The Walking Dead, Vol. 04: The Heart's Desire by  Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn | Rating: ★★★★☆

Continuing on with my binge reread (as well as my first time reviewing the graphic novels, ah!) of The Walking Dead we've officially reached volume four. Time really flies by when you're reading one of these volumes--I have to stop myself from reading the entire series because if I could, I would do so and not eat/sleep. The Heart's Desire is one of my favourites to read because to me, it is one of the quickest. Also--Michonne is introduced in this go.

So for me, the intrigue is at an all-time high. Death and loss during the series are common. I mean, hello? Zombies. There's always that threat and the lengths they will go to continue to survive. At its deepest, that's what The Walking Dead is about; the complexities of remaining humane whilst surviving the most dire of circumstances. I think that The Heart's Desire really plays into this fact well and shows the most soul that we've seen in the first quarter of the series.

That being said: the massive cliffhanger at the end of the third volume is confronted right away and it's something that Rick struggles with through the remainder of this installment. I always thought that seeing this shift in Rick was one of the most realistic paths the novels could have taken with his entire persona. He is very conflicted trying to figure out where he stands and what his morals are nowadays and I think that's one of the most fascinating developments.

Second, the deaths. We lose a familiar face and nearly lose another after an affair breaks out. I don't want to spoil more of it, in case someone is reading my review that hasn't checked this out yet, but it is certainly dramatic. Between new faces and old; the same old threats in a new setting, the novel is both moving forward emotionally while standing still for the moment. Overall, it is a great read. I loved the balance of emotion, sex, violence and fear. Most of all, I loved seeing both conflict and support in the community the survivors have built for themselves.