Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Walking Dead #114
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn
It's war!!! Well, not yet. This issue brings us to the brink of war. The previous issue left off with Rick and some friends at gun point as Negan decides which to kill. The setup is compounded by the fact that Negan is waiting for Carl to be turned in, as he hides behind the wall. Also, Andrea is believed to be dead already. Well, this issue completely obliterates all of those plot threads and it makes for a fantastic read to launch the book into the mega arc coming next month. This isn't quite issue of the year material but it is close.
The four communities come together in smaller parties in this issue. Weapons are unleashed and bodies drop. It's a fast sequence. While Negan pontificates before executing Rick and friends, he lets his guard down and loses his advantage. Rick was blamed in this issue by Jesus for showing his plan too recklessly in attacking Negan in the first place, it is actually Negan that screws up the most. Though this comic book moves quickly in the beginning and then slows down as the four communities lick their wounds and prepare for the full scale war. It's a great read.
The main drawback to the issue is the flow when the heat is on. There are two crucial sequences that simply don't connect the dots in a way that makes the story flow nicely. When Jesus appears his ability to get in the ditch to fend off the gunfire and then get behind Negan without getting shot just doesn't make a lot of sense visually. The other involves how everyone scatters. Getting the character placement and the depth perception is essential to understanding how no one gets shot. It all reminded too much of the old GI Joe cartoon when no ever got hit by gunfire.
Adlard delivers the usual standout job on art. Is it possible the poor sequence depiction is how Adlard decided to interpret the script? Possibly. However, I think the action itself that is shown is fantastic and the confrontation between Rick and Jesus is as dramatic and detailed as it gets. This helps to bring the story to the cusp of war and the artwork sells it. I believe this to be a great artistic issue.
This is a great read. The action and the tension all come out in this issue. While this issue isn't quite war, it sure comes pretty close. This is a great comic to read. I'm not sure a new reader would be able to launch into this one but I recommend picking this one up if you were planning on jumping on board with the next issue. This will give you some relevant background. Check this comic out. It is among the best.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
