Good issue.

I liked them exploring the reactions the way they did. Also revealed the reactions to individual deaths in the order their heads were revealed. Poor Magna . She never realized how much she wanted that D until now. I wonder if Barbara is in the scene reacting to Erin's death. And poor Eugene too .

I didn't like Rick during his argument with Maggie. Maybe I'm reading into things too much, but he talked about (paraphrasing) ruining what "I have built" and people turning against "me". Rick really can slip and turn into more of a tyrant.

Also glad Eugene being more rational than everyone else. I really want to see whay happens with Lydia, and this also explains the Cover for 147. Also, Eugene just looks amazing in the final panel.

Also glad to see Father Gabriel finally sorta returning!

Also, in letter hacks, it did state that there were other Whisperers with Alpha, when she persuaded others to isolate themselves so they could be held captive and die, so she was not alone.

 

I was going to point this out. You beat me to it. How nerdy is it that we seem to remember the details of TWD better than Kirkman?

Pretty good issue. I'm not really sure that Eugene wants to hold Lydia as a hostage, as much as just make Alpha think that she is in danger. Personally what I would do is send two teams out to the Whisperers when the time was right. One team to request a meeting with Alpha, in which her and the people she chose to surround her would be assassinated. The second time would take several cans of gasoline, and touch the building that serves as the wall holding in the walker horde, and as many of the walkers as possible. The whisperers would then be dealing with the death of their leader as well as thousands of burning walkers that they can no longer control spreading out around their camp. ASZ is apparently many miles away, so the likelihood that this horde would pose a problem is small.

For a split second I thought Larry, who was passed out next to an empty glass, was Rick. I thought he was really in trouble if his people find him passed out drunk during this crisis. But I quickly figured out it was Larry.

 

FATHER GABRIEL'S BACK. HOLY SHIT

Anyway, I'm gonna be pissed if someone kills Lydia. I think that's what they want us to think, but if that happens I'm going to be really mad. Hopefully Rick won't allow it to.

 

I liked this panel a lot. It's such a contrast to the way the fair started out, everyone from the different communities working together, full of hope, building a legacy, taking one step closer to "civilization." Now that's all done and blown apart and rained upon.

 

I always come here after a new issue to read your take on it. Registered here just to show my appreciation. You got a real talent for writing as well as analyzing. Keep it up.

 

Rightt. [MENTION=25512]jwcoombs[/MENTION] is really good at analyzing and breaking down panels and spoilers.
We've missed you coombs buddy!

 

I forgot to mention this originally, but Dante is awesome.

 

Are you psychic?

Yes, I liked that part, too. First the panels with people processing the news separately, and then the ones where they are all coming to Rick for answers.

Speaking of which, I hope I'm not the only one who laughed at this one. I felt a bit bad, because it has to be such a terrible, emotional time for them, but still, the way Adlard drew the facial expressions of this father and son team! :zombies_lol:

 

Argh, I feel like I'm definitely ready for the pace to pick up a bit now. Enjoyed the issue, but that fight was a bit lame, bit of an anticlimax for me, like 'aww, hug it out, bro"...
I kinda wish thy hadn't had the fight or atleast built it up to so much by releasing it as the cover to build people up for months just for it to be some total nonevent. Hopefully Rick has realised that Maggie had no choice now.
Gregory couldn't be left to keep trying to undermine her again once the heat on him died down.
He's had his chances.

Can't wait to see what Rick, Andrea, Andrea & Eugene cook up and what Carl makes of it...

 

Shit, today was an issue release day?! Gahhhhhhhhhhhh f*ck you school.

 

How we've missed your posts. Glad you're back again.

 

This isn't on YouTube yet. Kinda frustrated.

 

Eh. I'd have to give this a 6 out of 10. Thought I was looking at a picture book instead of reading a comic. Were just a few too many non dialogue panels. I think Kirkman could have just skipped over all those mourning and funeral scenes and let us just assume all that stuff happened.

At this point I am really enjoying the Star Wars comics from Marvel that are being released more than I am the TWD comic. More things happen within a single issue.

 

Yeah, I'm still here. LOL

I always get those two goofballs mixed up. Hopefully it will be easier now that one of them is dead.

 

The White Trash Family just isn't the same since Tammy died.... LOL

 

I thought the same thing when I saw that panel. Looks like Adlard's suffering from another bout of "same-face". He's actually drawn quite a few Rick dopplegangers over the years. There was the dying Woodbury solider crawling away from the wreckage of the RV and pick-up truck that Michonne encountered after the fall of the prison; and one of the riders Dante took with him to look for Ken the first time(who was killed by Whisperers) was a dead-ringer for AOW Rick.

 

Agreed. I had speculated a while back that Rick was beginning to exhibit tendencies that seemed to herald a potential descent into tyranny. It felt like that rang true in this issue. I got a chill when I read the panel--"She's unraveling everything I've built. The people are turning against us. If I can't hold things together...she's put everyone in danger!"--I had to stop and re-read it a few times because I was in disbelief about what had been said and who had said it. It was completely uncharacteristic, yet completely characteristic of Rick at the same time. He seemed so much like The Governor in that moment it was eerie and disconcerting; like seeing a ghost-reincarnate. I know I forecasted a tyrannical turn; but I didn't realize Rick had developed such similarities. I assume it's due to circumstance; I've always said Rick and The Gov were two sides of the same coin--and now that Rick has been able to spend some time in a much more Governor-esque role; a position of complete, totalitarian leadership and authority, it would seem he's come to understand the ugly necessities and developed a similar way of thinking and ruling as his once-nemesis. Rick was able to keep that ever-growing side of him quietly hidden all this time--that was until his position and power was threatened. It seems to me this heralds yet another evolution of Rick--

That being said, the possible evolution of Rick and the Governor tendencies and comparison perfectly explain the important internal conflict Rick is currently facing. During these years of peace and plenty, Rick has changed and undoubtedly learned many things about himself; just as he changed and learned a great many things about himself and his capabilities during the early days and all along the way. But this has created a rift within him; causing him to be in constant conflict and struggle with himself. But now he needs to make a choice, there's no more time to ignore it, the future of the communities depends heavily on his decision. There are leaders perfectly suited for peace time, and leaders perfectly suited for war--but rarely are there both. This is the choice he faces. He can longer ride the fence, he can no longer be everything that everyone needs, it's the reason why conflict brews. He needs to accept one side or the other and settle--he can be a ferocious and effective general, protector, and ruthless war time asset; or he can be a wise and benevolent king, a politician of sorts who lives to serve the public. But he can't be both, because a war monger in peace time causes trouble, and a politician in war invites destruction. He needs to make a choice--he can't be just​ a farmer.

 

This issue had some teeth. I love Eugene at the end, I think hes going to be a big player in the Whisperers arc obviously. What ever he is working on is going to be a device to trigger some sort of bomb. OR this could actually be the beginning of a new villain in Eugene, I doubt it but a cool angle for sure. Wouldn't that be some ShyT! The fight between Maggie and Rick was written poorly in my opinion. We went from one page with "OH GOD what have I done" to Ok were cool now. Lydia certainly is going to be in a LOT of peoples cross hairs but I just cant see the group letting anything happen to her. One way or the other her death is going to be a breaking point for Carl. The kid is hypnotized by the booty at this point, get your arse back home to Sophia. The reaction panels were a nice touch. Sometimes you don't need words in this comic which can be frustrating and really cool and creative at the same time. I dont agree with Rick being a mini Gov. There might be a few similarities but Rick truly wants society to rebuild and do whats best. The Gov raped and murdered for fun. He was morally corrupt, Rick isn't. I can see a few thing happening but Rick becoming the Governor isnt it for me. I can see the community being stupid and revolting, I can see the communities wiped out and the survivors head to Oceanside, I can see Rick dying and Carl taking over too. What I want to see is Ricks last few runs. They set that up when he was hit by Maggie, he even had the "its been so long, I wasn't ready excuse." I think well see some sort of physical transformation to get back in fighting shape to be able to take on his enemies. His age and injuries will always be a crutch, but he isnt going to outsmart everyone. Carl saving him physically is another cool way to pass the torch as well. Rick isnt done though, not by a long shot!

 

I don't know if someone else mentioned this already or not, but they've really been highlighting Rick's physical vulnerability the last couple of issues. First Michonne pushing him down easily, and then Maggie does the same. The chose to go with a full page panel showing Rick lying flat on his stomach after Maggie kicks him, especially highlighting his right arm prosthetic in the foreground, as well as his cane. This was deliberate, they went out of their way to accentuate this. I wonder if this is foreshadowing something big, with Rick in a position of peril. It could be related to Negan based on the cover of 149, but I'm thinking that Negan is really only metaphorically hovering over Rick, and not really physically there. Time will tell.

 

-Groups members dress up like walkers to infiltrate the Whisperers. Gather info
-Eugene uses the board to make a detonator
-Gorilla warfare, many Whisperers are killed.
-Lydia almost dies via stupid resident, Carl kills a few people.
-The remaining Whisperers and Alpha send the herd down on the communities.
-Eugene detonates the device
-Eugene kills the father of the baby in a sneaky way