Things went south last issue, when Rick led his forces against Negan and his men, only to sadly discover they’d been set up.  Negan had his own snipers and reinforcements in place and just as soon as Rick’s uprising began, it was over.  Andrea picked off a few of Negan’s men, but is frustrated that a view at the man himself is obstructed.  She soon has her own problems to worry about.  Unfortunately, Carl makes a major mistake which may doom them all!

There’s still one more regular issue of this series before the “All Out War” event launches, which is the tiniest bit excruciating!  While there is plenty of action this issue, knowing that there are still several months before we might finally see Rick finally inflicting his revenge on Negan for the death of Glenn (which happened over a year ago, now in real time).  Things have slowly been simmering up to this point, but last issue and this, we’ve finally seen tensions building with some glimmer of culmination in sight.

This issue, we see one of the main cast members in mortal danger, while another is threatened.  Negan’s depravity continues to be spelled out in the most morbidly hilarious manner yet!  As dark and tense as the confrontation is between the two factions, leave it to this nut job to find new ways to be perverse.

One thing that’s starting to become clear– and pretty interesting– is that Rick may have been a great strategist in the past, his impulsive streak is threatening everyone around him.  In contrast the batsh** crazy Negan appears to be a much better strategist, actually out-thinking Rick!  Negan does, however, crack slightly after Carl makes his poor decision.  This is the first we’ve seen of his slick facade flickering.

The art, by regular Charlie Adlard, is excellent as usual.  The pacing and storytelling are his strong suit and as usual, he delivers.  My favorite subtle contribution he makes is his depiction of Negan.  He conveys his rage and smarmy confidence both adeptly, but on thing he does, which I just noticed this issue, is that he often obscures his face with shadows, illustrating his dark nature.  Not always, but it happens at least once per page.

One may have expected a huge blow up this issue after Rick’s failed rebellion, but instead we get a tense face-off that continues to help build this story toward the “All Out War” event.

Also, has anyone noticed that we haven’t seen a zombie in a while?

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THE WALKING DEAD #113
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art & Cover by Charlie Adlard