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Revival #5

Revival, Vol. 5: Gathering Of Waters

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For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that have come with them. As the pregnant Em searches for the missing father of her child, Dana is embroiled in a conspiracy to contain Revivers that ends in fire.

Collects Revival #24-29.

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2015

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About the author

Tim Seeley

1,693 books619 followers
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.

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5 stars
401 (25%)
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781 (49%)
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361 (22%)
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35 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
Profile Image for Anne.
4,835 reviews71.5k followers
March 29, 2018
Where do you even start with something like this?
There are just so many crazy characters, and so many different mystery/conspiracy things happening that if you haven't been reading this, there's just no real way to explain the awesomeness.

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The Revivers themselves are such an interesting and varied group. I mean, we still don't know how or why they've come back to life, and since they've each had such different reactions to their 'second chance', we still don't know whether or not it's a good thing or a bad thing.

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And those questions are just the background noise for the main characters to play out their stories against!
So. Much. Spoilery. Shit. Happens.

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This one is turning into quite the must-read title for me!
Highly Recommended.
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
May 25, 2020
volume five - in which things are still pretty weird in wisconsin.

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i'm pleased that this story is continuing to develop in interesting ways. like any good "zombie" story, it acknowledges that yeah, zombies are bad, but once you have zombies, you have a whole host of other social problems that ripple out from that situation. you have people who want to die but can't, you have religious zealots popping up, you have ethical questions around town quarantine and enforced containment of the affected individuals, you have complications in legal and law enforcement areas, you have people trying to come in, people trying to break out, showboats and protesters and vigilantes and demonologists and cranky old preppers.

you know how it goes - mo' zombies, mo' problems

and that's not even counting



and



i mean, seriously, what do you even do with



in this volume, characters will die, and some might not even come back. old scores will be settled, plots will be hatched; there will be unexpected alliances, fantastic speeches, heroism and duplicity and a farting dog.

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'cuz you'll need a laugh in all of this.

once again, the artwork is spectacular and much better than my rinky dink little camera can capture.

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and the story keeps going in surprising directions that make me excited about what the future will hold.

more more more is all i can say.
and NOW!

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come to my blog!
Profile Image for Chad.
10.7k reviews1,081 followers
May 18, 2018
This is a great series. I look forward to each new volume coming out. Some of the more dangling plot lines finally get resolved. We find out who the burned man is. Ends with what feels will be a big change in the series. I wish we'd find out what the deal is with the teeth. It sure is a creepy image, these certain Revivers whose teeth won't quit growing and they've hidden piles of them.

Mike Norton's art is great and reminiscent of Paul Pelletier. I know the volume says it's all Mike Norton but there's some pages at the end that are clearly not Mike Norton's as they are not nearly as good.
Profile Image for Scott Rhee.
2,396 reviews188 followers
October 19, 2025
Tim Seeley and Mike Norton’s rural noir graphic novel series “Revival” has been a slow burn, but it gets explosive in Volume 5, “Gathering of Waters”.

In this volume: the polluted river harbors zombie deer and fish; Martha takes a pregnancy test; Ibrahim and Dana finally get a moment for sexy time; the disfigured reviver sneaks out for another killing spree and we find out his name and that he had a daughter; Dana finds out about the CDC holding facility; Jeannie Gorski and her Jesus freak fellow revivers are doing a “love in”; May, Martha,and Blaine reluctantly work together to find the prof and discover a huge clue at the old gristmill; Ed Holt, the right-wing nut-job with enough firearms to supply a militia kidnaps Dana and reveals to her that he has a huge surprise for everyone in town.

This series just gets better and better. Not sure where it’s going, but I’m enjoying the ride.
Profile Image for Sesana.
6,418 reviews329 followers
June 2, 2015
(Received from Netgalley for review.)

The previous volume had started to feel like there was too much going on. Too many storylines, too many characters, to many subplots and little details and stuff. By the end of this volume, there's still a lot going on, but it feels more manageable somehow. And I'm starting to feel more secure that Seeley really does know where he's going with this, that he has a definite plan on how to get there, and that things can now start to wind down without expanding any further. Maybe you have to have already been through at least one franchise that lost it's way and meandered for an eternity (helloooooo X-Files I still love you) to understand what a relief that is.
Profile Image for Chinook.
2,336 reviews18 followers
April 8, 2018
I really like this series. It’s such an interesting weave of characters and shifting alliances and all kinds of trouble that comes from dealing with Revival Day. The complexity of the town’s issues just keeps deepening and so far no one really knows what’s going on, though some of them have pieces of the puzzle.
Profile Image for Andrew.
2,601 reviews
April 21, 2019
I know I have said this before (and I am sure I will say it again as well) but a long running series I think always has to struggle in the middle.

After all you are introduced to the characters and the situation at the beginning and you have a conclusion and resolutions at the end. But what about the middle? And this is the point - often the middle is left for the heavy lifting - introducing the plots finer details, setting up the characters back stories and giving us the final details so we can decide if they are the here or in fact the villain.

All important stuff but it can make things drag. Well not here - in fact as we pass the middle point in the series we can see things picking up pace and introducing more questions to the mix - that and a very big shift in story at the end makes this a thrilling mid point and for me a pre-cursor for things to come.

The question is for me is where will it go and what will be left standing at the end of it (go figure that one out).

On the graphics side of things the artwork is still tight and beautifully drawn - thankfully no carrying shifts in styles or creative crew. I think for me its a case of trust in the author and the artist and sit back and see where it will take us.
Profile Image for Quentin Wallace.
Author 34 books178 followers
October 16, 2017
Even though a lot was going on in this volume, for some reason it really dragged to me. It felt like I was struggling to finish it. Something about it just seemed a little off, not sure what exactly.

I still enjoy this series and I'm sure I'll be reading the next volume, but this one just seemed weaker than the previous volumes.


Update October 2017: On a reread where I'm reading the books in order all together, this volume was much stronger than it was to me reading one volume as a time. There are some major revelations in this one as well as some pretty scary (and gross) moments. One of the better volumes of the series actually.
Profile Image for Maxine Marsh.
Author 24 books74 followers
November 3, 2015

Thanks to Netgalley.

There's a lot going on in this Volume of Revival, the dialogue goes on and on, but the plot remains strong. There could have been a bit more plot action to move the story along but there is a darkness and drama to this series that is indeed satisfying.
Profile Image for Jenbebookish.
730 reviews204 followers
February 2, 2019
Read 02/01/2019

I accidentally skipped Vol 5 & read vol 6-7 first & to be totally honest, it hardly skipped a beat. Other than the fact that May was dead-which I explained by assuming that the author intended for us to assume she was dead & had died behind the scenes in a scene we did not get to see, I hardly noticed that anything was askew.

Which is telling. It basically tells us that the storyline is dragging on & the entire volume could have been axed & the storyline would not suffer. Nothing is really happening, but I guess the point is to show the slow (very slow) & gradual descent into utter chaos. If something like this were to happen in real life, chances are the whole world would go to shit verrrry quickly.

There were a few odd moments that were hard to follow, like for example there was this entire scene where Dana Cypress is watching Ed Holt from afar & then breaks into his home & by gunpoint forces him to take his own gun & put it into his mouth and shoot. Setting him up to look like a suicide. The only thing differentiating this scene from any other scene is that the single last frame/cartoon is done in a pinkish tone, & then on the next page its suddenly a rewind, & Dana is back outside watching Ed Holt except only now he’s going somewhere & Dana is trying to keep from losing him. He turns on her & finds her & ends up holding her hostage. What the hell? So was the last scene where Dana arranges the set up suicide a dream? Was that a fantasy? Was that just the image of what she intended to happen?! Hard to follow, I tried to figure it out by googling it but to no avail. There were a couple moments like this, at times the storylines are a tad fragmented. The flow a bit interrupted.

Regardless of those complaints, it was still readable. The revivers are the most interesting part of the whole story and while I think the story could do with more of them, the art is still stunning and makes turning the page a delight, each new page a bright display. I’m not particularly fond of any of the characters, and Dana is my least favorite out of the bunch but somehow getting through the pages isn’t a drag, I guess bright colors & a good monster is sufficient for contented reading!

At this point I have read ahead and only have 1 volume left to get through (I think?) I’m hoping the ending will give me the action and resolution I’ve been waiting for.
Profile Image for Sooraya Evans.
939 reviews64 followers
August 27, 2017
Martha's pregnant? Oh, my!
The water theory is discussed a lot here as the source of the revival phenomenon.
Enemies turned to friends, turned to enemies again. I saw that coming from a mile away. Blaine is seriously damaged.
I didn't quite get that fiery lake scene and what happened to Weimar.
The identity of John Doe is finally revealed and it seems like someone is pulling his strings. But after that, he just disappears?
Profile Image for Michael Church.
693 reviews4 followers
August 31, 2015
Holy crap! I can't believe how immediately this pulls me back in every volume. There's so much going on in this book and it's all so interesting and crazy! Every character is so unique and has such a distinct role to play in this narrative. The whole concept and they way they're doing everything is so interesting. You start to get close to thinking that one little piece has been figured out, but then a curveball out of no where changes everything.

The only thing I didn't like was that there were randomly 3 pages done by a totally different artist that were hideous. The typical art team, though, is still doing a great job. I love the look of this book, the tone, the story, the characters. Everything. It's excellent. You should definitely check it out if you're at all into horror or mystery.
Profile Image for Jason Ragle.
299 reviews2 followers
July 8, 2015
Revival continues to be an awesome book. Even reading it in trades is difficult to keep the huge cast of characters and subplots straight. However, Seeley and Norton have been telling this "rural noir" which has thoroughly engrossed me since the first book. I'm in till the end.
Profile Image for Jacob.
712 reviews29 followers
August 5, 2015
This far into the series and still amazing me. Really worth reading!
Profile Image for Sarah .
998 reviews16 followers
August 12, 2015
Maybe it's just been awhile since I read the last one, but I felt like I was missing some essential pieces in this one. It was confusing.
Profile Image for Adam Stone.
2,063 reviews32 followers
February 15, 2020
That my cat chose the "Gathering Of Waters" volume to be the one she knocked ito the toilet is probably not some sort of sign. Some things are just coincidence.

Consistency is still the driving force of this story. Unlike The Walking Dead, Compendium 1, Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1, or even The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1, there aren't a lot of peaks and valleys to the story. It doesn't feel like a story being written as it came out in issues or trades, it feels like someone took a completed story and serialized it. No aside goes unexamined. There's no Strangers In Paradise, Pocket Book 3 turn where the author has an interesting idea, realizes it doesn't work and has to retcon it or pretend it didn't happen. Every piece of the story feels relevant and intriguing. I regret not reding this series sooner.
Profile Image for Jonathan Roberts.
2,246 reviews50 followers
August 7, 2017
This series keeps moving right along. Started slow in this trade but the final fifteen pages were mind blowing!!! Recommended
Profile Image for Stephanie.
697 reviews27 followers
January 28, 2020
So this volume was all over the place. It was hard for me to keep track of what was what and who was who. This volume was a lot to take in. A pregnancy, bombs in chest cavities, religious zealots and cannibals - whoa nelly!

I still love Mike Norton's illustrations and look forward to reading volume 6.
Profile Image for Nathan.
124 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2024
Wow. Incredible storytelling. My only, only regret about this book is that I can never read it for the first time again. Literally had me gasping out loud as I didn't see that coming, more than once. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you get nothing for nothing ... sorry, slipped into a Judas Priest lyric there for a moment ... I've said it before about other comic books, but this book is a great example of why comics are so much better than movies. There are zero limitations in comics, and that's the way they've been forever. No feeling of "Well, that was crappy CGI", etc. If the storytelling and art come together in a perfect storm of creativity, there's nothing better. This is imo an example of that. The only thing better than comics? Pizza. And books. With books, everyone creates their own artwork, and it's perfect for everyone. Enjoy. :)
Profile Image for OmniBen.
1,418 reviews50 followers
May 8, 2022
(Zero spoiler review)
If you are wondering whether I am still enjoying this series, over 30 issues in, the fact that I am writing this review less than 24 hours after reading and reviewing the last book should more than answer that question. 12 issues in as many waking hours. Yeah, I'm still enjoying this series. That being said, we've finally started to hit a few little speedbumps here and there. The easiest way for me to put it would be, the series is starting to condense, rather than expand. One of my favourite things about these books were the expansive scope of the world, the larger cast of characters and the significant dialogue. It turned it from something lighter and less involved, into something more measured and meaningful. Well, as the story slowly winds down, many of those things have started retracting. Like a shining star, slowly fading towards its own, inevitable destruction. No, I certainly hope this book doesn't implode in some horrific cataclysm nearer its conclusion, nor do I think it will. It's just the cast of characters is smaller, some of the mysteries have been revealed (some of which I liked, some not so much) and a bit of action schlock crept in here and there, relegating the dialogue to the sideline at times. I realised at some point during this book, that I had read so many action stories recently, that I was growing increasingly weary of increasingly meaningless and bloated fight scenes, used to pad out a story lacking in depth, being little more than nutrition-less eye candy. I've said before, if the story doesn't sell the fight scene before and afterwards, it has little relevance or impact, and quickly wears thin on me. I sincerely hope this book doesn't continue down such roads... But fear not for now. This was still very good and absolutely worth your time. 4/5


OmniBen.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,341 reviews32 followers
June 19, 2015
'Revival, Vol. 5: Gathering of Waters' by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton is the continuation of the complicated zombie story. I had heard a lot about it, but this was my first foray into it.

Revival day has happened in a rural Wisconsin town. The dead have come back to life and the town has been quarantined. The living are in with the Revivers. It's complicated because the revived are recently deceased love ones. A police officer is trying to figure out what is going on and a Reviver has found out she's pregnant. Along with that, we learn that the waters that the revived have come from are thawing and there are new species of revived. The final confrontation in the courthouse sets things up for future issues.

I like the story and characters. I like the concept. The returned are complex and intelligent, not just mindless eating machines. The plot seems set up for the long haul with ongoing complex stories. I love Mike Norton's art. Now I have to go back and catch up!

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Profile Image for Cathy.
2,022 reviews51 followers
December 12, 2015
I love this series. I'm going to use some of the quotes on the back cover because they said it so well already.

"...A horror tale but also a small-town soap opera of the highest caliber. There isn't a single character in the expansive cast who comes across as shallow or underdeveloped; they are all full, complex, flawed, engaging people, meaning no matter who we're watching or what the situation is, our full attention is always demanded."
-- Comics Should Be Good Writer Matt Derman


"This far into the run, few series are as page-turning and perfectly paced as 'Revival.' The creative team continues to juggle its many storylines with depth and active character development, and they always manage to creep me out, too..."
-- ScienceFiction.com

I'm always amazed by how much story these guys pack into such a small space. The people feel so real and their situations they face are nuanced and layered with meaning. It's just terrific work.
Profile Image for connie.
1,593 reviews101 followers
February 7, 2016
4/5 stars

I swear, this series is one of the most intense things I've ever read. Something bad happens every issue and it always ends on cliffhangers that just leave me wanting to read more. I genuinely have no idea what to expect and that's why I'm enjoying it so much; it's difficult to predict.

Towards the end there was a couple of pages of an issue that had a completely different artist doing them, before going back to the usual style. I don't know what that was about, but I hope it doesn't happen again, because I prefer the normal one by far. The plot is growing even more exciting, and I really want it to go back to finding the murderer again, because I feel like that plotline has sort of been dropped and I miss it. Not much happened in terms of character development either in this one, although there was a 'death' towards the end that surprised me completely.

Really looking forward to the next volume, although I've nearly caught up now, which sucks.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews