Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

The Walking Dead #139The Walking Dead #139
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard, Gaudiano & Rathburn

The Walking Dead shifts scenes in a big way with this issue as the attention turns towards a pair of characters that have been absent from the book for quite some time. The comic doesn't contain any action or any real plot developments, so the comic is fairly tame. However, if you've been itching to get some information on these characters then this issue is going to stand out as something special. Generally speaking, this is about as average as they come by Walking Dead standards.

After spending multiple issues dealing with the Maggie and Carl plotlines, Kirkman all but abandons them in this issue. The frustrating part of this comic is that the plots with the kids that Carl beat up and the one with Maggie getting poisoned isn't even addressed. The only Maggie we get is her debating the missing Carl situation. This is disappointing.

Adding to the comic's pain points is that Carl is confronted by some of the Whisperers in the beginning of the book but literally nothing comes of this. The scene was so strange because Carl was just sitting by a tree and is approached by a bunch of the Whisperers. How can Carl follow his girlfriend while he's asleep and they are still moving? This was another odd scene.

The big reveal is that we find out what Ezekiel and Michonne have been up to all this time. These scenes are good because a lot of the blanks were filled in pretty quickly. The scene turned into something powerful when Michonne reveals her background, specifically how she was separated from her girls when the zombie outbreak hit. This is a character that's been around for over a hundred issues and this is the most dialogue and depth we've seen from her. Lori and Judith are even discussed for the first time in years. This is a real highlight to the comic.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsAdlard turns in art that hasn't been this good in a long, long time. The Michonne he draws is heavily detailed on every single panel. The book couldn't be any better when it comes to portraying a character this realistically. Virtually none of the panels are from afar, which is when the art tends to look more like thumbnails. The book looks really sharp this time out.

If you've been waiting for Michonne and Ezekiel then you finally have what you wanted. However, if you like some plot movement or even some resolution to plots that have been the focus for six months then you will be disappointed. I'm not thrilled that Kirkman has shifted focus without closing some of the other plots out but we'll see where this is headed. This is an average Walking Dead comic book but a comic book worth buying nonetheless.

3 out of 5 Geek Goggles