Part 4 of the Whisperer War holds nothing back as both sides continue to oppose one another. In particular the issue focuses on the choices that Beta and Dwight make with their respective armies and the effect it has on the 4 communities. Without a doubt issue 160 will once again change The Walking Dead.
The Good:
Kirkman has continuously developed and expressed Dwight’s ability to lead. In particular Dwight has developed and enacted an infiltration into the Whisperer’s herd and as a result has successfully killed the Whisperers leading it and subdued the heard. In doing this Dwight’s quick thinking has saved many members of his army, resources and, the 4 communities from an attack. At the same time another level of Beta’s character was revealed as he begin to enact phase 2 of his plan. He first started by having a Whisperer lead herd attack and preoccupy Dwight’s army so that he could attack the Hilltop, with the intention of rescuing Lydia. This shows that Beta is a true strategizes, as he understands what is important even if it means sacrificing some resources. Furthermore, his strategic insight is explored in his attack he uses the herd as cover, while his people bombard the Hilltop with fire arrows, causing both panic and damage. Yet Beta’s plan falls short as Lydia shoots a Whisperer expressing that the Whisperers are over. Thus implying since she has been living in the 4 communities she has experienced how people live civilly and she does not want to go back to the way the Whisperers live. This is symbolic as it furthers the point that enemies can be reformed such as Lydia and Negan. Finally the comic hints at the next arc as the Saviors are choosing not to provide any help to Rick and Dwight, thus promoting a conflict to occur between the 2 communities.
The Bad:
The comic was not an easy issue to follow primarily due to the various stories that were occurring at the same time. In particular with Vincent was getting rescued by Heath, while Dwight was subduing a Whisperer led herd, Beta was planning an attack on the Hilltop and at the Kingdom Taylor was greeting William. Furthermore, these events occurring are competing with each other rather than helping each other. As a result they all hurt one another and only make an already confusing situation more confusing. This is only made more complicated when Dante approaches Maggie about his feelings, and she rejects them due to her feelings about Glenn (I wonder why this was put into the comic, it would never be due to Glenn’s death in the TV show.) . The comic focused on too many stories, which has generated more confusion, as each of them needed more pages to develop fully.
The Verdict:
The war continues between the two groups. There is no debate that the plot is compelling as both side are enacting, developing, and utilizing new skills and plans. Yet the comic can be described as too many chefs in a kitchen can ruin a stew, well in this case too many stories can ruin a comic. As a result of this the comic did an excellent job with showing the leadership ability for both Dwight and Beta but failed with telling compelling stories for Vincent, Heath, William, Taylor, Maggie, and Dante. As a result it is an average comic but it is still necessary to read to understand the next issue.
