does the story collected within this volume worth the long wait for fans of the books? I would say with a definitive yes that it is and was worth the wait. The Best Defense brings the story back to its horrific roots while keeping enough of the emotional travails of Rick and his band of survivors.

This graphic novel collects issues 25 through 30. Kirkman starts the story back up again in what seemed like just a few days since the shocking revelation of the last collection. There's still tension amongst the survivors living inside the prison. Relationships between characters are explored but not to the point that the story heads down into soap opera level. These are individuals who have been pushed close to the breaking point and clutching at whatever hope and love available to them even if it means forming some very unorthodox relationships. But don't that give you... read more

The road goes ever onward

By Patrick S. Dorazio "Author of The Dark Trilogy" - October 12, 2006

This ongoing saga continues and continues to impress. Rick and company have settled in at the prison and although there have been numerous traumas both related to the walking dead and to the interpersonal dynamics, the little community seems to be in fairly good shape nowadays.

We get our first taste of another survivor group that is not too far from where Rick and company are encamped. Unfortunately, this group is larger and is run by a sociopath that goes by the name of the Govenor. His people are pretty content in letting him run things by his own rules, which includes some pretty twisted forms of entertainment, as long as they are safe behind barricades, away from the living dead.

My main gripe with these volumes is how short they are, but alas, such is the challenge here-if you want the quality we have come to expect both in the writing and the graphics, it will take time to complete them. I was lucky enough to discover this series after the first four... read more