Charlie Adlard is given the task of selling the heated emotions that erupt in this issue, and I have to give him full marks for the scene where Rick finally goes over the edge, as his crazed expression during the sequence where he's unloading on Thomas is a visually jarring moment, as are the close-up shots of Rick's hands after he's pulled off. The art also impressively sells the sheer impact of Rick's attack, by giving us a good look at how the others are reacting to it, as Lori and Amy make for a wonderful background element during this scene. The double-page shot of the entire cast is also a lovely piece, as I love that many of the characters are allowed to be doing something beyond looking like stunned bystanders. The final page shot of Rick is also a decidedly ominous visual. However, the art isn't all doom and gloom, as it also does a nice job of capturing Carl's reaction when Sophia kisses him, and this scene could've been a little too cute if not for the art. Read Full Review

What initially felt like somewhat of a misstep with this Thomas Richards serial killer arc has progressed in this one issue into a moment that will prove a pivotal turning point for the entire series going forward. An issue or two ago, Rick watched aghast as Tyreese pummeled Chris to death. Now, he has nearly killed someone himself in the identical manner. Rick has finally been pushed beyond the event horizon that has slowly and irresistibly been pulling him into its maw for a while now. Going back for Hershel’s people, putting down zombie Shane, and assuming the best of the prisoners were all moral attempts to hang on to his humanity and remain a good person. And look at what came of those efforts. Susie and Rachel were beheaded. Shane��s corpse drew Rick away from his group at a time when everything was falling apart. Two of the prisoners have begun to plot against Rick, and another is a full-on serial killer. If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, Rick has certainly been laying the bricks.

Rick has come face to face with the sobering reality that the world they inhabit now is not like the one they used to inhabit. The moment one considers morality and personal accountability to be unimportant is the moment a formerly decent person becomes little more than a walking zombie themselves. Rick’s painstaking efforts to hang on to his morality should not be condemned as out of place in the zombie apocalypse. It is of the utmost importance to his and those around him’s continued survival. However, he must also face the unpleasant truth that evil now walks the earth unrestrained by any semblance of control originally afforded by a functioning justice system. What constitutes justice now is a far more brutal norm, and the lines between justice and personal vengeance have the potential to become dangerously blurred.

Lori’s concerns about killing are easy to write off as insanely naive, especially considering the present state of things. Locking a serial killer who cuts little girls’ heads’ off up in their new home indefinitely is an insane and irresponsible notion. Also, letting Thomas go could place another innocent person in danger, or Thomas could plot to somehow get revenge on the prison group. Make no mistake. Rick is in the right here. Under the new and compromised system of morality that has manifested in the zombie apocalypse, Thomas has to die. There’s just no other logical way around it, but such logic is extremely unsettling, and Lori obviously has a hard time dealing with it.

That being said, Rick’s blanket assertion that “You kill you die” is a very simplistic solution to situations that are often very complex. Not everyone who kills during the zombie apocalypse is necessarily deserving of death, though I do not think anyone (except Lori) would agree that Thomas falls into that category. Beheading two little girls would have a very good chance of resulting in a capital punishment charge BEFORE the dead started walking. It for darn sure is a capital offense AFTER they did. But I understand how Lori seeing her husband assume the mantle of judge, jury, and executioner could be off-putting to her. However, in Rick’s defense, leadership was never a burden he asked for. Everyone is usually happy to let him call the shots because none of them have to step up. So it really is not fair to blame Rick in a situation like this even if he is being a bit of a, well, Ricktator. ;)
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