Ronnie breaks down the latest issue of The Walking Dead in this week’s Comic Review Friday!

We only have one more month to wait until “All Out War,” and things have hit the boiling point in The Walking Dead universe. This is not surprising though, considering that Kirkman is a master at ramping up the tension at break-neck speeds when he deems it necessary. He is also a master of creating engaging characters, and this issue focuses heavily on Jesus, who has not been given much time to shine lately. The tagline “What would Jesus do?” was probably overkill, but I cannot blame Kirkman for wanting to cash in on one the most popular characters in the series.

I do not really know where to start with this issue. There was a lot going on here, which is an improvement compared to the last year. All of Kirman’s books seem to be better when they are more chaotic. From the moment that Jesus leaps into battle with Negan the book went from being standard fare to amazing. Negan while being an amazing character had become stale over the last year. His constant bantering and ability to always be one step ahead of Rick was novel and fun in issue 100, but after 14 issues and Negan showing no weakness, the character had become stagnant. Then there was Jesus. Jesus brought Negan to his knees in a big way. This is exactly what we needed heading into “All Out War.”

The issue does slow down in the second half, which serves to set-up for the start of “All Out War” next month. We see Rick and company discussing how Rick’s actions have set the group back since they lost the element of surprise, while Rick still thinks they have advantage. Jesus, Andrea and Michonne all confront Rick about how stupid his coup attempt on Negan was, and it serves as some of the best dialogue the book has had in a long time.

Kirkman has knocked it out of the park again with this issue, making it two in a row. I am more excited now for “All Out War” then ever. This issue gives me faith that by the end of the series that we will have another issue 48 moment of shock, which is great for the series. I hope Kirkman can keep up this level of storytelling, because he is poised to deliver one his best ever. I give it a four and half stars out of five.