Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Walking Dead #61
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard & Rathburn
Some issues of Walking Dead are good or very good. They are never bad and every once in a while they are incredible. This issue is incredible. This issue puts the group at odds over the fate of one of their own with the worst possible consequences at stake. The issue doesn’t really have a lot of action in it and while it does introduce a new character, the dialogue, expressions and arguments as they weigh the options makes the issue exciting in an edge of the seat kind of way.
In an effort to not spoil the gist of the problem at hand in the issue I will simply say that one of the group reaches their breaking point. By doing so the others try to decide what to do with what Abraham now calls a liability.
The conversation quickly turns toward capital punishment. The group applies the logic that if they lived in the old world where things were normal the person could get some therapy or some mental help but in this world you cant drag the person along and you probably cant just leave them behind. This is probably the first time in a long time that the comic tries to apply old world logic to their situation.
Ultimately, the group can’t decide and someone decides to take matters into their own hands. This act is left a mystery to the group and will leave some of them quite paranoid knowing one of them isn’t too trustworthy. It’s a shocker. It’s one of those endings and visuals that just doesn’t sit well while reading it and long after you’re done.
The new member is the priest on the cover. I found him to be a lot like C3-PO from Star Wars. Those that talk to him quickly become frustrated and tell him to shut up. His story about where he’s been all this time is a little fishy. Being dressed in a priest outfit I cant help but wonder if he’s a con artist or a molester in their new world.
There are some other goodies in this issue too. For example, Rick picks up the phone to talk to his dead wife again. He actually seemed surprised to both pick it up and to hear her voice on the other end.
If you pick up this issue be prepared to feel uneasy. It’s a shocker when the one person loses their mind but then when the other member of the group makes it “right” it just gets all the more uncomfortable. How does this series manage to keep tapping into the most gut wrenching scenarios? Oh, and just to mention it, this was the first issue to not have one single zombie between the covers. Highest possible recommendation.
5 out of 5 geek goggles
