The Walking Dead #165 Review

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Alexandria, Charlie Adlard, comics, Dwight, Dwight The Walking Dead, Image Comcis, Lucile the Walking Dead, Michonne, Negan, Rick Grimes, Robert Kirkman, Stefano Gaudiano, The Hilltop, The Kingdom, The Saviors, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead #165, The Walking Dead #165 Review, The Whisperers, TWD, Walker herd, Walkers, Zombies

The Walking Dead #165

　Review by Paul Bowler

Opportunity strikes as the battle for survival rages on in The Walking Dead #165, Alexandria has fallen before the terrifying might of the Walker herd unleashed at the end of the Whisperer War, and now the shambling tide of the dead threatens to overwhelm them all. Trapped inside Alexandria, Rick and Negan must work together to have any hope of escape. Meanwhile outside, Carl leads a group of Hilltop survivors into battle with Dwight and his team to thin out the herd while Maggie, Andrea, Eugene, Michonne, and Jesus set out on horseback to drive the horde away from Alexandria and towards the ocean, as the Saviors continue to watch, and wait for their moment…

The war with the Whisperer might be over, at least for now anyway, but there have been major losses on all sides. Father Gabriel is dead, the Hilltop has been completely raised to the ground, and Beta’s parting act to set the massive Walker herd on Alexandria has placed Rick’s community and his friends in dire peril.

Rick Kirkman always writes The Walking Dead in a way that often challenges and defies out expectations with the completely unexpected. In hindsight of Negan’s and Rick’s impromptu hear-to-heart last issue – now there’s a sentence I never EVER thought I’d write in a million years – the dynamic between them has been radically altered, but as they fight side-by-side against the Walkers in this issue there’s still that gnawing doubt that the reluctant trust this situation has forged between them is more a case of better the devil you know for both of them. Still, it will be interesting to see how this pans out. Its also good to see the rest of the Alexandrians following their lead – especially after they all high tailed it and left Rick and Negan to fend for themselves when the gates of Alexandria fell – and rise up to fight alongside them against the undead masses.

Charlie Adlard’s artwork for The Walking Dead #165 provides us with a veritable tour de force of action and drama, with bold, stylishly structured page layouts building the tension. The 16 panel page grid is once more utilized, arguably to ever greater effect that even during the Whisperer War, to condense the action featuring Rick and Negan, Carl and Lydia, Dwight’s team, Andrea, Maggie, Dante, Jesus, Michonne, and Eugene as the battle inside with the zombies and the plan outside to ferry the herd away form Alexandria unfolds at break neck speed! Stefano Gaudiano’s stunning inks and the impeccable grey tones by Cliff Rathburn bring added fervour and intensity to every scene. The panoramic Cliffside two-page spread is both beautifully and horrifically realized by Adlard, Guadiano, and Rathburn, succinctly and sharply polarizing the simplicity of Eugene’s assessment of the success of their plan with the potential environmental consequences such action will bring to coldly illustrate that – zombie apocalypse or not – humanity is still probably going to end up dumping its shit into the sea until the end of the world and beyond anyway.

This issue frenetically intercuts between a number of plot strands, with attempts to prevent sections of the Walker herd turning back towards Alexandria putting key characters in moral jeopardy, and the Saviors – who have been observing from the sidelines for so long – finally decide to make their move. To think, only a few issues ago, it looked like Rick had won the Whisperer War, but as Beta retreated the Walker herd was released, and with all the communities in disarray everything that Rick and the survivors have fought so hard to build looks like it could be swept away overnight.

The Walking Dead #165 is another terrific issue from Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard that takes this Image Comics series to new heights of unparallel drama and suspense. Things that have been foreshadowed are slowly coming to pass, the spoils of victory are there for the taking, it just remains to be seen who will be left standing to claim them! The Walking Dead #165 certainly has a cliff-hanger to end all cliff-hangers as well, and its one that’ll sink its teeth into the collective fandom of The Walking Dead like never before!

Publisher: Image

Writer: Robert Kirkman / Art: Charlie Adlard

Inks: Stefano Gaudiano / Grey tones: Cliff Rathburn / Letters: Rus Wooton

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The Walking Dead #162 Review

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Alexandria, Charlie Adlard, comics, Dwight, Dwight The Walking Dead, Image Comcis, Lucile the Walking Dead, Michonne, Negan, Rick Grimes, Robert Kirkman, Stefano Gaudiano, The Hilltop, The Kingdom, The Saviors, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead #162, The Walking Dead #162 Review, The Whisperer War Part 6, The Whisperers, TWD, Walker herd, Walkers, Zombies

The Walking Dead #162

Review by Paul Bowler

Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors face their darkest hour in The Walking Dead #162 from Image Comics as the final battle with the Whisperers begins. Maggie led The Hilltop to victory during the Whisperers devastating attack on her community, but Barrington House is now a smouldering ruin. Now, as Eugene risks everything to deliver a much needed consignment of ammunition to Alexandria, Rick and Andrea plan their next move, but the Saviors are secretly plotting against Rick, and the Whisperers are about to launch their last ditch offensive against Alexandria as the Whisperer War reaches its blood curdling conclusion!

The Whisperer War has certainly shaken things up for The Walking Dead universe as the communities of Alexandria, The Hilltop, The Kingdom, and The Saviors have gradually been drawn into the conflict with the Whisperers. There have been plenty of shocks and surprises along the way. Dwight has really stepped up to the plate during this storyline, helping train the Alexandrian’s to fight the Whisperers, and the way his team survived the Walker herd by using Whisperer skins was ingenious. Eugene’s ongoing radio conversations with an unknown community slowly began to grow in trust, Carl also risked his life helping to get people to safety when the Hilltop was attacked, and Lydia refused to rejoin the Whisperers – making her point clear in the most spectacular way imaginable. There have been casualties too, most notably Father Gabriel’s gruesome death, and perhaps the most shocking event of all was the unexpected demise of Negan’s beloved baseball bat Lucille during his fight with the Whisperer’s hulking new leader, Beta!

Robert Kirkman begins to gather the numerous plot threads and communities together in this final part of the Whisperer War. This issue we are treated to some of the series’ most poignant and emotional scenes so far, with Negan mourning Lucille, the reinforcements from The Kingdom arriving to help the survivors of the battle at the Hilltop, and there’s an especially moving scene between Carl and Lydia as well.

The 16 panel page grid is used to great effect once again in this issue. Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard have had so many characters and locations to cover during this arc and this panel layout really plays to their strengths, particularly here in The Walking Dead #162, enabling the issue to strike just the right balance between action, drama, and strong character moments to drive the plot towards its thrilling conclusion. The artwork by Charlie Adlard, together with Stefano Gaudiano’s exceptional inks, and grey tones by Cliff Rathburn delivers some brilliant set-pieces: including Negan’s poignant moment of reflection, the sweeping vista depicting the aftermath of the Hilltop battle, and a terrifying Walker horde that will make your jaw hit the floor!

You might be forgiven at one point into thinking that this storyline is winding down a little too conveniently at one stage, with Eugene, and then Dwight and his team, returning to Alexandria, but there is a gnawing sense that all is not going as well as it seems, and sure enough, Rick’s instincts prove horrifically right!

The Whisperer War has been one of the most epic, bloody, and violent storylines we’ve seen in a long while in The Walking Dead. If you thought the title had been coasting along a little in the aftermath of All Out War, then this issue will certainly change all that with its game changing finale scenes, and you will be left in no doubt that the zombie apocalypse is really going to heat up now in the wake of what Beta has unleashed.

So, get ready for some exciting times ahead as The Walking Dead celebrates Image’s 25^th anniversary next month, with The Walking Dead #163, an bigger issue than normal at lower price of 25 cents, and then The Walking Dead #164 that also ships in February!

Publisher: Image

Writer: Robert Kirkman / Art: Charlie Adlard / Inks: Stefano Gaudiano

Grey tones: Cliff Rathburn / Letters: Rus Wooton

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The Walking Dead #158 Review

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Alexandria, Charlie Adlard, comics, Dwight, Image Comcis, Lucile the Walking Dead, Michonne, Negan, Rick Grimes, Robert Kirkman, Stefano Gaudiano, The Hilltop, The Kingdom, The Saviors, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead #158, The Walking Dead #158 review, The Whispere War Part 2, The Whisperers, TWD, Walker herd, Walkers, Zombies

The Walking Dead #158

Review by Paul Bowler

The Whisperer War rages on in The Walking Dead #158 as Beta, enraged after Alpha was killed and beheaded by Negan, sends the Whisperers mighty undead herd to strike back against Rick and his allies. Still mindful of Negan’s motives, Rick allows Negan to help on the front line. The communities of Alexandria, The Saviors, The Hilltop, and the Kingdom will soon face their greatest challenge, but nothing could prepare Dwight’s new military force for the sight of the terrifying Walker herd the Whisperers have unleashed on them…

The Whisperer War: Part 2 begins with the shock death of one of the series’ regular characters, and its one that few could’ve genuinely seen coming. The Whisperers are certainly amongst the most chilling adversaries that Rick and his fellow survivors have ever faced. This unnerving Walker skin wearing group have proved to be as cunning as they are deadly, having already used ruthless terror tactics against those who dared to violate their territory, but with Beta now out to avenge Alpha’s death this issue illustrates just what a force they are to be reckoned with – especially now that Beta’s let loose what can only be described as this apocalyptic worlds Undead equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction: the Walker herd!

Robert Kirkman skilfully builds the action and tension throughout this issue. It may have taken a while to actually get to the Whisperers War, but now that this new arc is in full swing its sure turning out to have been well worth the wait! Numerous events unfold, taking in Alexandria, The Saviors, The Hilltop, and the Kingdom, as the separate communities react to the current threat in very different, and sometimes surprising ways. There’s also a greater sense of just how tenuously balanced this brave new world that Rick has been striving to establish, really is. One of the big highlights of the issue are the scenes with Dwight and Negan on the front line, the dialogue here is utterly priceless, and the way it spills over into the attack by the Whisperers herd is brilliantly staged.

The Walking Dead #158 features the winning combination of Charlie Adlard’s excellent artwork, Stefano Gaudiano’s inks, and grey tones Cliff Rathburn, in what is arguably one of their finest issues so far. The use of 16 panel page grid is employed once more in this issue, it’s been a good move by Robert Kirkman Charlie Adlard, and works really well in the context of this arc – especially as its been so densely plotted and action-packed in places. All of the different character arcs and geographic locals this issue packs in are deftly handled by the creative team, the action flows seamlessly, and the narrative is peppered with some great character moments. There are so many standout events in this issue: the gruesome death of a main character is probably one of the most visceral scenes I’ve seen in this series for a long while, likewise, the sight of Michonne and Jesus charging into battle is great scene stealer, and the overwhelming power of the Walker herd is also another jaw dropping set-piece as the Whisperers vicious tactics press home their advantage.

We’re only two issues in with this six-part story arc and its already shaping up to be one hell of a game changer. The Walking Dead #158 builds to a rousing close. Battle lines are drawn, Eugene’s radio conversation subplot continues bubbling away mysteriously in the background, and the arrival of reinforcements certainly prove to be a rousing moment. But everything is overshadowed by the anticipation of the mother of all showdowns that’s set up for the next issue, as two of series’ biggest, baldest, heavy hitters face off at last!

Publisher: Image / Writer: Robert Kirkman / Art: Charlie Adlard

Inks: Stefano Gaudiano / Grey tones: Cliff Rathburn / Letters: Rus Wooton

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