The Walking Dead, issue 155, more than makes up for last month’s issue as it sets the stage for the next big arc in the comic series. The issue focuses on Rick, Negan, Michonne, and Dwight’s actions, which has prompted a war between the 4 communities and the Whisperers. This issue does an excellent job of moving the story forward including further developing characters and introducing a new situation which is the 4 communities attack rather than defend.
The Good:
The comic does a great job of linking Rick, Negan, Michonne, and Dwight’s actions together. In particular Rick ordered, in previous issues, “Fear the Whisperers” to be painted on walls in his community. It is revealed he has done this to steer anger and energy toward the Whisperers so he can control his people easier. This is linked up to Michonne who was ordered to hunt down Negan and prevent him from warning the Whisperers. Unfortunately Michonne was captured but was saved by Dwight who was ordered by Rick to be her back up. As a result of Dwight’s intervention he, by orders, engaged and killed Whisperers on their territory, which is deemed an acted of war. The reason why this happened was due to Negan escaping and heading into enemy territory to warn the Whisperers about Rick’s army. Thus the comic does an excellent job of showing how one action has a domino effect on various other actions. This leads to major characterization of Rick as he is utilizing various techniques such as fear and paranoia to manipulate his people. Furthermore he utilizes Negan, Michonne, and Dwight to instigate the war between the 2 groups as a means to protect his communities. The other character that also receives a development push is Dwight as he is the immediate cause of the war between the 2 groups as he is in charge of the new militia. Thus this comic presents Dwight as a leader for the first time.
The Bad :
The only issue with the comic is the ambiguous suggestion that Rick and Negan are working together. This comes up as Andrea questions Rick and the tactics he is employing and compares them to what Negan has done. To further complicate this Rick has sought Negan’s advice to take anger off of him and put it on the Whisperers. Finally, Rick benefits tremendously from Negan’s actions as it has led war to breakout between his group and the Whisperers. The ambiguousness of Rick and Negan is confusing as part of the comic is suggesting that it could be true while another part of the comic clearly states that it cannot happen.
The Verdict:
There is no question that The Walking Dead, 155, is a great issue. This is due to how it sets the stage for the next arc in the series while providing enough action and story to satisfy readers. Furthermore, the comic also allows for both Dwight and Rick to have major characterizations that will benefit them for many issues to come. As a result the comic is a must pick up as The Walking Dead is just about to get good again.
