Without a doubt the Whisperers War is coming to a head, in issue 158, as the Whisperers begin their attack on the 4 communities. The issue focuses on the many different problems that the 4 communities are having as they are facing a new kind of warfare. Some of these issues include: the number of the undead involved, the lack of weaponry, and dealing with how the Whisperers operate. As a result, the comic establishes a new threat that the 4 communities have not dealt with so far in the comic’s 157 prior issues.
The Good:
The Whisperers War is different than any other threat the 4 communities have faced, which keeps the comic exciting. In particular, the Whisperers have figured out a way to use the undead to provide cover and act as shields for them. This has provided them with an advantage, as they are able to preoccupy Rick’s army while getting close enough to kill them. While Rick’s army is in combat with the Whisperers the Saviors refuse to provide any help, either in the form of supplies or bodies to help neutralize the threat of the Whisperers. The final problem the comic outlines is that due to the large amount of undead Rick’s army is running out of bullets and weapons. Eugene is called in to help speed the process up. These problems are great for the comic as Rick and the 4 communities have never experienced a war where they were fighting a hybrid of the undead and humans. Along with fighting this hybrid army for the first time Rick’s command has miscalculated resources, information, support, and physical goods, which drastically impacts the war on both sides. As a result, the 4 communities are subjected to a level of unpredictability as to what will happen throughout the course of the war.
Much like the last several issues the comic has done an excellent job with the character Negan. In particular, transforming him from an enemy into an anti-hero who has a bad side to him. In this issue his transformation continues as he chose to save Dwight, but is still considered bad, as he wants to kill Beta himself. We see that Negan has reformed in certain ways, while staying the same in others, and it creates a unique complex character.
The Bad:
The comic has a few segments that appear to be random and have no overall effect on the comic. Specifically, the moments between Carl and Lydia, and Michonne and Jesus, have no overall impact on the events that take place in the comic as they are only speaking to one another. Their conversations seem counter productive as the reader can infer the situation without dialogue. Rather these conversations seem to be put into the comic only to fill up space so that the book could meet its page quota. Furthermore, the comic covers many actions involving various people and shifts from one group to another. As a result, it is hard to follow and that takes away from the events that are occurring and the various problems that the 4 communities have in dealing with the Whisperers.
The Verdict:
The Walking Dead by far is one of the greatest things to happen to the comic industry and the series has presented numerous new concepts and ideas. Issue 158 sets forth another one; resource management. Now, the issue uses two different examples. One addresses the informational side of resources and the other the physical supply level of resources. It illustrates how important managing your resources can be, especially when you are engaging in war. As a result, introducing this concept and conveying it well, the comic is a must read as it explores new ground within and without the series.
