Once again – SPOILER ALERT.
Robert Kirkman, you bastard.
After the high drama of #100, Kirkman delivers, as he so often does, another stellar issue of The Walking Dead and with it, an excellent conclusion to the “Something To Fear” arc.
Whilst epic, it does feel now as if the arc has been a set up for something grander. The seeds have now been sown for the next 100 issues. And whilst last month I feared for the series, given the cover of #103 (on sale October 17th) and it being described as “a new beginning”, I now have hope, although it wasn’t delivered until the final panel.
Having lost what was essentially an original cast member, but up a hostage, Rick’s thoughts turn once again to survival. Outnumbered and outgunned Rick makes a tough decision.
And Kirkman returns to his original characters to take stock. Andrea, Michonne and Carl (a product of the apocalypse if there ever was one) all feature heavily – the relationships between these characters and Rick is more detailed and complex than anything else on the shelves today. And it is here that Adlard’s art shines. His ability to convey emotion is second to none in comics today.
‘It is better to live on two feet than die on one knee’ is the gist of what Zapata once said. Clearly it is something that Rick believes strongly, although he is more than able to play the ‘heel’. The decision Rick makes is unpopular, one which will leave him isolated, but still the hero.
Once again, zombies are little more than a footnote.
Mark Brassington 