Preview - Awakening: Volume 2

A few months back the first volume of an exciting new comic with zombies, mystery and a compelling story was released. This comic I speak of is Awakening, a chilling tale of a zombie outbreak in the making and one man’s search to find answers. Now the next volume is not due out until next year, but you're in luck as I had the opportunity to preview the first chapter and give you an idea of what you are in store for. If you haven’t picked up the first volume then you will be a bit lost as you won’t know the characters and what has happened so far in the story. Let's get to it. First a brief recap of Volume One. This first volume sets us on the journey of a retired police detective Derrick Peters as he is looking for a missing person and slowly comes to realize that something more sinister is going on. His fears are somewhat confirmed when he has a visitor one night, a young hysterical woman (named Sandra) claiming she saw a monster killing a person in a manner that could only be done by something completely evil. All of the murders and missing people attract the eye of the government and an agent is sent to find out what’s going on. These three characters are the driving force of the comic, besides the zombies of course. Volume Two sees the zombie pandemic spreading beyond the one town to an ever growing problem across the country, leading everyone to draw their own conclusions as to why this is happening and what can be done to stop it. This first chapter focuses moreso on the young woman Sandra and her coming to terms with a dark secret from the past. This gives the reader a view into what sort of troubles she has had before and what lies ahead as well. The link between this path of remembrance and the zombie problem shows off Sandra’s idea of why it’s happening. Her thinking is that everyone is being tested by a higher power needing to prove they are worth being saved and the undead known as the “awakening” are in a state of purgatory on earth. Naturally, these revelations are making all manners of people seek out the church for help and gives a possible clue as to what is the cause of it all. The chapter continues with the government agent, Dr. Howe, wondering why he has lost all contact with his department and why he can’t figure out what’s going on. It dawns on him that he was sent to that town to fail and that the government knew the zombie outbreak was going to happen. This begs the bigger question of if the government knew it was going to happen why did they let it happen (or are they the ones who started it)? I like how the comic is pushing out there different plausible causes of why the “awakenings” are there to begin with. On top of all this going on around the country, within the small town our story began in, there is a psycho killer on the loose dicing people up and leaving odd markings behind. This adds a whole new layer of crazy as what sort of person could be doing this when it seems the end is near. I really enjoyed this quick snap of what is in store for the reader in the next volume. As always I love how the comic is drawn; because of the gritty nature of the story and overall tone it fits perfectly. I thought it was an interesting move to show that “awakenings” are happening all over the United States and aren't just an isolated incident in the one town from the first volume. So far this first chapter has given me more questions to ponder as there is something more dangerous going on than originally thought. I like the direction they are taking with this comic and the inclusion of a villain that is using this zombie scare to carry out murders, and their own agenda heightens the tension our protagonists face. This next volume can’t come out soon enough as I am definitely wanting to know what happens next; this fervor shows the signs of a powerful comic. If you haven’t read the first volume of Awakening then you are missing out, and you better pick it up so you are ready for Awakening: Volume Two next year.

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