Like you didn’t know….this week’s Comic Review Friday is The Walking Dead #115
The Walking Dead #115 has been a long time coming, and with all of the hype surrounding the beginning of All Out War it was imperative for Kirkman to deliver in this issue. He did just that by providing one of the best issues in quite some time. I have often complained that The Walking Dead has been moving too slow, but in this issue Kirkman moves the story along at breakneck speeds, and if this is any indication of what is to come over the next eleven issues, then war may have been the best thing that has happened to us.
Pacing is key in this issue. The beginning of the issue is the proverbial calm before the storm. It seems a little slow, but we get some great character moments, and considering these may be the last time some of these characters interact, we should it enjoy it while we can. Seeing Rick and Andrea discuss the war and its potential consequences was fantastic. It showed us that Rick knows the price he is going to have to pay to win the war, and that it weighs heavily on him.
Once the issue moves out of the Safe-Zone the pace accelerates dramatically. Kirkman is cutting right to the chase with this storyline, and after the last dozen or so issues, it is about time. While battle has not yet erupted, Kirkman is making it very evident with this issue that the build up is over, the lines are drawn, and people are going to start dieing next issue. We have not seen Kirkman advance plot this quickly in sometime, and it really is a nice change of pace compared to the slow and methodical pacing of the story since the introduction of the Safe-Zone.
The art this issue does not really hold up as well as the story. I was distracted at the beginning with Andrea’s every changing scars, and the complete lack of either of her original two face scars. I am not one to usually notice this kind of thing, but it was so evident in this issue I could not miss it. That and a few other minor details aside, the second half of the issue was beautiful. There was not a whole lot of movement in the last bit, but the layout of the panels still gave a cinematic feel, which is part of what has made the art in The Walking Dead great. This was not Adlard’s best showing, but it was on par with where a book’s art needs to be.
This was a great start to twelve issue epic that is All Out War. Kirkman started out by changing the game, which gives me hope that this story is going to be one full of fun twists and turns. This issue is the best issue we have had since issue 100, and I just hope Kirkman can keep this up for eleven more issues. Overall I give it four and half out of five stars.
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