Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Walking Dead #111
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard & Rathburn
Walking Dead had previously teased the coming war between Rick and friends with Negan so I was sort of expecting an issue of action. However, I didn't get the war I was expecting, but I did get some chilling and violent action. As always, I enjoyed this book, but I was more enthusiastic about this issue because of how it ends and the character punctuation it gives for Negan. I recommend picking this book up.
The book starts out slow enough. The Hilltop folks gather up some men and might to join forces with the Kingdom. Jesus has some strong words for the leader of the Hilltop. Then Rick and company meet up with everyone at the Kingdom. As a team they begin to come up with a strategy to deal with Negan. The book has a very logical and almost predictable feel to the flow of the story and dialogue.
Then Negan shows up at Alexandria early. He is looking for supplies and finds none and also finds Rick to be missing. Negan interacts with some of the residents there to some frightening and unexpected results. It's a bloody ending to the book and I enjoyed the surprise and how Kirkman delivers it.
The book works best when it involves Negan. Kirkman has constructed a character that the reader literally has no idea what will do next. You don't know if he's angry, being funny or sarcastic. He's a complete enigma and works fantastic in comic form.
Adlard delivers some great art in this issue. The scenes with Negan really sells the idea that you don't know if the character is happy, angry or somewhere in between. I do find Adlard's distance shots to lack some details that I otherwise expect from his art. I think in that way Adlard's strength is in the close-ups where you get a nice picture to dialogue match. A good art effort from Adlard.
Negan is a great character. He makes this issue. Kirkman has managed to create yet another character from the ground floor and build them up into something special. Someday this guy is going to die and it will be sad. I'll enjoy him while I can. This is an issue to check out.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
