Comic Book Review: ‘The Walking Dead’ #101
Well, last issue was quite a doozy, wasn’t it? If you haven’t read it yet, please don’t read any further if you don’t want the shocking developments spoiled.
Rick, Maggie, Heath, Michonne and Sophia are dumbstruck following Glenn’s savage beating and death right before their helpless eyes. Carl, not so much. (He’s starting to creep me out.) Negan and his followers, The Saviors, depart, promising to return in a month to collect whatever they want from Alexandria.
Blinded by grief, Maggie angrily pummels Rick, himself also burdened by his inability to save one of his closest and longest-lasting allies. He doesn’t fight her, taking every punch until she stops… when Carl points a gun at her face. Sophia attacks him and he drops his gun. Heath and Michonne step in and pull them apart. They collect Glenn’s remains and head to Hilltop, after Carl and Sophia share a moment.
At Hilltop, Gregory freaks out when he learns that Rick and his band were assaulted by Negan himself, because even Gregory has never seen him in person and wasn’t certain he was actually real. Rick slugs the hysterical Gregory and demands any information he has, which is none. Jesus urges Rick to depart, so they can get back to Alexandria before dark. Maggie, having come to her senses, hugs Rick and asks, “You won’t let them get away with this… right?” Maggie and Sophia remain in Hilltop, per Glenn’s wishes. Carl bids farewell to Sophia. Jesus joins Rick’s group in hopes of gaining information about Negan’s band.
As you may recall, as Negan and his pack of Saviors attacked Rick’s small group, another group of about fifty prepared to assault Alexandria, defended by only Andrea and a few other less-equipped, less-trained sentries. When Rick and the others return, those Saviors have already made their attack!
In many ways, Glenn’s death wasn’t a climax, but another starting point. I’m anxious to see Rick MASSACRE Negan and his followers, but something tells me this will be a slow build-up.
I noticed last issue that Maggie pleaded “Rick!” as Glenn was being struck… as if he could do anything about it! They were surrounded by roughly fifty thugs and Negan very explicitly threatened to cut out Carl’s one good eye and feed it to Sophia and to have some of his men “run a train” on Carl and make Rick watch. (If you don’t know what that means, Google it. I’m not going there.) I wasn’t surprised that she attacked Rick this issue, but I was supremely annoyed.
I’m pretty sure everyone that read last issue was devastated. Glenn was one of the original survivors. Heck, he was the first that Rick encountered. (Well, not counting Morgan.) And he was one character that everyone liked. I thought Andrea was done for, but they threw me off by killing Glenn instead. And SO brutally!
Charlie Adlard’s art is fittingly somber and dramatic this issue, with its usual cinematic flair. There are two particularly striking double-page spreads.
The last page has a development that could prove optimistic for Rick’s group, but I have a hunch that this is just the start of a long, bloody chain of events.
THE WALKING DEAD #101
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art and Cover by Charlie Adlard
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