Review – The Walking Dead #116

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Release Date: 13th November 2013

After the slow, contemplative pace of part one, this issue sees the first shots fired (literally) in The Walking Dead’s ‘All Out War’ event. Those crying out for action will find themselves in for a treat, as Charlie Adlard continues his recent resurgence with some brilliantly illustrated pages, including one particularly memorable double-page spread that manages to perfectly display the unprecedented scale of the conflict.

That’s not to say that this issue is all style and no substance, because there’s still no shortage of the tense, character-based drama we’ve come to expect from this series. And while the previous issue’s cliffhanger turns out to be a bit of a dud, we’re still treated to some great moments here, including Rick Grimes actually being ‘out-heroed’ by someone else on his side, while leads us into yet another tense cliffhanger.

One of my problems with this event so far is that, in spite of the undeniable increase in scale, it just doesn’t feel quite as epic or as world-altering as I was expecting. And for all his gloriously detestable qualities, the Negan character does seem to be starting to wear a little thin, and Kirkman may have allowed the bad guy to overstay his welcome just a little bit too long, turning our burning desire to see him get his comeuppance into a need to simply get him out of the way and move onto the next thing.

However, in spite of this, what we have here is another extremely enjoyable slice of the episodic storytelling that this series has become so famous for. And while the latest event hasn’t quite lived up to its lofty expectations – at least not just yet – to use the words of Rick himself, “the war has only just begun.”