Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
The Walking Dead #140
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard, Gaudiano & Rathburn
The Walking Dead picks up the strands from the various plots and gives each of them a little time in this issue. The book has a confrontation or two brewing but it isn't clear which one will manifest itself first. The issue is a good one because it throws a surprise cliffhanger out there that will surely please many readers. I enjoyed this issue.
The book opens with Rick and Michonne finishing their conversation from the previous issue. This serves the primary purpose to remind the reader that Rick isn't aware of Carl running off. The dialogue between the pair isn't anything too different from the previous issue. Rick wants her to stay on the land and Michonne wants to stick with the ocean.
The next scenes weave together well. Maggie and company deal with Gregory and the fallout of him trying to poison Maggie. This leads Maggie to the potential co-conspirators, the parents of the boys that Carl beat up. While these discussions went into an unexpected direction, they bring the potential rift between Maggie and Rick. If Maggie were to kill Gregory this would be in direct conflict with how Rick dealt with Negan. It's an interesting confrontation brewing when you add in the Carl plot.
Carl finds himself in the "camp" of the Whisperers. He appears to regret following Lydia at this point. However, Maggie's decision to call off the search for Carl will help bring the Rick conflict to a boil should Maggie decide to kill off Gregory as well. The book's construction of these plots and how they might create some long-term problems is very clever.
The artwork explodes when it comes to the double-page spread of the "camp" that Carl finds himself on the doorstep of. Adlard really cuts loose with the details and imagination when depicting this scene. There are a couple of other exceptional panels that captures the moment's drama very well, especially the ending. Adlard turns in a strong issue and does so without any action.
The Walking Dead's strength is when the focus is on Maggie and her community. Kirkman has done a solid job of creating a couple of plots that are working against Maggie and putting her in a couple of potential no-win scenarios. This comic also provides glimpses into each of the plots, but not in a clunky way. This is a very good read with a nice bang at the end to keep you wanting more. I recommend checking this out.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
