The Walking Dead is a very popular comic that is released once a month. Last month issue 144 was a perfect release. It established territories between the communities and the Whispers. This month dealt with the aftermath of how the territory was established through the use of 12 people who were decapitated. Issue 145, which can be purchased here, has both good and bad elements in its pages.
The Good:
Kirkman’s writing in this issue captures a realistic style of emotion for the character Michonne. Michonne had been romantically involved with Ezekiel. She left him and they were reconnecting before he was decapitated. As a result, Michonne experiences a variety of emotions ranging from sorrow to frustration, which leads to violence. In this emotional state Michonne points to Rick, who is choosing to do nothing. If this was Carl or Andrea he would lead them to war expressing the feeling of being powerless. Furthermore, Michonne who is emotionally overwhelmed attacked Lydia and she is the closest thing to the one that killed Ezekiel. As a reader her emotions are realistic, which allows us to connect with her as a character and understand what she is feeling, which is an amazing trait that Kirkman has pulled off in the script of this issue.
The Bad:
As good a job as Kirkman did on Michonne’s character in this issue, the opposite can be said for Rick’s character. Rick looked weak when Michonne confronted him about his people dying. Rick even admitted that he would lead the 4 communities to war if it was Carl or Andrea who was killed. This shows that Rick is becoming a slightly corrupt leader as all people are not treated the same; rather some people are a higher priority than others. Furthermore, Rick doesn’t know what to do in this situation, yet throughout the entire series he has dealt with many other scenarios and is well equipped to address this too, which makes him look weak and is uncharacteristic of him. Rick’s character is damaged, as he appears contradictory and weak rather than definitive and authoritative. Kirkman in writing Rick’s character in this issue did not deliver his best writing skills and dropped the ball.
The Verdict:
The comic generates mixed feelings as parts of it are great and other parts are below average. Kirkman captured realistic emotion in Michonne’s character, which showcases his ability as a writer. Yet he failed to utilize the same techniques with Rick’s character and as a result he appears weak. Despite Rick’s character appearing weak the story still has the same outlook and understanding with the readers. As a result the comic is an above average, but can be improved upon.
