People value their homes and their towns with high regard, but what would you do if your home were under attack? The Walking Dead, issue 164, explores this issue through several characters including Rick, Negan, Maggie, and Carl. All while the Alexandria Safezone has been breached by the herd, and the Saviors plot their attack.
The Good:
In the last issue we saw Negan save Rick from being trampled by the herd as they begin to develop a trust between each other. In this issue we see Negan and Rick begin to build and develop a relationship. In particular as they both are pinned down in a building as they wait for the herd to pass. While in this situation Negan asks Rick what is the worse thing he has done. To which Rick responds by stating that he has lived while others have died when they shouldn’t have. Negan responds to this by agreeing, revealing that his wife became infected and he couldn’t put her down, that is the worst thing he has done. Throughout this exchange we begin to see how Rick and Negan are extremely similar as they have started out the same way, have taken different paths, and now hold similar and different views due to the experiences they have had. As they talk and reveal information about each other we realize that Rick has reformed Negan in many ways and in the process has made him an asset. While this is occurring we see the Hilltop community, led by Maggie, become informed that the herd has breached the Safezone. As a result we see her immediately go into action as she dispatches some of her top riders to assist in leading the herd way. In the process she shows her excellent leadership skills, as she knows what and where resources are needed. As a leader she realizes that she is needed to help lead away the herd and puts Carl in charge of the Hilltop people. For the first time we see Carl placed into a leadership position as he makes the decision to get the people of the Hilltop ready to fight the herd as it is thinning out. Thus we see Carl can evaluate, react, and act upon a situation, which ultimately categorizes him as an opportunistic leader. Since the time jump Carl has received massive character development as he is transitioning from a child to an adult, this only cements this transition in the comic.
The Bad:
The comic’s major flaw is the conversation between Eugene and Heath as it projects it as an important conversation for both men that appears to be going nowhere, when it should of gone somewhere. Both men are reflecting on their current job of leading the herd away. Heath he is reflecting on how he gets the same amount of adrenaline from this, from when he use to be a runner, before he lost his leg. For Eugene he is explaining how he discovered the method of leading the herd away by using sound and movement and how it has been effective. Yet both of what these men are reflecting on get much time in the comic which is a disservice to fans as their reflections show the progress the communities have made technologically and society based. This is crucial to understand as it justifies why the communities are fighting against the Whisperers and the herd so hard. Without devoting the proper time to this, the comic does not fully drive this point home.
The Verdict:
Without a doubt TWD, issue 164, is continuing the aftermath of the herd’s breach onto the Safezone. As we witness several different reactions between Negan and Rick, alongside Maggie and Carl, and various others as they attempt to thin and eliminate the herd to survive. All while knowing one more threat is out there just waiting to strike the saviors. The Walking Dead, issue 164, is only the beginning as things are about to get a whole lot worse as the communities are going to have a variety of problems to address in the next several issues.
