Talk:Dead Frontier/Issue 144/@comment-1107423-20140102054303

So it’s come to an end. And yes, I know I’m late as fuck.

I mulled over how I was going about doing this; “Dead Frontier” was one of the first stories I ever read on the site, and the first one to get me hooked. Overall, it’s been a crazy ride. Tons of amazing stories have been told; so many great characters have come and gone (mostly gone. RIP to everyone we’ve lost throughout the story’s lifetime) and they’ve left with them such an amazing legacy. You should be proud, Bait. Never before have I seen such a loyal, obsessive fan base on such a small site... It’s a sign. You’ve got raw talent bruh, keep it up and this can be your thing.

I know you said it wasn’t even necessary to the storyline of “Dead Legacy” to catch up and finish “Dead Frontier”, but I’ve gotten so far and even though I was told a lot of stuff beforehand, I just didn’t feel right leaving “Dead Frontier” unfinished. It’s like watching half of a good movie then getting up to leave. Not because it’s a bad movie, but because you had to take a really long shit and by the time you come back, you realize the movie’s over and everyone has watched it without you.

Anyways, after that shitty (gettit? So cluvur) analogy, let’s get it started (HA LETS GET IT STARTED IN HURRRR):

First of all, I need to discuss Cole. Where I left off last – which I believe was in the one-hundred-teens area. I don’t recall exactly which issue and I’m lazy as fuck so I feel no need to go back and check, but it doesn’t matter since I’m caught up now: I felt a lot of sense of sadness and closure in Cole’s arc through these issues. There was a lot of build up to it, and it’s easy to spot if you know going into it that Cole is a goner. You read these issues and there is a lot of subtle breakdown of Cole’s arc, a culmination of his character into someone who is completely different, but completely the same, from the young man he was when the story began.

By the time 128 came around, I knew it was here. I knew it was time.

And it didn’t make it any easier.

Cole has been around from the beginning, Cole was THE man. This was a guy who went through so many hardships and so many ups and downs throughout his life, pre- and post-apocalypse. He was a shallow dude at first honestly, we could tell since he fucked Hannah over. And it seems to me he’s come out of this experience, and died, a better man than he ever was. The zombie apocalypse made him a changed man for the better, he brought happiness and purpose to a spoiled little rich girl named Lucy. Overall, it was just a beautiful story and the little details of his death and the aftermath – from the beautiful and moving death scene itself, to the journal, to Lucy being pregnant. It all just felt so beautiful and despite being thrown into a “random” issue, it all made so much sense story-wise. Cole’s arc hit its crux and it made sense for him to end at 128 and I think you made the best decision you could for his character by killing him there. RIP Cole, you will be forever missed man.

Moving on, I have got to say that Lucy is one of the best characters on the wiki. You took a shallow girl, and you could have easily kept her that shallow girl, but you made her into something else. You made her a star honestly, you changed a lot of hearts & minds toward her character. We went from an ambivalent audience to one that was rooting for her by the end (and if you weren’t, I honestly have nothing to say to you).

The use of flashbacks throughout this final stretch of issues was an obvious choice; not atypical and not to the point of eye-rollingly-expected, but appreciated. You used them nicely, and the final appearances of characters long gone gave us a real feeling of closure to the story. Especially in 144, those Cole moments were great. As small as it was, the Ivy one touched me. It was great to see that conversation about her being a teacher, and really foreshadowing her role in DL even further.

The infection changing and mutating felt incredibly realistic and added terrifying new dimensions to these final issues. Everything falling apart in the end was expected, but you really brought it to a head and made it all worth it. Arcs for some characters like Duke, came to a heartbreakingly tragic end (this was one of the ones that hit me the most honestly) while others like Lucy were able to step up in moments of need (more on that later). Dean was a dick, but his character grew on me like an infectious, disgusting fungus. But what a guy. I felt for him in the end, what a way to go!

I’ve got to say, one arc in particular that stuck out to me was Hunter’s. Tying it in with the other survivors of the plane crash was INCREDIBLE. The Cedric/Hunter tie-in was heartbreaking, honestly. I felt for Hunter’s character, despite his volatile behavior, I found him incredibly well-crafted as a human being. You gave him a lot of dimensions and made him stand out from the rest. He felt real to me, and despite his actions and risky behavior, I was rooting for him in the end. He was a guy who lost basically everything, and in the end had a nice wrap-up for his arc. His death justified not just his character, but serviced Lucy too. It was great to see her step up and take him out. It was a powerful moment imo, and I felt really sad to see him go. You should be proud of his arc AJ, I think you did a terrific job there.

I really liked the pre-“Dead Legacy” introductions of characters Elliott and Harlow. I think, as much offputting there is about Lucy’s new baby daddy and his role in Stella’s life in the sequel, it would’ve been much worse if we didn’t have this introduction here in DF for him. I feel like you made the smart move here by introducing him, because the audience became at least slightly familiar with him before he made the full jump to our deuteragonist (yes I used that word, sue me bitch). Harlow’s was great too, I still don’t have a 100% honest feel for her character yet but I love how she plays off of Elliott so well. These two make a great team, their introduction was a top-notch decision. It worked as a great tease for the future and serviced the other characters and the story well. Shows excellent planning on your part.

One of my favorite characters, Jake, had some great growth. I worried he would have hit his peak shooting Lucy and then die off from there, but seeing him step up in the wake of Cole’s death and his relationships with Lienne, Ivy, and Lucy in particular kept me emotionally invested in each and every one of them. Daniel happened to be an excellent addition to the cast, he felt stale at first but I loved him by the end. I feared for Tora throughout all of these issues honestly, haha, but you did me proud and kept her around to the end <3 She deserved it! Lienne, too. The relationships between all of these characters and their interactions throughout the series have been a joy to read. You’ve done so good at keeping them all fresh, never boring.

Adam went through such a journey throughout the series, and to see him in those final issues struggling with life left me on the edge of my SEAT. To finally kill him after all of this time felt like the obvious move, and to leave it so open-ended at the end of the series was a nice touch. He was “okay”, his leg got hacked off, but he’s bleeding out and unconscious and … we’re left wondering. I know you’ll probably touch on this in the epilogue, but I’m still antsy as fuck. It was great to see him step up. All of these characters have become so tight and like family, so to see him take on that role in Cole’s absence as the “big dad” of the group was nice. And man those last few paragraphs of this finale issue? Unbelievable. To end with Lucy seeing the beauty of the sky and the gates opening was absolutely great. To have such a despair-filled story end with some form of hope… It was beautiful. I feel like a lot of people were expecting total depression, instead you went with a professional, satisfying end.

I can’t help but feel sad right now. I’m going to read this epilogue now and leave further comments there. Love you bait, thanks for the journey.