Kirkman is mostly the silent partner in this issue, letting the tale unravel through Adlards art. The art has been one of the great pluses of this book from the beginning, giving those of us who think the world needs fewer post-apocalypse Zombie books reason to pick it up. Get this one, especially if you havent followed the series and if, like me, an occasional viewing of early Romero takes care of most your zombie needs. Its a great introduction to a good book that may be about to get better. Read Full Review

There are slower moments in episodic storytelling that seem like fillers designed purely to build anticipation for the next big action sequence. This slower issue could not be further from that category. This pause from the jarring action and bitter losses of the preceding chapter showcases a drained father and son who must literally find a way to start over (again) after the loss of their whole world. It is a completely earned moment that is as necessary for the readers as it is for the characters.

It speaks volumes about the ravaged mental states of Rick and Carl that the loss of Lori and Judith is not actually verbalized until the very end of the episode. Yet their recent deaths loom like heavy storm clouds over every moment of this issue. From Carl’s stubborn refusal to eat to Rick’s bitter admission that there’s so much he wishes he would’ve done differently, both characters have not even come close to processing their grief. To top it all off, Rick may be developing an infection in the wound on his abdomen, which could make Carl a bona fide orphan if that is not remedied soon.

As Rick and Carl hunker down for the night in a not-too-shabby house, the question arises why these characters do not simply pick one of the multitude of empty houses scattered around them and make it their base. On a practical level, I understand the cons of such a choice. Houses are not as well defended as a prison or gated community. Plus they attract other desperate survivors who could likely be dangerous. However, with so many houses dotting the landscape, the odds are at least decent that a small family could avoid detection and enjoy shelter there for years. So what is it that keeps people like Rick and Carl searching for something more? Why was the prison (and even Woodbury) so important? The answer to that question can be summed up in one word: Community. Human beings have never fared well isolated from one another. On an almost cellular level, we seem designed to depend on one another to meet mutual needs. This is why Carl believes it is so important to try and locate Dale, Sophia, and the rest. When broken people come together, everyone gets stronger. As the book of Proverbs puts it, one knife sharpens another. So there is an almost instinctual need to find (and maintain) a community and not just a simple shelter to hunker down in. It’s the difference between merely surviving and actually living.

The Walking Dead started out quite small as one man awoke from a coma and started to search for his family in a post-Apocalyptic landscape. But then it started to expand rapidly to encompass many other new characters. Morgan. Glenn. Dale. Shane. Lori and Judith. The Governor. But at the core of The Walking Dead (no matter how big it may get) is one man’s perpetual drive to keep his family (now consisting of just Carl) safe at all costs. Their father-son relationship is the beating heart of the series, and this issue succeeds in very effectively reminding us of that. You can strip away everything else from the unfolding narrative, but if Rick and his family endure in some capacity, then the story can continue. Does this mean The Walking Dead cannot function without Rick Grimes and his family at the center? Interestingly, the television show has proven that such survival is certainly possible, but one would certainly hesitate to describe such a scenario as ideal. Even more than the show, the comic iteration of The Walking Dead depends greatly on Rick (and increasingly on Carl as well). Whenever we as avid readers need to reorient and remind ourselves where the most important beats are in the tale, we need only turn to Rick and Carl. They were our entry points into this world, and one hopes that they will continue to be our guides well into the future. more