Revival, Vol. 3: A Faraway Place

Revival #3

by Tim Seeley (Writer), Mike Norton (Illustrator), Art Baltazar (Illustrator)

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now the living and the recently returned struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy amidst political and religious conflicts. Officer Dana Cypress is hot on the trail of a man she believes may have murdered her sister Em, but Em herself is on a quest through the snowy woods to find the strange glowing creature that haunts a child.

Collects REVIVAL #12-17

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Zombies, Mystery

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2014

About the author

Tim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Batman Eternal and Grayson. He is also the co-creator of the Image Comics titles Hack/Slash[1] and Revival, as well as the Dark Horse titles, ExSanguine and Sundowners. He lives in Chicago.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Weirder choices complicate, flat in parts, it fluctuates, though poignant portions punctuate, bit flowery but resonates.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Faraway Place is another winning volume from the Revival title as far as I'm concerned.



Bonus?
Unlike some of the other stuff out there with mysteries at the core of their story, this one isn't keeping us entirely in the dark as to what's going on. No, not everything is becoming clear, but some of the older questions are starting to get answers.



The more mundane murder mystery (Em's murder) is still under secret investigation by her big sis, Dana. In this one, she pulls her ex into a slightly illegal plan search Em's married ex-lover/old professor's office to find out more about him.

And Em babysits her nephew and a little Reviver girl named Jordan. It doesn't turn out to be quite the cozy night Em was hoping for, but the end result gives the reader some idea as to what the ghosts in the woods might be in the grand scheme of things.


Plus, a whole lotta other spoilery shit happens.



This is one that I'm trying desperately to pace myself with the volumes, instead of just gobbling them up as quickly as I can. I guess we'll see how well that works out for me...?
Highly recommended!

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

in case you are just joining us now, this is a basic summary of the first two books:




this series just keeps getting better and better. it's a zombies-but-not-reeeeally book, which gives you zombies as a recognizable touchpoint and then takes the traditional mythology and spins it in a completely unexpected direction until you forget there were ever any other kinds of undead beings.

the events keep building and escalating and i have no idea where they are going to end up, but i am HOOKED. HOOKED!!!

so excited

so impatient to get more of this story.



so unfair that i can't have it now.

and - eeeeee!



come to my blog!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still loving these graphic novels. I guess I'm going to say that every time. I don't really understand all of what is going on or know enough to give a great review but I don't care, I love them anyway =)

There is all kinds of cray going on as usual. And I finally figured out what the white things in the woods are there for, there may be more too it later on but still.



And Dana is in it of course and she's doing some under cover work with her jerk of an ex husband. NOT that kind of undercover work, the kind where your trying to figure out what's going on. Geez people =)

And Dana's son Cooper thinks Martha is a hero and a monster but in a good way, which he's right. One night she is watching Cooper and his little friend Jordan (she's a little girl that is a reviver like Martha) while Dana goes out on a date.

On the way to take Jordan home, Martha runs into some weirdness. Jordan keeps talking about hearing THEM. Well, THEM are the white things in the woods and they are telling Jordan she should never have came back from the dead. I'm guessing that's true, obviously right?

Jordan just wants to go with them but . . . Martha doesn't want her to do that.



Jordan pops out Martha's eye and runs off. DON'T WORRY, the eye pops back in and Martha heals. All of the revivers can heal as far as I understand it.

Anyway, Martha doesn't stop, she will not let the white things get Jordan.



I think after all is said and done, Martha should have let the white things take Jordan. Because Jordan goes off the deep end, cutting off her eyelids and freaking her parents out. Then they send her away. Sigh. . .



I wonder where all of this is going? I wonder what they are going to do with Jordan at the place her parents took her?

I guess I will find out . . .

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good the second time around. Seeley does a great job of weaving in new plot points while answering older ones. It's more or less revealed what the ghosts are and we focus on the creepy little girl Reviver. I'm still loving this book. with it's great use of horror in a rural, normal setting, it's fantastic.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Faraway Place, volume 3 in the Revival series, spooked the hell out me! NOT an easy thing to do mind you. I’ve been reading, watching, and hanging out with horror from…well let’s just say I started waay too young. :D The shadows, creatures, and magic of the night have always ruled my imagination with jumps, jitters, blood, and guts. It’s not the blood that gives me the chills anymore though; it’s something much, much more.

“I didn’t live that long before I died. I didn’t get so used to being alive that I could just ignore it when I wasn’t anymore.”

So here we are back in the small Wisconsin town where the recently deceased came back to life. Still quarantined, folks are just trying to move on with life even with the weirdness circling and closing in. Mysteries, murder, body parts and creepy kids fill this story with twists and turns and fun. But what hit my shiver button was the loss, longing, sadness, and regret. What we long for in this life, can’t have, or gave up can pull us to pieces. What we sacrifice in this world never fails to break my heart and soul. Sometimes we don’t even realize we lost our smiles, our joy, ourselves until it’s too late. All we have is the pain to make us feel alive. I don’t know—I’m sure around now you’re probably saying—“Jeez, Laura! It’s a comic book.” But read it! It will set off some major soul searching shivers. Plus we have gore! Eye-gouging gore! Haha…Eyeball ooze gets me every time.

“Eyelids are kind of silly aren’t they? They just keep you from seeing everything.”

Seeley and Norton outdid themselves with this book. All the pieces and characters that swirled around and overwhelmed me in the previous books came together in this chapter with color, power, and WOW! Moments and events, often happening at the same time, fit together to form one hell of a read! So many voices hit the page with their own style and attitude—Cooper’s comic book was an adorable way to catch readers up with past events. It made me giggle. And Weimar’s letter gave me *chills*--causing more mystery than answers.

I am waiting right here on the edge of my seat for the next book. This journey keeps getting better and better!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume felt much more focused than the previous one, which is exactly what I'd been hoping for. I'm also feeling more sure that Seeley knows where this is ultimately going. Hopefully that keeps up.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to get annoyed. I feel like it just keeps bouncing from one character to another because there isn't enough to drive the plot. A lot of this is just stupid, useless dialogue among characters I don't care about. I keep expecting more from this series, but it just keeps dicking around. It moves so slowly, but without being scary or intense. It still has some elements that are nice, but it really needs to progress.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

And so on to Sunday morning reading - I will admit that I am still trying to finish off those series I have read so far in to - I know its probably one of my worst reading habits - but I thought it was time to get back in to this series again.

And so here we are at book 3 and I will admit that I think I have made the cardinal sin - I have not read up on the previous two instalments to see what is going on. I sort of remember but I do not know the relationships or all of the characters - so I think I will make myself go back and read the other two so apologies if there are repeat entries.

I guess this is the issue I am going to find the more older series I return to - I can remember what happened and where we got to - but often characters and set pieces in the storyline are returned to and these subtleties are were I am going to get caught out.

So without giving away any spoilers as to be honest I cannot be sure what is signifiant and what is not i think I need to re-evaluate how I go back to series and maybe be prepared in doing a little refresher work.

The art work is sharp and the shocks when they come are still quite profound it is good to see that the writer and artist are not afraid to approach things but at the same time not go over board for cheap thrills or throw away shocks

From a series of 8 there is still a long way to go so I am not going to even to pretend to say I know where things are going - just looking forward to seeing how we get there.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Update review: Well, it's still not great, but I was more intrigued with this volume than the last two. This time I'll go past this volume to see if I like the second half of this series more. Still a 3 out of 5.

This is the last volume I'll be reading of this series. I just felt like the creator had a more fun idea with Hack/slash which is what made me pick this one up. This series is good, for what it is. Solid art as well. It just doesn't grip you the same way and I find it boring to finish. Sorry, this one is being placed to the side.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy and twisted and uncomfortable...and I love it.

World: The art is good, the emotions are real because of the great character designs. The world building is strong as there are still so many mysteries and hidden agendas create this arc. A lot more things revealed leading to just more questions, which is all absolutely fantastic. The world is good.

Story: Weird and creepy. Em's journey, the town the creepers, all of it was so good this arc, the cases are interesting and the pieces are moving into place for some more reveals for next arc, I can feel it. The tone is great, the pacing wonderful and the dialog is done well. The emotions are a bit wonky sometime though as a lot of things are happening so fast and the quiet moments sometimes don't really fit (like Dana dating) but then again I'm not in that town I don't really know how it would work.

Characters: Em's journey still intrigues me and her personal journey is great, so is Dana with the stuff that happened this arc. Heck the entire town are great, all Twin Peaks like with their lies and secrets. Just fantastic.

Fantastic!

Onward to the next book!

[Michael Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is still so good. The story is finally starting to take off in this volume. There's still a lot of character development and a very deliberate pace, but things have started to come together. It's becoming much more of a conspiracy book, but there's still a good amount of action sprinkled throughout.

As for the art, one of my favorite parts was when they showed the stuff Cooper was working on by himself. After a page or so the first time, it flipped back to the artist's normal style and it was just astounding how pretty it was. The book just looks great. Little details on each character sets them apart. I've discovered all sorts of new ways for people to look creepy in this book. I can't wait to see what else comes in Volume 4.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume manages to amp up the tension, showing new traits of the revivers and the glowing man, while also fleshing out the town and its citizens further. An evening out makes for a fun time with several characters, while M and a young returner have some adventures of their own. It's still definitely in the building stages, but some of the stories have started to resolve themselves, usually in surprising ways. And the characters are definitely growing and changing; seeing Dana and her relationship with her ex and her son is wrenching at times. So again, not action packed, but very immersive. And the art is again well done, providing every character with a distinctive look that is integral to a story with this many moving parts.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume starts to pick things up some. Some pretty important events occur and we're given more snippets of information, but of course that just leads to more questions. There's some pretty horrific scenes in this volume too. The series really seems to be hitting its stride with this volume so I hope the next one continues to be as compelling.

[Chinook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooooh, this was a really good installment. The mystery just keeps on getting deeper and murkier. I am really enjoying the female characters in particular - they get more time than the male ones in this story and I have no objections.

[Danger]

Alright. We're hitting our stride now. Series is coasting along. Never boring. And the mystery has me hooked.

[Lesincele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es el volumen que más me ha gustado de momento. Ha sido muy intenso, ha dado respuestas además de introducir nuevos interrogantes...se ha puesto muy interesante

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waited a little too long on this review and now I don’t remember too well what happened in this volume. Oops! I will say I feel like there are a lot of strange things happening in the story, but rather than starting to try and answer some questions the writers just seem to keep adding puzzle pieces that don’t currently fit anywhere. Maybe it’s just too early in the series for me to be looking for answers, but it certainly helps me want to keep going if I feel like the puzzle’s at least starting to come together!

[BookCupid · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is getting better as Revivers are seeking control over their transformation. Being impossible for them to die, leads some to feel immortal and gain tremendous egos. This of course, makes Dana's job as cop/mom/sister/daughter (she has lots of people depending on her) harder to deal with. Her goal to find her sister's murderer takes priority over everything, including her own life and Cooper.

Couldn't put it down only to reach that cliffhanger ending!! Need to read the next volume. And fast.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 of this series had no recap of the previous volume, so this book played it sly and had a recap done from Dana's son's perspective in comic book form to start us off. Some plot threads were followed more in depth such as trying to figure out Em's killer, and explaining that the ghosts (most likely) were the unsettled spirits of the Revivers who didn't die as expected. But there was so many other plots that were introduced or tangled up in one another. Who is the Reviver that followed Professor Weimar? How is the Professor involved in the situation? The teeth? So many questions, but perhaps this clue will help: The card that read "The Tree is Thirsty" came from Thomas Jefferson's original statement "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." The plot thickens...

[Sumit Singla · Rating 1 out of 5]

A real pity that the story gets worse and worse. Tim Seeley has done a promising story to death (no pun intended!).

The mysterious glowing creatures are neither mysterious nor scary. This volume completely failed to hold my attention and I found myself wishing it would end sooner.

Too long-drawn and trying to do too many things at once, this would surely count as one of the worst reads for me for the year.

[Joey Heflich · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same. It's 17 issues into the series, and I can't force myself to care about any of the characters or the mystery surrounding Revival Day. It just builds and builds until it fizzles out, because no answer/consequence is enough to justify any of the established questions or quandaries. It's good to have interesting characters, a cool concept and a mysterious town, but it needs more.

[Chelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically, this volume isn't out yet, but the issues are! So for the purpose of my Goodreads goal, I am marking this as "read" because I have read all of the content that will be included in this volume! (Issues 12-16.)

I seriously can't get enough of this series! :)

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, so fucking good. I love this series. Another strange, interesting exploration of undeadness that is entirely unzombielike and fascinating, in the realm of Rachel Rising & Mind The Gap, but Revival is entirely its own. Volume 4 now, please!

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors actually resolve a mystery from time to time, which is very satisfying. I'm invested.

I think they understood that the three main characters looked too similar because they gave Em a really badass sweatsuit to wear, covered with red patchwork stitching. It recalls a signature event in her character's development and visually evokes the thing that she has become. Nicely done.

Now if they could just apply that bit of inspiration to the rest of the sprawling and expanding cast, I'd be grateful. There are so many plot threads I can't keep them all straight.

Plot points:

--The CDC discovers heavy water throughout the quarantine zone. They commandeer and destroy all the livestock in the zone, further riling up the riled up populace.
--A Revived man wanders into the hospital and spontaneously combusts, like the involuntary organ donor who reunited with his forest ghost in v2.
--Em saves Jordan, a little Revived girl, from her disembodied soul by destroying it in water. The girl is not pleased.
--Jordan cuts her own eyelids off with a razor blade. Her parents have her institutionalized.
--Dana armtwists her ex (Cooper's dad) to break into the office of Professor Weimar (who's having an affair with Em.) (I don't love the soap opera aspects of this series.) He finds a black clad burn victim burning the office. The mysterious figure escapes.
--At a town meeting, the white supremacist NRA guy from v2 turns the crowd against the mayor by ranting about radical Muslims in the U.S. govt.
--Professor Weimar gives his wife a letter to read and tells her goodbye. He drives to an abandoned mill, throws his laptop down a well, and starts yelling that's the last of it and that no one else knows anything. The burned figure incinerated Weimar's office comes out and drowns Weimar in the well.
--May finds the corpse of the Check brothers' father. They had committed patricide because their father was a trans woman and memorialized the murder in photographs. May assures Em that killing the Checks was a public service and she will not report it.
--Dana goes to the mill and finds a bin full of teeth. Is the burned figure the old woman who incinerated herself in v1?

[WortGestalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mir gefällt hier wieder, wie immer wieder einzelne Charaktere näher beleuchtet werden und trotzdem der große Handlungsbogen im Blick behalten und vorangetrieben wird. Im dritten Band der Reihe schien mir der Crime-Anteil deutlich ausgeprägter, was mir zusätzlich gut gefallen hat. Insgesamt wird alles noch mehr in Kontext und miteinander in Beziehung gebracht. Schön weiterentwickelt.

[orangerful · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHOA! This was the big one, the book where things are starting to fall into place. I don't know where that place is, but I feel like things are kind of sort of becoming clearer? Can't wait for book 4!

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating: 3.5

I feel like things are starting to actually pick up in this volume and some things finally clicked into place for me so I'll round this one up to four stars. Also I think if I can just stop comparing this to Rachel Rising [which is genuinely better in every way sorry not sorry] then I'll be able to just enjoy it for what it is so hopefully I'm finally getting to that point.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Ademption · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.