Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Walking Dead #55
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard & Rathburn

The issue that marks the start of what will be Volume 10 (for those that are trade waiting) is an excellent opening issue. There are several pieces moving here and all get some solid page time. The issue is wrapped around the notion that the group is “on the road” but that’s only the setting. For the most part the issue is more character analysis and it throws in some potential symbolism about some of the newer characters. A terrific comic.

Rick deals more with the loss of his wife. First he has some flashbacks and then he checks in with the telephone to talk to his dead wife. This provides some interesting insight into his character. If he is truly cracking up then how does he come to his senses about what he’s doing with the phone? On the other hand, if he’s only talking on the phone to his dead wife to make himself feel better about his mistakes then how guilty does he really feel? Personally, I think Rick isn’t losing his mind and that he just wants some justification for his actions that led to the deaths of his wife and daughter. But that is obviously debatable. Did I mention the part where his wife, the zombie, is eating him? Play some Freud with that one.

A second thread going on here is the development of Abraham. He’s confrontational with Rick, but as Carl points out, he’s weird. Eventually they end up in a town and while everyone is hunting for supplies, Abraham is keeping guard. He seems nervous and almost unsure of himself. He seems like a good candidate to make mistakes that costs some lives. He’s one to watch I would think, based on how this issue positions him.

Lastly, Maggie is very distraught about her family. She isn’t sleeping and seems to be in a daze. This is the type of emotional distress that you’d expect Rick to feel about his choices and the deaths of his family, but Maggie lost all of her siblings and her parents at regular intervals throughout this saga and she is only now starting to feel the effects? It’s an interesting study of her pain versus Rick’s.

The issue doesn’t contain much in the way of action or zombies, but it still has a lot happening for a breather issue. We don’t know much about how far they are on the road, but as far as we know they are still making progress towards Washington DC.

A great link in the chain of a long, long line of great comics in this series. This is going to be a great arc and I suggest jumping on with this issue if at all possible.

5 out of 5 geek goggles