I hadn’t checked in with The Walking Dead in awhile, so I figured I’d see if it had gotten any better. Nope. No such luck. Robert Kirkman has decided to really push this All Out Snore…..I’m sorry WAR……storyline. This means that people will get to follow the tragically boring exploits of Rick and his crew as they do battle with Evil Despot and Glorified Governor Clone, Negan. Issue #116 should be the end of this story arc, but no, no, Kirkman makes sure we know that it’ll go on for much longer.
Nearly two years after the debut of Negan, we finally get a little action. After teaming up with Ezekiel, a guy who has his own private pet tiger, Rick has launched a super complex plan to try and end Negan. Gregory, the wimpy leader of the Hilltop community, as aligned himself with Negan and, during the initial confrontation, demands his people go home. This results in eight men walking away. Obviously, Negan is pissed. Rick gives the leather clad biker wanna-be a chance to surrender, but Negan refuses.
From there, Walking Dead #116 devolves into Rick’s plan, which is kind of clever, except for a few glaring problems. First, the plan. Rick and Ezekiel drive two busloads of men to the front of Negan’s headquarters. Then, snipers shoot out all of Negan’s windows. This gunfire attracts hordes of walkers, who head towards Negan’s place, trapping him and his men. Somebody has to drive a truck through the gate to allow the walkers in. Rick is rushing to do this, knowing it means certain death. Heroically, Holly kicks Rick in the stomach and steals the truck, aiming to kill Negan as retribution for his men slaughtering Abraham Ford.
Naturally, Holly survives and gets taken hostage. The end of issue #116 is Rick, in as somber a way as Charlie Adlard can pencil him, letting everyone know that this war is just beginning. Why? One of my main problems with Rick’s plan was that once the undead rush in and Negan has to defend his area, why not follow the dead in and start shooting? Why not throw grenades in and blow Negan away? I also found Rick’s decision to ram the truck into the gate completely unbelievable. Rick has a son, and is the leader of the group, his death would be a ridiculous blow to everyone he cares about. There’s no logic to it.
I guess with Kirkman’s focus on the show, logic and story fly right out the window. Walking Dead has been limping along for nearly fifty issues now. It needs to end. It won’t affect the show, which is simply using the characters to create new storylines. Kirkman either needs to step down as writer and give fresh eyes to the series, or pack it in. The brilliance of those first few years are in jeopardy of falling to the lame, repetitive, and uninteresting series Walking Dead has become.
And, yes, I still hate the art.
(0 Art, 2 Story)
