“All Out War” carries on here, after Holly “threw herself on a grenade” taking Rick’s place in driving their truck through Negan’s fence, allowing the “roamers” in. Negan mistakenly takes Holly for Andrea, despite her protests, but she remains tough despite his interrogation. But her mission proved successful as Negan and his followers soon find themselves trapped, surrounded by a horde of zombies.
Michonne and Ezekiel grow closer (gross). But Rick wants Michonne to return to “the Community” to protect them from any possible Negan revenge scenario.
There’s an attempt to check in with the characters no one cares about, Heath (the guy with the dreads that’s sleeping with that doctor) and the gay couple Aaron and Eric. (Bet they’re all going to prove tasty in the next few issues. *Side eye*)
One funny coincidence, whether it’s intentional or not, is that Michonne seems to genuinely be happy in this issue and she bears the biggest smile she’s ever shown on the TV show this past Sunday.
The most interesting part of this issue is that Negan continues to evolve beyond the stark sociopath he has been depicted as. He has standards. He has rules. And he has a bigger view of how things will turn out. He sees this “war” as a hiccup, but sees beyond this conflict. the best villains are the ones like Dr. Doom, Magneto or Lex Luthor who think they are doing what’s best for everyone. They don’t see themselves as villains, but miscast heroes. Limited vocabulary aside, Negan is shaping up to be a fully-rounded character. Possibly even deeper than The Governor! (Yeah I said it!)
Obviously, we still have a bit more to go in this story, but it felt nice for Rick and his crew to take a couple of steps forward. They’ve been rolling over and taking it from Negan for over a year now. I’m ready for some payback! How do you feel?
THE WALKING DEAD #117
Written by Robert Kirkman
Pencils and Cover by Charlie Adlard
