Image Comics

With all the hype AMC is getting with the fantastic television version of The Walking Dead, let’s not forget that this phenomenon began as “the little comic that could!” The heart and soul that exudes from the characters, started in twenty-two pages of black and white perfection! Issue #103 continues to prove that this “zombie” book is one of the best comics ever created!

Rick has a plan, a plan that he cannot let anyone know. A plan that will alienate him from the people he calls friends, and more importantly, from Carl. But he must not let that hinder his decision. If he wants his people to survive, they must truly fear what is to come!

Outstanding is a word that is all too often used to describe Robert Kirkman’s finest book. But, it is the exact word that falls from your lips as you read this issue. The pacing drives you forward into one of the most distressing issues to date. It is completely unnerving as Negan walks the hallowed halls of Rick’s community, with swagger and a venomous grin he changes the entire outlook of the series. Kirkman creates an atmosphere thick with agitation, so much so, that you dare not turn the page in lieu of tempting the fates! 

This series does one thing better than any book out there — makes you fearful for the characters! Not enough praise can be bestowed upon Kirkman for his creation of an emotional tether between reader and character. It truly is astounding!

So, does Negan and his trusty bat,”Lucille,” get to taste blood again? I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say this — Negan’s not the only one who gets to hold good ol’ “Lucille!”

We are just days away from the third season of one of the most anticipated television shows in the past decade, and what better way to introduce all those fans to the resident katana wielding bad-ass, than too give her her own special!

Reprinting The Walking Dead #19 — the first appearance of Michonne — in conjunction with the Playboy “origin” story, we finally get a more solid look at what created such a fan favorite character. From using her boyfriend and his best friend as moving camouflage, to the first time Rick and Michonne meet, this was a nice overview of the character that has endured so much at the hands of Robert Kirkman.

Though regular collectors of the series, and the Playboy story, will see nothing new in this book; it is still nice to have both stories together in one place. A singularly hand held origin piece that can be accessed anytime for your perusing pleasure! No digging through back issues needed!

My only qualm with the book is the definitive difference in the quality of the grey tones and line art. The Playboy story is much darker in hue than the original series and Adlard’s pencils used to be much thinner, a crisper style with much more detail. I know Charlie Adlard had to quicken his art style a few years back to keep the pace of a monthly book on track, but there is a clear division between the two tales now. Silly, I know, but the rest is still perfect!

So before you head out to your TWD parties this weekend, I’ve been invited to attend a few, be sure to hone up your knowledge about that mysterious girl from Season Two! Michonne will be the word on everyone’s lips at the water cooler — don’t be left out!

After the deaths of Glenn and Abraham, there has been a lull in action, but a real focus on how the characters develop from here. Kirkman has dialed the brutality back to a minimum, giving ample time to see exactly how Rick and crew choose to deal with their new world dynamic. A world that is now more dangerous than ever before, a world that must deal with — Neegan!

Though we all love the insane twists and turns that Kirkman does so well, it is the “quieter” times when his writing skills really shine. The introspective stories of these hardened individuals, are truly what makes this book stand out more than anything else on the stands today. And with issue #102, we get more of the same.

Touching upon every major character, Kirkman reveals Rick’s new strategy for survival and the reactions to it. This is the book where everything truly changes! The group’s function, their outlook and eventually, a shift in their core dynamic; sets the stage for something we have never seen before. Loyalties change, relationships become strained, secrets are sworn and Rick puts himself in the cross hairs for the good of the group. But does the group need him to be there to begin with?

Well executed and thoughtfully expressed, Kirkman is the best at deepening the emotional bond between characters and the readers! He makes it so easy to get lost in their world and even easier to care about them. Fans of The Walking Dead television show, will undoubtedly recognize some of the same plot threads from Season Two in this book. And even though you may feel a slight sense of deja vu, it is comforting to see some aspects of the different genres meld into great stories for both avenues. Plus, it will make it easier to become a fan of the comic if you haven’t already! But, who am I kidding? Who isn’t a fan already!

(Editor’s Note: Extreme Spoilers Dead Ahead!)

The signs were on the wall. The ominous 100th issue looming in the distance, the happiness that has befallen numerous characters lately, but it is the covers that have given it all away! I told you all last time — when Robert Kirkman and crew decide to churn out the infamous “RED” covers, bad things happen to our favorite band of survivors! And I’ve never lied to you, have I? Well, only that one time, but we made it out of that Mexican prison pretty much unscathed — so it was worth it! 

Here’s a gentlemanly tip: If you do not want to know any spoilers — stop now! If you are itching to see what Kirkman has done to all the characters we hold so dear, read on. But I warn you, once you know you can never go back!

Issue #98 begins with Abraham and Eugene walking to find supplies in order to manufacture bullets. But all is not what it seems, danger awaits them in the darkness, and it will change the status quo of The Walking Dead forever! Meanwhile back home, Rick and Andrea are working on their new relationship as machine gun fire rings out in the distance! It’s all hands on deck as our band of survivors rush to the gates to see what is happening. Negan has sent a retaliation squad to their very doorstep and everything changes in the blink of an eye! One character does all he can in order to survive, but survival is not in the cards for everyone — as a major character dies! 

Now, I will not tell you exactly who dies — where’s the fun in that? But, if you read carefully, I have given you all the clues you need to piece it together! I for one, was completely shocked at how Robert Kirkman completely makes a reader feel numb as they watch these characters die. You cannot even catch your breath as you are thrown through a whirlwind of chaos, let alone have time to fully process what has just happened! And the most gut wrenching part, is that you know things are just going to get worse from here. There is no stopping it, the juggernaut of fear will roll over everyone until there is nothing left! In the end, as our survivors try to deal with what just happened, there is an overwhelming sense of bewilderment. Their confidence is gone, their bravado is gone, their ammo is almost gone and the worst part is — their attackers are gone! Nothing will ever be the same, and I thank Robert Kirkman for giving us these characters to get so emotionally attached to. Comics are suppose to make you feel something, this one certainly will. Issue 100 is coming — I just hope there is anyone left for issue 101!

As issue 100 slowly crawls towards us, Robert Kirkman sets his pieces in motion again for a terrible fate to befall them! 

In this issue, Rick and group, return from the Hilltop to let everyone know about the deal Rick struck with its citizens. But there might be a few bumps in the road, as some of Negan’s men follow them! Meanwhile, back home, Eugene begins to test his boundaries with Abraham regarding Rosita and their “relationship.” And finally, when our heroes arrive back home, four of their lives will be changed forever as the impending darkness begins to envelop around them! Kirkman doesn’t call this arc “Something To Fear” for no reason, folks!

After a long run building up to this arc, Kirkman has begun turning the screws, ever so slowly again, to make us uncomfortable. He is a master of suspense, giving subtle hints as to what might happen to our favorite characters and leaving us no option but to watch in unbridled horror! We try to scream to them, “Look out!” but it falls upon deaf ears! Even the most hardened of the group can only take so much before they crack, and with so much joy entering into their lives again — the emotional turmoil beset upon the reader will be escalated to the Nth degree!

This series is untouchable when it comes to characterization and the emotional connection the reader has with Kirkman’s characters. I have never had so many “Oh, no!” moments in my twenty plus years of reading comics as I have reading this series! Kirkman has a way of making you believe in these characters and their plight to survive so much, that you feel emotionally drained when something horrible befalls them.

So, steel yourself for this new arc, it looks as though the winds of change have begun blowing again! Plus the cover tells it all! Fans of the comic series know all to well what happens when Adlard and Rathburn churn out the “Red” covers! Nothing good my friends, nothing good.