Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Walking Dead #57
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard & Rathburn
This issue is heart racing and emotional. Rick is confronted with a very frightening prospect that makes him snap and lash out in ways we’ve rarely seen in this series. This issue is among the very best this series has to offer and that’s saying something. The issue serves up some new villains to help psuh across the confrontation, which makes it tough to gauge the level of evil we are dealing with as we don’t know these characters. It all works very well to build the terror.
The issue actually starts out oddly. After Abraham cools down from last issue’s near meltdown and they all clear a road wreck, the group studies the map to determine how close they are to DC. Rick manages to convince Abraham to travel to Rick’s hometown, some two hundred and fifty miles from their position, to raid his former police station.
I found not to add up. They would waste five hundred miles of gas to get supplies from a locked police station that Rick hasn’t been to in well over a year. Why would they consider this? And even if they absolutely need to check on this police station why wouldn’t they all go as it gets them further north as it is? The strategy and importance is lost on me somewhat.
Ricks refuses to leave Carl, so he joins Abraham and Rick on the trip deemed to last about two days. The other important thing to question is why are Rick and Abraham so willing to go with each other basically alone? Maybe they planned to have a shoot out, but we’ll never know because something else happens along the way.
Here’s your spoiler warning.
Last chance to stop reading.
Abraham is jumped while Rick and Carl sleep in the car by three men. The men claim to only want their supplies until Rick tries to defend himself and then the men decide to teach Rick a lesson by raping Carl. Yes, that’s correct. This comic has three grown men attempting to rape a little boy.
The issue goes from a strange road trip to an all out dramatic fight for life story. Rick is pushed to a wall I don’t think we’ve seen before. Basically this issue asks the question: How far is someone willing to go in order to protect those they love. Rick mentions how pieces of his soul are being chipped away and that certainly seems to be putting it mildly here. In a way, Rick becomes a lot like a zombie.
It’s rare that a comic gets my blood pumping but that’s what this one did. The ending also had a level of satisfaction with high drama. This issue is a cant miss issue. The cover for next issue makes me think this saga isn’t really over.
5 out of 5 geek goggles
