The Walking Dead #108

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Have you ever, after putting up with someone for a long time, finally decided to vent to a third party, only to discover that the other person's friend was eavesdropping?  That's more or less what happens to Rick in this issue, as Jesus takes him to meet Ezekiel, and they begin to plot against Negan.

Ezekiel is the ruler of a small 'kingdom' that he has set up, centred in a high school.  He's an interesting character - all white dreadlocks and pet tiger, and one has to wonder exactly why people in his land have chosen to rally around him, going so far as to refer to him as their king, and put up with his Medieval Times speech.  He's probably the most eccentric person Robert Kirkman has ever introduced into The Walking Dead, where even extreme characters like Negan and The Governor can be understood within the context of the times they are living in.

When talking to Ezekiel, Rick has no idea that one of Negan's Saviors are present, and Rick is immediately sceptical.  Kirkman has a long history of making things look one way in his comics when they are really another, so it's hard to predict if Dwight is serious about betraying Negan, or if he is playing Rick and the rest.  It's that unpredictability that makes me love this comic so much.

The other thing that works very effectively are the quieter character moments Kirkman sprinkles throughout the book.  Michonne is getting a lot more screen time lately, and becoming an even more complex character.  Now that everyone is living in relative safety in the Community, Kirkman has more time to explore the various ways in which they are coping with their new lives.  For the longest time, this was a book about pure survival, but once those basic needs are being met, people actually have the time and the space to react to things.  Exploring that makes this book as interesting as whatever is happening between Rick and Negan.

The Walking Dead #107

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

The last issue of The Walking Dead ended with a vague threat to Carl, the almost-teenage son of Rick Grimes, and the easiest way for writer Robert Kirkman to leave me ill at ease for the month between issues.

Thankfully, Kirkman doesn't do anything too terrible in this issue, which leads to an interesting examination of the character Negan, leader of the Saviors, and currently the biggest threat to Rick and his Community.  Negan's been portrayed as a complete psycho, but apparently he has a code that he follows pretty rigorously, and he demonstrates this issue that he is very good at keeping control of his emotions in stressful situations, such as during the beating that Rick puts on him this issue.

In addition to the Saviors stuff, there is a lot more going on in this issue.  Michonne comes on to one of the other members of the Community in a scene that is both well-written and kind of awkward.  Eugene, who has been looking to find equipment to help cast bullets, hits pay-dirt, and Rick and Jesus begin making plans to take Negan down.

This series has moved into some new territory lately (there's not a single walker in this issue), but it continues to be a fascinating read.

The Walking Dead #106

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

This issue marks Charlie Adlard's one-hundredth issue of The Walking Dead in his role as artist, something to be celebrated, considering how talented an artist he is, and how successful he's helped make this book.  That also means that this is my one-hundredth issue of The Walking Dead in my role as a consumer, fan, and supporter, having bought the book with issue eight on a whim, and immediately going back and buying the issue before it the next week (and later getting the first trade).  I can't think of any other comic that I've been buying for 100 consecutive issues that I still love as much, and have never gotten bored with in all that time.

This issue opens at Negan's stronghold, where the psychotic leader of the Saviors is holding Carl prisoner.  Negan ponders how to properly punish Carl for killing some of his men.

After that, the action shifts back to Rick, Andrea, and the Community.  Rick has had a small group of people out looking for Carl each day since he's disappeared, but without luck.  Jesus returns (I just realized how funny that looks - I mean Jesus the man from the Hilltop community who has been tracking Negan's people for Rick) with news of where Negan lives.

Rick and a crew head out hoping to get Carl back, but run in to Negan on the road.  This leads to the type of cliffhanger that I find hardest to handle in this series - one that puts Carl in danger.  I guess Kirkman knows how effective a trick that can be, because he's been doing it a lot lately, and it seems to work every time.  I'm not sure that there are any other characters, aside from Andrea perhaps, left in this series that I feel that same affinity for.

Anyway, as always, this is an excellent issue.  There is a quiet scene between Aaron and Eric, the two scouts that originally brought Rick to the Community, as they discuss whether or not they'd be better off on the road than staying under Negan's thumb.  It's scenes like these that always make this book - we see how Kirkman and his characters are really thinking through their choices and how to react to the world they're stuck in, and it adds a level or realism to the book that I enjoy and appreciate.

The Walking Dead #105

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Robert Kirkman and The Walking Dead never stop getting a rise out of me, it seems.  Really, the best way to get me worked up while reading an issue is to put Carl in danger.  Over the years, as we've watched him grow into the cold, hard kid that he's become, my sympathy and love for the character has only grown.

Last issue, Carl snuck into one of the trucks belonging to the Saviours, the group that work for Negan, the psychopath who has killed a major character, and has effectively taken over the Community where Rick and his group live.  Carl jumped out of the back of the truck with a rifle, and killed a few of Negan's men before being captured.

This entire issue is given over to Negan showing Carl around the compound where the Saviours live, and it's pretty disturbing on a few levels.  It feels like, when creating Negan, Kirkman felt the need to outdo the work he did on The Governor, the man who chased the group out of the prison a long time ago, and who is currently being used as the villain on the TV show.  Negan is a much more controlling and dangerous psychopath than the Governor was, as we learn when he shows Carl through his harem of 'wives', and we see him dispensing punishment on one of his men for an indiscretion (and also learn why the guy who attacked the Community has such a messed-up face).

Most disturbing of all though is the scene wherein he forced Carl to take off his bandages.  Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard have spared us this sight up until now, but the full-page illustration of Carl's full head, after the injuries he sustained when the Community was overrun, is going to be in my mind when I go to sleep tonight.

And therein lies the strength of this series.  Sure, the villains have been pretty over-the-top, but most of the characters in this book are everyday people who are shown having to survive a terrible situation.  When faced with Negan's evil, Carl reacts like many twelve-year-old kids would, and it's a touching and terrifying scene.  Adlard and Rathburn portray the complexity of Carl's emotions perfectly.

I love this book.

The Walking Dead #104

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Over the last one hundred issues, long-time readers of The Walking Dead have come to recognize Rick Grimes as one of the most bad-ass leads in comics.  He's lost most of his family, his world, a hand, and many of the people who have chosen to follow him, including many very close friends, yet he continues to work to protect his community.

I think though, that Rick is not half as bad-ass (or impulsive) as his son Carl.  Carl has been through just as much as Rick (although instead of losing a hand, he's been shot in the head), and has had to grow up quickly in Robert Kirkman's harsh new world.  Still, knowing all of this, I was pretty surprised to see just what Carl gets himself up to this issue.

Rick and the rest of the Community where they live have had no choice but to bow down to the demands of Negan, the leader of the Saviours, a group that have now taken over 'protection' of the Community, and have made off with much of their goods and supplies.  What they don't know is that Carl has hitched a ride in one of the trucks, intent to take Negan down.

While they are travelling, Jesus, the scout who lives at the Hilltop, has been tracking Dwight, the man that Rick let go free after the Savior's original attack on the Community.  He gets caught, and is also taken towards the Savior's home base.

We learn a little more about Negan and his people this issue, and we get to see where they live, and the rather creative security system they've developed for themselves.  Charlie Adlard specializes in the types of drawings like the one that shows the approach to Negan's compound; it is a very creepy scene.

The easiest way to get me caught up in this comic is to have bad things happen to Carl (who is one of the few original characters left these days), and so it is with great anticipation that I await the next issue.

The CBLDF Presents Liberty Annual 2012

Written by Jonathan Hickman, Andy Diggle, Howard Chaykin, Steven T. Seagle, Joe Keatinge, James Robinson, James Asmus, Richard Starkings, Chris Roberson, Chris Giarrusso, David Hine, Brandon Graham, Jim McCann, Kieron Gillen, Terry Moore, and Robert Kirkman
Art by Jonathan Hickman, Ben Templesmith, Sina Grace, Marco Cinello, Chynna Clugston-Flores, J. Bone, Takeshi Miyazawa, Ian Churchill, Roger Langridge, Gabriel Bá, Chris Giarrusso, Doug Braithwaite, Brandon Graham, Janet Lee, Nate Bellegarde, Terry Moore, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn

I'm always impressed with the line-up that Image and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund are able to put together for these Liberty Annuals.  There is an impressive list of creators involved in this book, and while the stories are all very short, there is a lot of stuff to love about this book.

First and foremost, there is a Walking Dead story featuring the Governor.  This story doesn't really fit into the book's theme of preserving free speech, but at the same time, it is so rare for there to be side-projects featuring the characters from this series, that for many, this alone should be worth the purchase price.  Basically, in this story, we learn about the origin of the Governor's collection of fish tanks (seen in last week's episode of the TV show).

The rest of this book does deal with the free speech or liberty themes, in a variety of ways.  David Hine and Doug Braithwaite preview their upcoming Image series Storm Dogs by giving us some of the history of the science fiction world it is going to be set in - this series looks like it's going to be very good.

Andy Diggle and Ben Templesmith give us a great story wherein the Devil appears in front of a trio of young people, only to learn that the people of the 21st century have moved beyond many of the concepts that once gave him entry into peoples' minds.  If only this were more true...

Jim McCann and Janet Lee tell a nice story of a conversation between an older woman and a young man who has what can be referred to as an 'unconventional family', although the theme of their conversation is that it's not all that unconventional.

James Robinson and J. Bone totally grabbed my attention with their short story of an American soldier who has come to Canada to escape something, and is being pursued by two men who are probably something other than men.  The story is tagged as a prologue to 'The Saviors'; I hope this means that these two gentlemen are working on a new series together.  Bone's art is wonderful - blocky, and coloured only in green, it doesn't look at all like his all-ages work.

Joe Keatinge and Chynna Clugston Flores share a nice little story about a family movie theatre.  James Asmus and Takeshi Miyazawa give us a great short story about the things that people do when they know that the world is about to end.  Beyond that, there are some terrific one- and two-page strips by the rest of the creators listed above, and a beautiful Gabriel Bá cover.

This book is well worth buying, even if the proceeds didn't go to support the CBLDF.  Go get it.

The Walking Dead #103

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

It's hard to imagine how the events of this issue must have felt for Rick.  Over the years, we've seen him swallow many a bitter pill, as his decisions and mistakes have led to the deaths of many characters that have been important to him.  Still, this issue must have been a rough one.

Negan shows up at the gates with a large force of his Saviors.  He's there to pick the gated community where Rick and his people live clean, as per his new agreement with Rick.  His forces help themselves to mattresses, medicines (just the good stuff), and who knows what else, while Negan basically struts around like he's cock of the walk.

Most of the issue is given over to this debasement, but thankfully, Kirkman does give us two scenes towards the beginning of the issue that tell us what is really going on.

As always, this comic is an excellent read.

The Walking Dead: Michonne Special #1

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

I haven't gone back and read any issues of The Walking Dead since I started reading the series around issue 7.  It's one of those books that I would love to, one day, go back and read from the beginning, but seeing as I can't keep up with things I want to read for the first time, it's not likely to happen.

That's why this Walking Dead Michonne Special is a treat in a few ways.  It reprints the Michonne story that was published in Playboy Magazine back in the spring, and weaves it into The Walking Dead #19, which is Michonne's first appearance.

For people who don't know, Michonne has had one of the more memorable introductions in the series, showing up in the middle of chaos carrying a sword and dragging two jawless and armless zombies behind her on chains.  She oozed menace in her first few appearances, although she has since grown into a complex and valuable member of the book's cast.  She is also going to be appearing as a regular character in Season Three of the television show, which returns this week to AMC.

The Playboy story gives us Michonne's 'origin', in so far as it shows us how she survived the early zombie days, and how she got her sword and silent companions.  It's a good story, and helps remind us of the type of person Michonne was before the world ended, and what a total badass she was when she first showed up in this comic.  I can't believe that was some eighty issues ago - I still think of her as one of the newer characters.

It was reading issue 19 again that really got me excited though.  This story is set at the prison that Rick and his crew moved into, right at the point that they have a big conflict with one of its inhabitants.  Their argument leads to a large swarm of roamers attacking, and all hell breaks loose.  As crazy as The Walking Dead has been lately, it was a bit of a trip to look back at those early days, when the stakes seemed even higher.  It was also nice to see a large number of characters that are not in the comic any more.

Usually, I don't appreciate reprint comics, and I don't like spending money on something that I already own, but this was an enjoyable package.  Bring on Season Three!

The Walking Dead #102

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

A lot of times in comics, when a main character in a comic is killed off, within three issues, it's like they never existed.  Not so when Robert Kirkman kills someone important - their presence continues to be felt in the book for quite some time, such as when Rick had phone conversations with Lori long after she was gone.

Kirkman killed off a pretty important character in issue 100, and while I was sad to see that character go, I do like how his loss is being shown as affecting the entire population of the book (I'm going to great lengths to avoid identifying the character, because I'd hate to be the one to spoil it for the trade-waiters).  Now, the entire community is being threatened by Negan and his band of 'Saviors', and Rick is getting cold feet.

Most of this issue is spent with Rick, Michonne, and others suffering through their own version of survivor's guilt, which ultimately leads Rick to accepting Negan's terms.  He's decided that peaceful subservience has more value than risking the remaining members of the community in a battle that he doesn't think he can win against larger numbers.  This is Rick though, so there may be something more going on...

As always, Kirkman delivers a story full of emotion and good, strong characters.  The loss of that particular character is clearly being felt by the entire Community, and the quiet moments that fill this issue carry great emotional weight.  Also as always, Adlard and Rathburn render this emotion perfectly.  I love this series (even when there isn't a single 'walker' around).

The Walking Dead #101

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

After the excitement and brutality of the last issue, I was curious to see how Kirkman would show the rest of his characters reacting.  In the 100th issue, which set all sorts of sales records for post-90s creator-owned comics, Kirkman killed off a character who has survived being a member of the cast a lot longer than most, in a brutal scene involving Negan, the leader of the Saviors, a group of thugs that terrorize and live off of settlements like the Hilltop.

This issue opens immediately after that scene, and shows the survivors' various reactions to the death.  Rick is blamed, and in typical Rick fashion, blames himself even more.  The group continues to the Hilltop, but don't find much help for themselves, although Jesus, the man who introduced them to that new community, does decide to accompany them back to their Community.

When they get there, they find that the Saviors have been there before them.  Kirkman excels at setting up little surprises like this, which are kind of predictable, yet which still grab you right in the gut when you see them.

I hope that this series retains a number of the new readers who checked it out for the 100th issue.  I imagine that some will be put off by how different things are from the television show, but I also hope that many will recognize this comic's strengths.  It's clear that Kirkman is building his story up to a conflict that will be more intense than the one with the Governor's people a few years ago (or upcoming in Season Three of the show), and I can't wait to see where it all goes.

The Walking Dead #100

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Well, we knew going in that this was going to be a brutal issue.  Anniversary issues never end well for Rick and his crew (go back and read issues 50 and 75 if you need some proof of that), and when the cover (granted, one of many covers for this issue) shows Rick standing over a field of dead characters from the previous 99 issues...  Let's just say that subtle foreshadowing has never been a strength in this series.

I doubt it's much of a spoiler to say that someone important dies in this comic.  I'm not going to say who, but I will say that it's a character I've grown very fond of, and who I'm going to miss, as will everyone else in the Community, assuming they survive having to deal with Negan and his crew.

As the issue opens, Andrea is patrolling the walls of the Community, having been left in charge by Rick when he led a small group to try to receive aid from the Hilltop, the community they have just entered into a trade relationship with.  Rick's leaving had seemed really stupid, and sure enough, we know that Negan has people staking out the Community, and making plans to attack at dawn.

Rick, meanwhile, has misjudged the distance to the Hilltop, and has to spend the night on the road.  This leads to a scene with a little too much unsubtle foreshadowing for my liking, as Rick has a couple of heart-felt conversations with a couple of close friends, which only heightened my sense that one of them wouldn't make to issue 101. 

Later, a large contingent of Negan's Saviors attacks, taking the small group prisoner.  That's when we meet Negan, and learn that he makes the Governor look sane and reasonable.  This is a pretty harsh issue, and Kirkman drops enough F-bombs that soldiers and convicts might begin to feel uncomfortable.  Things really don't look good for Rick and the other survivors of Negan's visit, as Kirkman changes the tone of the book for the foreseeable future.

This issue is a bit of an odd duck.  Sure, it's remarkable that an independent series reaches such a milestone issue in this day and age, and that it's poised to be the top-selling comic of July, if the numbers reported on-line are to be believed.  Kirkman has really led the way in championing the creator-owned comic, and we've reached a point where the best comics on the stands are being made by people with real ownership of their content, which is a beautiful thing.  My problem is that this issue, and the last one, both feel a little forced.  Rick is operating without his usual caution and forethought, and I can not believe that Andrea wouldn't be perched in her tower watching for Negan's people.  These two mistakes are costing the characters dearly, and they are making the story feel less thought-out and realistic than I'm used to.

Still, this is a book that is able to force a real sense of dread on me (especially with some of the creepy twisted things that Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn had to show us this month - and show us so well), and for that, I love it.

The Walking Dead #99

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

There is always so much death in this comic, but when a new character dies, we rarely get to see much of how that death affects everyone.  I suppose, once all of your friends and family have been killed and turned into zombies, you would become quite hardened to death.  For Rick and the people in his community, it's almost a daily presence in their lives.

Last issue, Robert Kirkman had a relatively main character killed off by the Saviors, a group of people who follow a man named Negan, and who are looking to take over the Community's property and goods.  Kirkman spends most of this issue having the various surviving cast members react to that character's death, and its very effective.  It also leads to Rick making some pretty big mistakes in terms of how to continue to protect the people who look to him for leadership.

Rick decides to return to the Hilltop, the new community that he's opened trade negotiations with, for assistance in finding Negan and his camp, or for the provision of some muscle.  This leads to some divides within the group - Glen decides that he, Maggie, and Sophia will remain at the Hilltop.  Andrea is left behind to protect the Community, but stupidly, she's not climbing up to her usual perch in a bell tower to watch for any of Negan's men.  That error is judgement, which is not mentioned here, is pretty glaring.

Anyway, it feels like Kirkman wanted to have a nice quiet issue before next month's #100, which is almost guaranteed to show the Community under attack.  I just hope that all of the characters I've come to like the most - Rick, Carl, Andrea, Michonne, and Glen make it through okay.  There is some small part of me that is not over the events of issue 50 yet...

The Walking Dead #98

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

I rather expected that the upcoming 100th issue would feature the death of a major character in this series - past experience has shown that anniversary issues are used to pare down the cast a little, often with shocking results, but it seems that Robert Kirkman has jumped the gun a little, having a character who has been with the series for a while now take a crossbow bolt to the head two pages into this most recent issue.

Negan's people have followed Rick and his friends back to the Community, and they aren't wasting any time in attacking.  When two characters (I'm keeping names out of this to avoid spoiling the issue for anyone) go for a walk outside the gate, the apparent leader of Negan's crew, a guy who looks like he's had half his face burned off, take the opportunity to attack them, and use the living one as a hostage to gain entry into the Community.  Rick's not about to let that happen though, and a fierce battle ensues.

Kirkman is ramping up the tension and anticipation before the big number 100, and this is easily the most exciting issue we've seen in some time.  While most of this book is all action, there is a significant scene where Carl bursts in on the sleeping Rick to find that he has some company.  The scene isn't given much space to sink in, but I think this is a pretty big deal, and I hope that it doesn't make the female in that scene a target for Kirkman's bloodthirsty writing, as I like her a lot, and Rick's women don't tend to have a lot of luck...

As always, The Walking Dead is one of the best comics on the stands, and this issue works as a good example of why.

The Walking Dead #97

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

The newest arc in comics success story The Walking Dead begins with an issue that spotlights many of this series's strengths.  The book opens in the Community, where people are holding a Sunday church service.  There are prayers for the safe return of Rick and his group, who we later see coming home after their time at the Hilltop over the last few issues.

They are soon approached by some of Negan's men.  Negan is the leader of a group that calls itself the Saviors, and who we learned last month are more or less holding the Hilltop community hostage, extorting them for food and trade goods.  Of course, people who cross Rick don't last long, and the seeds of the next big conflict are sown.

Once Rick's group returns home, the book gets back to what it does best - having people go about the business of surviving.  Plans are made to prepare for conflict with Negan, and we learn that one of the cast members is pregnant.  Also, Rick and Andrea inch ever closer to one another, and Abraham starts to chafe under the perception that he is now subordinate to Rick.

What always makes this book work so well is the balance between plot and character, and the way in which Kirkman doesn't let things slow down for long.  Of most possible importance here is the observation that some of the walkers are looking more decayed, and that Carl's memory is returning to him.  This is great stuff as always, and as we approach the 100th issue, I find myself beginning to feel a little dread, as we all know that Kirkman likes to kill off main characters in landmark issues.

The Walking Dead #96

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Rick ends up giving quite the speech in this issue of The Walking Dead.  The days of him questioning his decisions and his role as leader of his group are long over, and now we see the take-charge, confident Rick at his best.

In the last issue, Rick, Carl, and a small group of their people began to explore the Hilltop, a large community of about 200 people that appears to be quite self-sustaining and safe.  At least, it seemed that way until shortly after they arrived, some community member stabbed their leader, on the orders of some guy named Negan, and then tried to kill Rick.

As it turns out, the Hilltop is being extorted by this Negan, who sounds a little like The Governor of years past.  He gets half of the Hilltops resources in exchange for keeping them 'safe' from walkers, but also likes to beat up or kill the people who bring him his tribute from time to time.  Carl is the one that suggests that were Rick to take him out, their own community could benefit from the same stuff.

And so it seems that Kirkman is setting up the next bunch of issues of this comic.  I imagine that the confrontation with Negan will come in issue 100, and that makes me a little nervous, as Kirkman has a habit of killing characters I like in anniversary issues. 

The best part of this issue is when Glen, Andrea, and Michonne share their impressions of the Hilltop, and each of them are almost perfect encapsulations of those characters - Glen is sweet and optimistic, Andrea cynical and hard, and Michonne puts a brave face on her fears.  It is the complexity of these core characters, along with Rick, that makes this book so successful month after month.

The Walking Dead #95

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Robert Kirkman's taken a little time to introduce the concept that Rick and his friends are not the only people living in a self-sustaining community, or the 'Larger World' of the story arc.  Finally, Rick, Carl, and a small group of people have traveled to the Hilltop, the community where new character Jesus is from.  Most of this issue is taken up with Rick and friends entering the community, and being shown around by Jesus.

Charlie Adlard does a terrific job of designing this place.  We get a real sense (through the liberal use of double-page splashes) the size and scale of it, with its chicken coops, water tower, and various tasks being performed by the people who live there.  The place is centred around the Barrington House, a restored Gothic mansion or something, which seems to have some resonance to the characters, but which Google is unable to inform me of.

Things look great in Hilltop, but because Rick is there, it of course does not take long for bad things to start happening.  Very quickly, someone named Ethan shows up without the three people he had been traveling with.  We learn that someone named Negan (whose name is dropped a few pages earlier) has killed two people, and is holding someone named Crystal hostage, so long as Ethan does something for him, which involves him stabbing Gregory, the man in charge of Hilltop.  It doesn't take long for Rick to get involved (because that's what always happens), and things turn bloody quickly.

This is what I read this title for - the long stretches of calm character development switches, at any moment, to scenes of great violence that have lasting consequence.  It's not hard to predict that from here, either Rick's group will join up with the Hilltop (who, we learn, are out of ammunition), or they will be driven out, and will end up joining or in conflict with Negan themselves.  Either way, it's clear that Rick's not going back to his own community to just worry about keeping walkers off his gate.

The Walking Dead is always a terrific comic.  I know it's blowing up all over the place right now - I got caught up on the end of Season Two of the television show, and thought it was brilliant, and now I can't wait to see what happens in the next issue of this comic.

The Walking Dead #94

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Here's a surprise - the new issue of The Walking Dead is very very good.  Month after month, I praise this comic, and month after month, it continues to earn that praise.  I remember when I first started reading this comic (around #9, and I was able to grab up 7 and 8 in a hurry), each issue held an immediate sense of suspense and fear.  I remember the first time a character I thought was important to the book (and therefore protected) was killed suddenly, and of course now, I couldn't possibly remember her name. 

The book has changed a lot since those early issues, and while Kirkman can still pull off those gigantic surprises (like he did when the Community where Rick and his friends have been living was overrun by walkers), the suspense and dread have shifted away from the immediate, to a general sense of fear for the safety of the characters that I've grown to really care about. 

Currently, the threat is in the form of Jesus, a man who just recently showed up outside the Community, with the promise of introducing our heroes to a larger network of towns and communities that trade with one another.  As usual, Rick responded to this offer with great skepticism and distrust, because that's what Rick does, although now, in this issue, after having scouted the area for threats, he's inclined to believe Jesus.

Rick gets a group together to travel to Jesus's home in the Hilltop.  It's always nice to see these characters back on the road, as that opens Kirkman up to any number of variations on the usual scenario that we see in this series.  What makes this issue most interesting is the continued growth that we are seeing in Carl, Rick's son.  Carl sneaks in to meet the tied-up and imprisoned Jesus early in the issue, with the result being that we aren't all that sure of how much he's told him.  Carl's growing independence puts Rick's plans at risk, and the growing tension between them can really keep this book interesting.  I also like seeing where Rick and Andrea's relationship is going.

So, another month, another glowing review of Kirkman and Adlard's greatest work.

The Walking Dead #93

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Every month I talk about how great this comic is, but I usually spend more time writing about the writing than I do the art.  I notice I have a tendency to do that with most comics, unless the art blows me away.

The truth is, Charlie Adlard (with Cliff Rathburn on grays) has been doing an incredible job on this book since he joined it (one month before I did).  Early on in the series, I sometimes found it difficult to tell some of the minor characters apart, but as the series has progressed, he's really worked a lot of the character's personalities into how they look.  In this issue, when Rick turns the tables on the man that they met last issue (why is no one reacting to the fact that he calls himself Jesus?), I could see that it was coming on his face.  That's rare in comics.

Also, there is a lovely double-page spread that looks a lot like the cover, showing that Adlard is just as versatile with cityscapes and architecture as he is people and the undead.  I don't know why he's not receiving more acclaim for his work here, but at the same time, I'm glad he's not being lured over to the Big Two - this series wouldn't be the same without him.

Now that the existence of other communities has been more or less proven, Rick goes into defensive mode this month, getting the Community prepared for a possible attack.  I'm sure, after what happened at the prison, Rick is going to remain distrustful of large groups of people for some time.  It is interesting watching him work through possible paths that are open to him - in some ways, I'm sure that the Governor went through a similar decision process before he started going a little crazy. 

There's a terrific scene where Rick, scouting with Michonne and Abraham, realizes that roamer attacks barely raise his pulse rate now.  I feel like he's moved through his recent crippling insecurities, and has become more confident in himself as a leader and survivor.  But, as we've seen before, hubris is a bigger threat to Rick than zombies every time.  I'm curious and excited to see what Robert Kirkman has in store for our favourite survivors as they begin to explore the world around them.

The Walking Dead #92

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

How long has it been since we've seen some straight forward zombie killing in this comic?  How long has it been since Rick was just a supporting character for an issue?  When was the last time Michonne said more than ten words in a row?  Kirkman shakes things up this issue (possibly by quite a bit), and it makes for a terrific comic.

Granted, it's always a terrific comic.  Abraham and Michonne decide to patrol the perimeter of the Community on their own, checking how well the new defenses that the group have put up are working, and run in to a small group of walkers, which are easily dispatched.  Surprisingly, a man appears to talk with them, and their instincts cause them to react, escalating the situation to the point where the guy quickly has Michonne's sword to her neck.

This scene immediately brought to mind Michonne's rough treatment at the hands of the Governor so long ago, and I think it was meant to, but because this is a great comic, it wasn't mentioned right away.  Kirkman leaves a lot to the reader to add up, and that's why this book works so well.

Anyway, we learn that this guy represents another settlement on the other side of Washington, and that there are at least two other communities in the immediate vicinity.  Every time our heroes meet new people, there is a ton of potential for new story material, and I feel like this comic just opened up once again to some new directions.  Will their entrance to a larger trade-based economy be peaceful, or are we going to be looking at a repeat of the Governor situation?  And most importantly, why does this new guy refer to himself as Jesus?  I think that was the most interesting revelation this month, but it really just sat there.

As always, The Walking Dead does not disappoint.  It has held my esteem throughout the year, and with Scalped looking to end in a few months, it will soon be my uncontested favourite comic.

The Walking Dead #91

Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Some time has passed since the last issue, and the Community, under Rick's leadership, has continued to make preparations for the coming winter.  Glenn, Maggie, and some others have gone on a scrounging trip for a couple of weeks, while the rest of the town has gone on with their life as usual.  It looks like the trenches have been dug, the fences have been buttressed with vehicles, and Rick has been having regular meetings with his 'inner circle' to discuss matters like small-scale farming and food supply.

On the surface, this doesn't sound like the most exciting comic, but it continues to work very well.  It's rare in zombie comics and movies to see any attention paid to the mechanics of rebuilding, and I for one find that to be a fascinating topic.  Of course, it also gives Kirkman the chance to check in on a number of characters.  Sophia is slowly becoming less crazy as she gets older, finally admitting that she knows that Maggie and Glen are not her parents.  Carl and Rick are continuing to have problems, as Carl adjusts to life after his injury, and appears to suffer a very normal amount of anger and self-pity.  And then there's the blossoming relationship between Rick and Andrea, which is handled exceptionally well.

And, of course, just as we begin to wonder if there is going to be less action in this comic as it becomes more about making the Community a permanent settlement, Kirkman tosses in the uncertainty of the last two pages, promising exciting things to come.  I love this comic.