Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Walking Dead #99
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard & Rathburn
The lead-in issue to the big, highly hyped anniversary issue is a well-constructed lap around the key characters as Kirkman gets ready to kill off a bunch of them. Yes, the issue is basically filler, but Kirkman is taking his time to say good-bye to whichever character(s) he's about to kill off in the coming issue. By Walking Dead standards this is one of the least entertaining books in the entire run. However, as a comic book it is better than nearly everything I've read since the previous issue shipped. If you are looking for action then you will be disappointed. This issue serves to separate the core characters to weaken them for next issue and beyond. It's an above average comic book and a below average Walking Dead book.
The beginning of the issue is the funeral of Abraham. The group is shaken and some are taking some extremes in how they handle this. As we've seen when trouble has arisen in the past, Glenn looks to usher his family off to safety rather than standing and fighting. His solution, with the group under potential invasion, is to head the other community that is already under the thumb of the would-be attackers.
Rick, on the other hand, continues to underestimate what he is up against. He decides to take a road trip back to the other community to see if someone can help them out. He assumes the invaders have been scared off for a little while. His carelessness is so out of place that I find it all hard to believe in so many ways.
The issue ends with the good-byes for those that are leaving and the sad faces for those that are staying. One of the parties, or perhaps both, are about to get the hammer dropped on them. Kirkman is setting up for one side to return bloody and battered or to return to a community that is blooded and battered. Either way, next issue is going to be a dozy.
Kirkman takes great care to visit with each of the main cast to give the readers one last look (and guess) before their potential deaths. It's a good lap around the cast, but it really is kind of boring to read. Sure, Abraham deserved a funeral, but wasn't that enough to get what all the characters felt and thought? One thing that isn't touched upon is how nonchalant Rick is being with this threat. In the past, he would have been called out by many of the characters. Something is missing to hold this behavior together.
Adlard continues to carry the weight in this title. He presses forward the story with the drama and emotions on the character's faces. Adlard knocks the cliffhanger out of the park as only he can do. No set of dialogue can match the art work here. Still, Adlard is showing some signs of being rushed on his three week turnaround. This is the first issue where some panels are noticeably set further back so he can fudge the details on the characters, particularly their faces. Overall, Adlard is tremendous, as always.
This issue is a good read and it builds some of the tension, but the tension and build up has been done outside of the comic with all of the hype already. I wish this issue would have launched into the action to make issue 100 attempt to top it. Instead, Kirkman punts here and gives a filler issue. It's an entertaining read that could have been more.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
