It is an interesting thing to compare what actually happens in this issue with the scene depicted on the cover. Despite Rick’s plan to violently hang Thomas from a guard tower, that scene never comes to fruition. However, the extracanonical depiction on the cover of Thomas’s executed body looming high above everyone could not be more appropriate thematically, as his looming death hovers ominously over all the proceedings in this issue. As each member of the prison group grapples with the reality of what must be done to Thomas, some truly excellent “small moments” develop that allow many of our favorite characters to shine.

Kirkman’s stellar writing finesse is on full display here, and it allows for some most excellent character development. More than excellence, however, it is the believability of the character development that I admired most. He profoundly GETS these characters he dreamed up, and his thorough understanding of his characters help us to GET them better as well. Lori’s cool down moment and subsequent making peace with Rick was largely fueled by Carl’s admission that he killed Shane BEFORE he had a chance to hurt anyone. She comforts a confused Carl by reassuring him that pulling the trigger on Shane was the right thing to do in that moment. The parallels to the Thomas situation are as apparent to Lori as they are to us, and she and Rick make some degree of amends.

I also thought Hershel was written phenomenally in this issue, as he tortuously oscillated between both his New Testament faith and his very understandable Old Testament rage in regards to Thomas. One minute he is (admittedly rather insincerely) telling Thomas that he forgives him, and in the next moment he admits to Rick that he is looking forward to watching the man be hanged. It’s rather easy to “forgive” someone for an unspeakable crime when you know that person is about to be brutally executed. Hershel’s struggle to remain true to his faith while still suffering through his raw anger is a compelling read indeed. Then that grim shot at the end of him watching the walkers outside the fence devour Thomas’s corpse while bitterly weeping is a truly memorable and bizarrely beautiful scene that describes where he is at perfectly.

Also believable is Maggie’s sudden and rather cold urge to break it off with Glenn (maybe she wasn’t crazy about the bald look after all, which I’m still getting used to myself). But seriously, it’s understandable given what she has so recently been through. Since she has graced the pages of this comic, she has lost four brothers and sisters (five if you count zombie Shawn). It must seem to her that loving someone just means you will lose them and suffer tremendous pain in the voids they leave behind. So of course she wants to “save” Glenn by refusing to get attached to him. It’s totally irrational, and yet so very understandable (and surely even relatable to many readers who are unfortunately acquainted with their own losses).

Less understandable is Dale’s sudden urge to abandon ship with Andrea. I get that he almost lost Andrea (though I think she always was a step ahead of Thomas), and I get that he is an old man who may be getting weary of one tragic event after another. But Dale has always been such a brick for the group that it does sting a bit that he is considering leaving. As for Patricia . . . Yeah. No comment there. more