Zombies ate their neighbors.
If the purpose of these reviews is simply to establish whether or not a comic is worth buying, then The Walking Dead #163 hardly needs the attention. This new issue is priced at a measly 25 cents. You literally can't go wrong at that price, unless you somehow manage to put yourself in the hospital from an infected paper cut or something. Cover price aside, this issue helps the series regain some of the momentum it lost at the tail-end of the "Whisperer War" crossover, though there is still reason to worry about The Walking Dead's current direction.
"The Whisperer War" ended on more of a whimper than a bang, but with the promise that Rick Grimes and the people of Alexandria were about to face their largest zombie attack ever. That attack forms the backbone of this issue, as Rick and the gang scramble to mount a last-ditch defensive against the endless horde. This issue definitely succeeds in terms of offering new readers an easy jumping-on point. The conflict is immediate and visceral, and it doesn't matter a great deal how familiar readers might be with individual characters.
As has so often been the case lately, Negan is the real star of the show in this issue. His colorful language and fearless reaction to the sight of hundreds of incoming zombies makes for an entertaining counterpoint to the general doom and gloom in the script. At the same time, this issue also reinforces how fundamentally the Rick/Negan dynamic has changed over the past couple years. Where once he loathed Negan with every fiber of his being, now Rick finds himself relying on the former Savior as a battlefield asset. If anything, Negan is able to inspire his fellow survivors in a way Rick can't, which could hint towards a major power struggle n the near future.
"The Whisperer War" was notable for its dense visuals, with artist Charlie Adlard switching to a 16-panel grid layout in order to condense a sprawling conflict into a more economical six issues. That approach had its benefits, but it's nice seeing Adlard's work loosen up again. And not a moment too soon. Dense, tightly packed panels are the exact opposite of what this story calls for. Adlard, inker Stefano Gaudiano and gray tone artist Cliff Rathburn remain an effective team as they deliver page after page of detailed zombie carnage and dramatic images of humans fighting a losing battle against the undead. I sincerely doubt the TV series will manage to match the spectacle of this issue, assuming it ever makes it this far.
The concern with all this carnage and bloodshed is that Kirkman and his collaborators could be returning the series to a more traditional and predictable status quo. The Walking Dead has been around for well over a decade now. It's continued to thrive throughout that period because the creators have been so willing to shake up the formula. And post-"All Out War," the series has remained compelling because it's been busy exploring what happens when the survivors of the zombie apocalypse attempt to restore civilization to a ruined world. If we're looking at the return of a status quo where Rick and a handful of survivors are eking out a meager existence in a zombie-infested wasteland, then what was the point of all of this? Granted, there's no guarantee that is where the series is headed, and hopefully the book will remain as unpredictable as ever moving forward.
The Verdict
"The Whisperer War" didn't reach the memorable conclusion it deserved, but at least the series is on the upswing again in issue #163. This issue kicks off an accessible new conflict that crams about as much drama and zombie carnage into every page as humanly possible. And with the price of entry being so low, there's really no reason not to give this comic a try.
Editors' Choice
→
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire