While meandering for several issues, The Walking Dead returns with issue #111 and ends it with a nice chunk of crazy. Rick and Ezekiel — along with others — have been planning a big attack on Negan and the Saviors for a long while. The issue opens with the groups trying to get some sleep before the big day of gathering together.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
Michonne can’t sleep over her and Ezekiel’s exchange in the last issue and Andrea and Rick are concerned over Carl as he will join the forces. The next day, the groups journey — hoping they each have their best men and women and meet up in Ezekiel’s palace.
Andrea has trained snipers, which should play into the series in the coming issues, and Michonne thinks she may be learning from training some of Ezekiel’s men. Everyone is confident, despite their wish that Dwight could just off Negan in his sleep, that the plan will work as long as Negan doesn’t show up early for his supplies.
Of course, Negan shows up early for his supplies. He storms in, arrogant and dominating, and immediately harasses a poor woman at the gate, crassly stating he is happy to have relations with her. He heads to an empty house and is soon approached by Spencer. This is where issue #111 gets good.
Spencer basically almost blows everything — not that Rick has led on as to what the big picture is, but Spencer definitely comes close to disaster as he airs his irritation in Rick. Negan, the jerk he is, entertains young Spencer’s story of how he should be the one leading this group — not Rick. Negan entertains him, then turns on him in a heartbeat. The ending is shocking and perfect for what is to come.
While the last few issues of The Walking Dead have had their moments, they remind me a lot of how the TV series runs. There is extreme excitement and then extreme lulls. Yes, there has been the buildup of this big attack; however, if the payoff isn’t great, these issues will be looked back on as filler, even with their great moments. And still, humans themselves are a greater enemy than the zombies we’ve barely seen.
The potential now lies in the bits and pieces we’ve gathered recently: Carl will now be in battle, Michonne and Ezekiel know their true selves, and Rick may not be the loveable guy we’ve known all along. Let the attack on the bad guys begin.
