The Walking Dead, Vol. 13: Too Far Gone
While this volume had some interesting reversals, I'm still finding that my enjoyment of this series has waned.
All through Vol. 12 there was a pervasive sense of creep and horror hiding in the idyllic community Rick & Co. found themselves sheltering in. I kept expecting some horrible secret to pop out of existence, and for the leader, Douglas, to turn out to be some wacko perv-job or something. But the creep turns out to be mostly in my head (and Rick's and the other survivors') as the people in the community turn out to be sheltered and unprepared, but relatively normal for all that.
The conflict in this volume comes from the tension between Rick's survivors having to deal with the trauma of living outside the walls for so long, and how it's made them unable to live normal lives, and how the more normal lifestyle of those within the walls has made them unprepared for disaster, both internal and external. Douglas is unable to recognize the danger present in wife-beating Pete, but Rick goes too far in his initial punishment (which then pushes Pete over the edge, and he goes homicidal). Andrea can't seem to make a connection with the handsome young man who pursues her, even though they are both lonely, but her keen marksmanship is the only thing that saves the community when rogues threaten to break in the gates.
The volume ends with Douglas stepping down as leader, as he believes he doesn't have what it takes to protect the community. He'd fooled himself into believing they'd created a safe space and has only now realized that even as letting Rick and Co. in has brought danger inside, it was also already there.
Anyway, it's all very interesting intellectually, but the characters are so grim and literal I have a hard time connecting with them. Pushing through though. I'm determined to finish out at least through Vol. 16 by the end of the year.