The Walking Dead: Volume 4: The Heart's Desire

As seems to be my boilerplate opinion of the Walking Dead series, Volume 4 is yet another awesome chapter. It barely took me the first twenty pages of this volume before I had enough notes to cover an entire post. However, as I don't wish to drag out my coverage over an infinite period, I'll continue trying to review each volume with a single post.

*Warning* Spoilers

Given that I am attempting to focus on specific practices and issues that will help one survive the zombie apocalypse, a lot happened in Volume 3 that I didn't mention in my previous post (Hershel's youngest kids killed by one of the inmates, Tyreese killing Chris, who had just killed Tyreese's daughter Julie in an unfinished double-suicide attempt, Rick locking up Dexter for suspicion of the murders, etc.). However, this drama came to a notable head at the conclusion of Volume 3, and Volume 4 picks up with the inmate Dexter ordering Rick and his crew out of the prison at gun point.

[SURVIVOR PSYCHOLOGY]

This particular event is worthy of attention, as it is a scenario that any group of survivors could easily find themselves faced with. Not in the specific sense, with angry shotgun-toting inmates, but with regards to division, resentment, and power struggles within any group of people. Even the most generous and well intentioned of folks are not immune to the whim of human emotion. Perhaps if the survivors were a bunch of Buddhist Zen masters, they might manage to maintain an admirable level of respect and civility towards one another. However, take one of society's average law-abiding citizens, swap all of our legal and social constraints with a real fear of death, and you'll soon see soccer moms using machetes to negotiate grocery prices.

This particular confrontation between Rick and Dexter is an interesting case when considering the impact of emotion, and the struggle to control resources amongst a group of people. It is also interesting from the perspective of leadership. Up to this point, Rick was pretty much assumed to be the de facto leader, due to his background in law enforcement, and his general willingness to assume the role. However, Dexter isn't quite so content to let these newcomers control his fate, and decides to take a different approach to leadership. That being, rule through force.

This is an important topic to consider, for without some form of checks and balances, force is the simplest, and ultimate decider in any conflict. Rick had been trying to follow a "you kill, you die" philosophy for the governing of his group, but this confrontation gave everyone a painful lesson in reality. Rick could accept Dexter's ultimatum, pack up his people and leave the sanctuary of the prison, or he could fight back. He had to choose between returning his wife and child to mortal peril, or using violence to preserve their safety. Rick chooses to execute Dexter in the chaos of an unexpected zombie attack, and realizes that one's survival depends upon a "you kill, you live" philosophy.

[ZOMBIE PHYSIOLOGY]

Moving onto another topic of interest, I'd like to comment on Rick's decision to amputate Allen\'s foot after he is bitten on the ankle. This is an interesting strategy that I may have seen elsewhere (though I can't recall where), but it is undoubtedly very risky, and of questionable value. It makes sense that if someone is bit on an extremity, it may be possible to sever the limb before the infection has begun to spread through the blood stream, but I honestly don't have any idea how quickly this would need to be performed. If the victim was bitten near a major artery or vein, I can't imagine that there would be much more than 30 seconds of leeway to stop the spread, but I suppose it may be possible.

However, this is all just my uneducated hypothesis, and one would really need to consult someone with a better understanding of human physiology to form a more accurate opinion. Aside from whether it may or may not even be possible to stop the infection, you are certainly taking a major risk by attempting a surgical procedure without proper preparation, equipment, or experience. As was abundantly clear, hacking Allen's foot off with a hatchet was a lost cause from the get go. I think it was Hershel who knew to use hair to tie off the major veins and arteries, but Allen had already lost a tremendous amount of blood, and the rather unsanitary use of the hatchet would likely have led to infection. I won't completely write off this procedure, for if you've been bitten, well, you're screwed anyways. I just wouldn't get my hopes up too high.

[ZOMBIE DOMESTICATION]

The last item of interest I'll mention is the newcomer Michonne, and more specifically, the two neck-shackled zombies she was leading around on chains. I suppose the two pet ghouls had some how learned they couldn't eat their master, as she had cut off their arms and jaws, but I'm a little skeptical about this possibility. I am even further dubious of the claim that having these two tamed undead following her around somehow kept other zombies from attacking her. Teeth or not, I don't think that pair of ghouls would have ever stopped gumming away at Michonne, not to mention attracting the attention of every other zombie in earshot. Not that I think it needs saying, but please don't put this theory to the test, even if you do have a katana and want to look like a total badass.

I know these were only a few points of interest, and there were certainly many more, but I think I'll call it good for this post. As always, I offer my highest praise to this series, and fully encourage those who have not read The Walking Dead to pick up the first volume and give it a shot.