Michonne gets a taste of royalty.
With any series that's run as long as The Walking Dead, the biggest challenge is in keeping things fresh and exciting over the long haul. Generally, Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard have risen to that challenge. But it is sometimes troubling that the newer additions to the cast rarely stand out as much as the classics. For every Negan or Alpha, there are several characters for whom it's difficult to even remember their names. And as the creative team slowly kills off the old guard, the need to craft worthy replacements becomes all the more paramount.
The Walking Dead #171 reads like a concerted effort to rectify that problem. This issue introduces "Princess," the flamboyantly dressed character on the cover. Her personality immediately proves to be as flashy as her outfit, as Princess is all too happy to jabber away at the bemused Michonne and her search party. If nothing else, there's little chance of Princess getting lost in the shuffle or failing to stand out from the rest of the cast.
As for whether Princess will emerge as a truly nuanced and compelling character, that remains to be seen. In some ways, Kirkman and Adlard seem to be trying a little too hard with this one. Her chatty personality plays to the worst aspects of Kirkman's writing, resulting in a sea of word balloons that slow down the flow of the story without really enhancing the character in any meaningful way. That being said, it's not unreasonable to expect that a a woman living in post-apocalyptic isolation for a year might behave a little eccentrically. Princess is distinctive in a superficial way, but the challenge will be giving the character nuance over time.
For now, the main appeal with this new storyline involves the mystery of Pittsburgh itself. How did such a massive city become so barren and empty? Why aren't there more survivors? Those questions lend a subtle dose of tension to the series. Adlard makes the most of the new setting, to boot. His detailed panels bring the abandoned, haunting city to life and create a pervasive sense of desolation. The brief glimpses of the undead aren't half as unnerving as the empty streets and the manic behavior of Princess.
Unfortunately, this issue doesn't do enough to push the Pittsburgh conflict forward. Even with Kirkman's script focusing entirely on this small group, the resolution of last month's surprise reveal and the introduction of Princess leave little room for anything else. Uncharacteristically, the issue wraps on an abrupt and open-ended note rather than the usual dramatic cliffhanger. In short, while the series as a whole is in a strong place right now, the execution in this issue comes up lacking.
The Verdict
There's always a great need for The Walking Dead to introduce new characters memorable and nuanced enough to stand alongside the slowly diminishing classic cast. This issue introduces a potential contender, though it remains to be seen if Princess has more to offer the series than superficial flamboyance. The real problem is that her debut hogs too much page space, preventing the story from advancing very far beyond the events of the previous issue.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire