What’s worse than the walking dead? Fine Young Cannibals.
The Walking Dead #63: Fear the Hunters, Part 2 of 5 
Publisher: Image
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Inker: Charlie Adlard
Colorist: Cliff Rathburn
Covers: Cliff Rathburn
Summary: The second part of the Fear The Hunters arc delves deep into religious theories and expands upon the hunters’ intentions. Dale is still missing from the group, Andrea freaks out (as par usual), and we finally get some real meat (pun intended) from the “hunters”-Deliverance style. Add to that a revealing religious debate between Eugene and Gabriel, and you have an issue loaded with substance.
Review: The Walking Dead is noticeably thicker these days. That’s because in a special one-time only run, Layman’s issue of Chew debuts in the same comic. A two-for-one special, Chew makes the perfect addendum to The Walking Dead, especially in this issue. (Ahem, cannibals, ahem).
In the second installment of Kirkman’s mini-arc, we finally get down to the ‘meat’ of the story, and the hunters’ motives. The story opens with a dramatic break-down from Andrea; she is desperately and foolishly searching for Dale. Crying, screaming out his name, blindingly roaming the forest, Andrea puts all of the survivors in danger by drawing attention to herself. This little tantrum takes Andrea from moderately annoying to downright obnoxious. The woman bases all of her individuality in Dale, and its a shame she can’t pull herself together and utilize her excellent skills. Later in the story, she comes around when it is her that finally realizes that the group is being ‘watched’.
Gabriel and Eugene tempt the morality of their actions and question the idea of religion in quite a riveting debate. The priest remains that there is a god, and that the zombies are proof of that whereas the other man (being a scientist at heart) argues that the zombies’ existence is proof that there is not. So it goes, back and forth, with an inconclusive yet solid ending to the debate that eventually unveils the truth behind the priest’s actions.
Rick (as well as the rest of the group) are sickened and shocked by the Priest’s actions (or lack thereof). However, it does confirm that he has nothing to do with Dale’s disappearance or the feeling that they are being watched.
The hunters in this story make a brief but very powerful appearance. Obviously hit with a case of mad-hatter insanity, the hunters explain to Dale the reasons behind their kidnapping with a flawed sense of logic. In the end, though, we find out that the hunters are no different than the zombies themselves: both are cannibals.
This is an interesting spin on the series, and actually a believable one at that. They are living in times where fresh or fast food is not available, and so it does make sense, in a sick kind of way, that some people have to resort to eating humans. However, considering that human beings are now the endangered species on the planet, substituting animals for people is plain insane. The animals are abundant and non-zombified, and sure to be plentiful now that man is not destroying their natural habitats anymore. The hunters being cannibals sure makes for a curious case.
What’s scarier than a flesh-eating zombie, shuffling and moaning their way towards you in the hopes of eating you alive? A living, breathing, thinking human running their way towards you in the hopes of eating you alive. Kirkman introduces a creepy spin on the series—one that I’m sure will bring about certain tragedy for our little survivors. Will they make it to Washington before being eaten alive?
July 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I’ve been told that it is the humans who are the scary part of TWD, not the zombies.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:06 am
You would be correct in that assumption