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The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead, Vol. 17: Something to Fear
In this volume of the NYT bestselling survival horror, Rick and his band of survivors work to build a larger network of thriving communities, and soon discover that Negan's "Saviors" prove to be a larger threat than they could have fathomed.
Crossing Negan will lead to serious, dire consequences for the group; it seems that for the first time since the Governor's reign of terror that Rick may have Something to Fear.
Collects The Walking Dead #97-102.
Crossing Negan will lead to serious, dire consequences for the group; it seems that for the first time since the Governor's reign of terror that Rick may have Something to Fear.
Collects The Walking Dead #97-102.
132 pages, Comics
First published November 21, 2012
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,587 books6,563 followersRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,015 reviews
April 22, 2015
I never thought I would miss that fluffy pussy cat named the Governor.
This volume went dark in a hurry. Rick is feeling good there for about a minute. Things are going his way, the Hilltop is looking better and better and he ..Life is good.
That last 2.3 seconds.
I'm glad these suckers are written in black and white. Because this one is so brutal you just don't need that color in your head.
PS. I hate you Robert Kirkman.
This volume went dark in a hurry. Rick is feeling good there for about a minute. Things are going his way, the Hilltop is looking better and better and he ..Life is good.
That last 2.3 seconds.
I'm glad these suckers are written in black and white. Because this one is so brutal you just don't need that color in your head.
PS. I hate you Robert Kirkman.
August 30, 2023
Can The Community deal with the Saviors? Is one of the group expecting a child? What is Eugene's bright idea? Holly or Rosita, is there a choice to be made by Abraham? Holy Jumping Torpedoes! The volume that put The Walking Dead back on the map! Including the giant-sized 100th issue I guess Kirkman and co. realised that despite their losses the group were beginning to look indestructible, and fair play to them for making Rick think so to! Enter The Saviors, Dwight, Negan... and Lucille!
It's a sad reality of graphic novel writing that so many of them peak early but The Saviors took this serial to another level, giving the reader's world view a true reality check; and check out the TV show interpretation of this volume, which I would dare to say is even better!!! 9 out of 12 effed-up Four Star shocker of shocking reads.
#
2019, 2017 and 2013 read
It's a sad reality of graphic novel writing that so many of them peak early but The Saviors took this serial to another level, giving the reader's world view a true reality check; and check out the TV show interpretation of this volume, which I would dare to say is even better!!! 9 out of 12 effed-up Four Star shocker of shocking reads.
#2019, 2017 and 2013 read
January 30, 2018
Here comes Negan!
This is the seventeenth volume of “The Walking Dead”, collecting the comic book issues from #97 to #102.
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrators: Charlie Adlard
Additional gray tones to inking: Cliff Rathburn
Chapter Seventeen
SOMETHING TO FEAR
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
I’m just getting started. Lucille is thirsty.
A new era of The Walking Dead begins, and we get back to Rick Grimes and his group of survivors in a dystopian world where zombies roam it.
At the ending of the previous volume, Rick’s group realized that their world is larger than they thought.
They meet the community at The Hilltop.
Rick negotiated a deal with Gregory (Hilltop’s self-appointed leader) that, in change of supplies (mostly food), to eliminate the threat of “The Saviors”, a violent group that sells protection in change of half of everything of value of each community. Rick’s confidant to be able to beat those so called “Saviors”.
Rick was wrong, deadly wrooooong…
Enter: Negan…
…the fearsome leader of “The Saviors”.
Rick’s group has dealt with merciless enemies like The Governor and also The Hunters, but nothing, NOTHING of that was any useful to prepared them to face Negan, and soon enough they would know that they were out of their league, paying it that learning with precious blood.
Negan isn’t only the new villain, but also is the most complicated and hard-to-predict character ever appeared in The Walking Dead so far. Easily my new favorite character in the whole series (both in comic book than TV).
Zombies are easy, humans are hard.
You know what to expect from a zombie,...
...but a human?
You never can be certain.
Rick isn’t certain of anything about Negan and his Saviors.
And the blood, too precious blood, will start to run a lot soon.
This is the seventeenth volume of “The Walking Dead”, collecting the comic book issues from #97 to #102.
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrators: Charlie Adlard
Additional gray tones to inking: Cliff Rathburn
Chapter Seventeen
SOMETHING TO FEAR
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
I’m just getting started. Lucille is thirsty.
A new era of The Walking Dead begins, and we get back to Rick Grimes and his group of survivors in a dystopian world where zombies roam it.
At the ending of the previous volume, Rick’s group realized that their world is larger than they thought.
They meet the community at The Hilltop.
Rick negotiated a deal with Gregory (Hilltop’s self-appointed leader) that, in change of supplies (mostly food), to eliminate the threat of “The Saviors”, a violent group that sells protection in change of half of everything of value of each community. Rick’s confidant to be able to beat those so called “Saviors”.
Rick was wrong, deadly wrooooong…
Enter: Negan…
…the fearsome leader of “The Saviors”.
Rick’s group has dealt with merciless enemies like The Governor and also The Hunters, but nothing, NOTHING of that was any useful to prepared them to face Negan, and soon enough they would know that they were out of their league, paying it that learning with precious blood.
Negan isn’t only the new villain, but also is the most complicated and hard-to-predict character ever appeared in The Walking Dead so far. Easily my new favorite character in the whole series (both in comic book than TV).
Zombies are easy, humans are hard.
You know what to expect from a zombie,...
...but a human?
You never can be certain.
Rick isn’t certain of anything about Negan and his Saviors.
And the blood, too precious blood, will start to run a lot soon.
March 28, 2013
Rick’s group of survivors thought that their recent success in wiping out a huge herd of zombies along with finding that there were other communities nearby that they could start trading with had provided the first rays of sunshine in the long dark night that is The Walking Dead.
However, long time readers shouldn’t be surprised that was just writer Robert Kirkman setting us up like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick. If you’re familiar with this series and still ended up flat on your back after he yanked the ball away, you got nobody to blame but yourself.
Following the classic lesson of George Romero, Kirkman again demonstrates that while zombies may be dangerous, it’s other people that are really terrifying. When Rick learned that the neighboring community had problems with a group called the Saviors, he thought that his battle-tested crew of crusty veterans was more than a match for some gang working a post-apocalyptic version of the protection racket. Unfortunately, Rick is wrong.
So very, very wrong.
The Saviors turn out to have a lot more members than anyone knew about, and their leader, Negan, is a vicious bastard who will make Rick wistfully think about the good ole days when he only had to deal with the Governor.
Seriously,
So once again all is lost, and if you think it might get better soon, the next collection will be titled Abandon All Hope.* You know, just in case you hadn’t already…
*(I learned that they've changed the title of the next volume to What Comes After and ruined my joke. Thanks for nothing, Kirkman!)
Also posted at Kemper's Book Blog.
However, long time readers shouldn’t be surprised that was just writer Robert Kirkman setting us up like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick. If you’re familiar with this series and still ended up flat on your back after he yanked the ball away, you got nobody to blame but yourself.
Following the classic lesson of George Romero, Kirkman again demonstrates that while zombies may be dangerous, it’s other people that are really terrifying. When Rick learned that the neighboring community had problems with a group called the Saviors, he thought that his battle-tested crew of crusty veterans was more than a match for some gang working a post-apocalyptic version of the protection racket. Unfortunately, Rick is wrong.
So very, very wrong.
The Saviors turn out to have a lot more members than anyone knew about, and their leader, Negan, is a vicious bastard who will make Rick wistfully think about the good ole days when he only had to deal with the Governor.
Seriously,
So once again all is lost, and if you think it might get better soon, the next collection will be titled Abandon All Hope.* You know, just in case you hadn’t already…
*(I learned that they've changed the title of the next volume to What Comes After and ruined my joke. Thanks for nothing, Kirkman!)
Also posted at Kemper's Book Blog.
January 15, 2014
Hey, Rick is smiling, he’s optimistic. "We can kill all the zombies eventually and everyone can live in peace and harmony." Hugs for everybody. Where's the party cake?
This lasted about eight panels.
The Governor has a first class ticket on the Crazy Train, but Negan is the engineer and conductor. (Cue Ozzy Osbourne song)
This one’s a gut punch from Kirkman and company.
This lasted about eight panels.
The Governor has a first class ticket on the Crazy Train, but Negan is the engineer and conductor. (Cue Ozzy Osbourne song)
This one’s a gut punch from Kirkman and company.
June 16, 2019
Another gripping instalment in the series.
Knowing that the 100th issue was surpassed in this volume I knew that something big was about to happen, yet again this series continues to shock and surprise me.
The Negan story arc is clearly heading towards a brutal and tough outcome and I’m not sure that I’m ready for what awaits...
Knowing that the 100th issue was surpassed in this volume I knew that something big was about to happen, yet again this series continues to shock and surprise me.
The Negan story arc is clearly heading towards a brutal and tough outcome and I’m not sure that I’m ready for what awaits...
December 7, 2012
Good grief, I am over this series. I thought I'd be okay with less zombies but it turns out I'm not. I can't care about these people's machinations & schemes & hookups anymore, I can't watch someone else get brutally murdered in a non-zombie related fashion so that everyone else can all fawn over Rick & tell him that it's not his fault when clearly it is absolutely his fault. I understand that if I somehow survive the initial violence of a zombie apocalypse I will undoubtedly have more to fear from moronic alpha males trying to initiate some new world order, but do I honestly need to read about this in graphic novel form? No, not anymore. And !
May 21, 2018
Finally a volume that REALLY has the power to kick-start this series!
I’m glad Kirkman recognised that the story was growing stale and that he needed to murder a few characters in order to get it moving again. I wasn’t particularly sad to see either of them go. They had both become a little dull and really didn’t have any room for development within the story at large.
I’m up to date on the television show, so I know much of what will happen next though I’m still excited to see the big war play out. Hopefully this will stay interesting for a while and I can carry on reading it. Time will tell.
I’m glad Kirkman recognised that the story was growing stale and that he needed to murder a few characters in order to get it moving again. I wasn’t particularly sad to see either of them go. They had both become a little dull and really didn’t have any room for development within the story at large.
I’m up to date on the television show, so I know much of what will happen next though I’m still excited to see the big war play out. Hopefully this will stay interesting for a while and I can carry on reading it. Time will tell.
March 31, 2013
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????
Holy moses, I just knew I was being set up in the last volume. I knew it!!! My momma didn't raise no fools.
But that hurt. A lot. You'd think I'd be so numb by now that nothing would really get past my defenses anymore but apparently I can still be shivved, right in the back and fall to my knees screaming.
This new baddie Negan is a real piece of psychotic work. He makes the Governor look like a misunderstood, tree-hugging hippie who just wishes the kids these days would stay off his damn lawn.
Where can the story possibly go from here?
January 4, 2016
Holy shit-monkeys.
Well. Clearly I was suffering from an abundance of optimism and a distinct lack of suicidal depression. Robert Kirkman has decided to remedy that.
This volume is BRUTAL. BRU-TAL. It's... man. It's cruel. I realize now that I was getting a bit complacent, that I was operating on the assumption that things would be dealt with and handled. Rick's optimism was infectious, and I realized that I'd come to stand with him on his vision of the future. This volume just drop-kicked me back to reality. I thought the Governer was nasty. Maybe it's distance and time making him seem like he's less fucking crazy bad horrible depraved. But this guy. This position. This hopelessness. This optionlessness. Me no likey.
I want to fuck this guy UP.
So let's get on that, mmkay, Rick?
Well. Clearly I was suffering from an abundance of optimism and a distinct lack of suicidal depression. Robert Kirkman has decided to remedy that.
This volume is BRUTAL. BRU-TAL. It's... man. It's cruel. I realize now that I was getting a bit complacent, that I was operating on the assumption that things would be dealt with and handled. Rick's optimism was infectious, and I realized that I'd come to stand with him on his vision of the future. This volume just drop-kicked me back to reality. I thought the Governer was nasty. Maybe it's distance and time making him seem like he's less fucking crazy bad horrible depraved. But this guy. This position. This hopelessness. This optionlessness. Me no likey.
I want to fuck this guy UP.
So let's get on that, mmkay, Rick?
January 26, 2016
The last three volumes (including this one) have just been slugging along at an average rate for me. Some crazy shit happened in this volume, two characters that I liked died, and yet I'm just not as enthralled with this comic as much as I was in the past. I know that it must be insanely hard to write new and exciting stuff in this comic because it may come off as repetitive, unbelievable or overly-dramatic and so that's why I'm being quite generous with my rating. Robert Kirkman is actually good at adding little things in to change it up but when it comes to the plot I feel like the plot is going around in circles. It's just like - something bad happens, they overcome it, they have hope and then something worse happens and then the cycle starts again. The comic has that constant cycle but then I don't know what else Kirkman could throw into the mix to make it different. Aliens? Flying zombies? A crazy army of monkeys?
I suppose another interesting thing to note is that I feel like when a character dies, it's not a big deal for me. I've gotten it into my head that all of these characters will die and I don't like them enough to be upset over it. The only characters I really care about are Andrea, Michonne and Sophia. If they died then I would be annoyed but if any other character died then I wouldn't be too bothered about it. Perhaps if I was more emotionally invested in more characters, I would like the series more.
Maybe Negan will mix it up. His story might bring back that original excitement I had while I was reading these comics. He's ruthless and I love that he curses so much and the fact that he seems absolutely bonkers. He could be a character that I love and it could be interesting to see more of his craziness!
I suppose another interesting thing to note is that I feel like when a character dies, it's not a big deal for me. I've gotten it into my head that all of these characters will die and I don't like them enough to be upset over it. The only characters I really care about are Andrea, Michonne and Sophia. If they died then I would be annoyed but if any other character died then I wouldn't be too bothered about it. Perhaps if I was more emotionally invested in more characters, I would like the series more.
Maybe Negan will mix it up. His story might bring back that original excitement I had while I was reading these comics. He's ruthless and I love that he curses so much and the fact that he seems absolutely bonkers. He could be a character that I love and it could be interesting to see more of his craziness!
January 18, 2013
Dear Robert Kirkman,
I've decided to start hating you. Sure, I knew the peril of liking one of your characters. Especially if that character was, in fact, likable. But this was different. This was my favorite character, you bastard. So yes, you are clearly a remorseless, tyrannical genius when it comes to building up suspense and robbing your readers of the notion that anyone is safe. How could I not hate--and respect--you for that?
You took away my favorite character. As a fan, I only plead that your writing makes that decision meaningful. Please don't recycle this into another The Governor story. You're running into risky grounds of doing a re-hash. Don't let us down.
Sincerely,
Addicted
I've decided to start hating you. Sure, I knew the peril of liking one of your characters. Especially if that character was, in fact, likable. But this was different. This was my favorite character, you bastard. So yes, you are clearly a remorseless, tyrannical genius when it comes to building up suspense and robbing your readers of the notion that anyone is safe. How could I not hate--and respect--you for that?
You took away my favorite character. As a fan, I only plead that your writing makes that decision meaningful. Please don't recycle this into another The Governor story. You're running into risky grounds of doing a re-hash. Don't let us down.
Sincerely,
Addicted
June 6, 2017
Human nature never changes... Mafia guys are at the door of our heroes, informing them that whay was theirs till now is nor for share... Our heroes seem they have run out of options and agree.. but don't they have something in mind?
November 9, 2019
First read: May 16th 2016
Re-read: November 9th 2019
well this issue was all kinds of crazy and messed up, and Negan himself has made his first appearance in the comics and i can say i was terrified watching his appearance as i was reading it.
Negan along with his Saviours all make their first appearance, Rick, Andrea, Michonne, Carl and glenn are stopped by the first group of saviours on motorcycles demanding Rick to hand over everything they own but things don't end well when the group manage to kill and get away. We lose our first big core group member when Abraham and Eugene go out to place where eugene wants to start making ammo for Alexandria, while Abraham is talking an arrow goes straight through his eye killing him instantly i feel the comic had more of an impact on me, in the tv series Denise is on the receiving end of the arrow.
I knew this death was coming i had this spoiled for me a while ago but i was still terrified when Negan makes his first appearance swearing like a sailor in the process. That creepy eeny, meeny, miny, moe thing Negan did will be forever stuck in my brain. Then Glenn is the second major core group death of the comic series i was expecting it but it didn't make it any less sad for me to read. I'm finally glad to see Sophia in something big for a change she has never really being in a life or death situation maybe this will see her character develop more and become more of a valid member of the group and contribute.
I STILL HAVE NO IDEA on WHO they will kill in season 7 of the walking dead they could just go with Glenn or they could go with someone else, because there are 9 lives in the balance because i know it wont be Rick or Carl.
Re-read: November 9th 2019
well this issue was all kinds of crazy and messed up, and Negan himself has made his first appearance in the comics and i can say i was terrified watching his appearance as i was reading it.
Negan along with his Saviours all make their first appearance, Rick, Andrea, Michonne, Carl and glenn are stopped by the first group of saviours on motorcycles demanding Rick to hand over everything they own but things don't end well when the group manage to kill and get away. We lose our first big core group member when Abraham and Eugene go out to place where eugene wants to start making ammo for Alexandria, while Abraham is talking an arrow goes straight through his eye killing him instantly i feel the comic had more of an impact on me, in the tv series Denise is on the receiving end of the arrow.
I knew this death was coming i had this spoiled for me a while ago but i was still terrified when Negan makes his first appearance swearing like a sailor in the process. That creepy eeny, meeny, miny, moe thing Negan did will be forever stuck in my brain. Then Glenn is the second major core group death of the comic series i was expecting it but it didn't make it any less sad for me to read. I'm finally glad to see Sophia in something big for a change she has never really being in a life or death situation maybe this will see her character develop more and become more of a valid member of the group and contribute.
I STILL HAVE NO IDEA on WHO they will kill in season 7 of the walking dead they could just go with Glenn or they could go with someone else, because there are 9 lives in the balance because i know it wont be Rick or Carl.
December 10, 2012
Once again, the carnivorous dead take a back seat to the absolute hell that is OTHER PEOPLE.
Here we meet the nefarious Negan. He looks like a buffoon, speaks like a potty-mouthed idiot - "I'm NEGAN, and I do NOT appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my men to kill your men for killing my men you killed more of my men. Not cool." - BUT, he carries a very large and very nasty stick. One of Rick's tribe will learn a very, very awful lesson; a lesson that goes on for several pages, in nauseating detail, and left me quite glad, once again, that these books are not in color.
This grisly lesson and Negan's parting words - "Things have changed, Rick. Whatever you had going for you - that's over." - leave our fearless leader shaken, and he gives serious thought to surrendering to the zealot's demands.
Or does he have another plan up his sleeve? After all, he does have Jesus on his side.
Here we meet the nefarious Negan. He looks like a buffoon, speaks like a potty-mouthed idiot - "I'm NEGAN, and I do NOT appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my men to kill your men for killing my men you killed more of my men. Not cool." - BUT, he carries a very large and very nasty stick. One of Rick's tribe will learn a very, very awful lesson; a lesson that goes on for several pages, in nauseating detail, and left me quite glad, once again, that these books are not in color.
This grisly lesson and Negan's parting words - "Things have changed, Rick. Whatever you had going for you - that's over." - leave our fearless leader shaken, and he gives serious thought to surrendering to the zealot's demands.
Or does he have another plan up his sleeve? After all, he does have Jesus on his side.
October 2, 2012
The Walking Dead has essentially been in remission since the mind-numbingly insane events of No Way Out. Action has been put on the back burner through most of the #90's issues in favor of more and more character development. I love character development, but it's comforting to get TWD back to its glorious roots. And this volume did not disappoint.
What occurs here is remarkable, because it isn't action oriented like No Way Out or The Governor arcs. It's just goddamn' terrifying. Kirkman managed to create a new Road Warrior-esque villain that is exponentially more daunting than The Governor (who was previously my favorite comic book villain of all time). The Governor was in power, but paranoid; he constantly expected to be overthrown, and was unsure of himself. Negan just doesn't give a shit. He's in power, and he knows it. He revels in it. And for the first time in the series, I have no idea how Rick Grimes & company are going to get themselves out of this one.
The fact that we are now almost 103 issues into this series, and Kirkman/Adlard are still finding fresh directions for this comic is a massive testament to their creativity and uniqueness. They are in a league all their own. This is yet another fantastic entry into what is easily one of the best books on the stands, and also includes issue 100 -- one of the most heartbreaking moments I've ever read in a comic book.
5/5
What occurs here is remarkable, because it isn't action oriented like No Way Out or The Governor arcs. It's just goddamn' terrifying. Kirkman managed to create a new Road Warrior-esque villain that is exponentially more daunting than The Governor (who was previously my favorite comic book villain of all time). The Governor was in power, but paranoid; he constantly expected to be overthrown, and was unsure of himself. Negan just doesn't give a shit. He's in power, and he knows it. He revels in it. And for the first time in the series, I have no idea how Rick Grimes & company are going to get themselves out of this one.
The fact that we are now almost 103 issues into this series, and Kirkman/Adlard are still finding fresh directions for this comic is a massive testament to their creativity and uniqueness. They are in a league all their own. This is yet another fantastic entry into what is easily one of the best books on the stands, and also includes issue 100 -- one of the most heartbreaking moments I've ever read in a comic book.
5/5
June 3, 2014
In the wake of the zombie apocalypse, one thought above all else has never left my head: “what happened to all of the Fonzie impersonators?”. Now I know: they all joined together under the leadership of Negan, the latest big bad in The Walking Dead.
On their return trip from Hilltop, Rick and co. (a name which makes them sound like a window washing company) encounter the first of Negan’s bikers, a fateful tussle that calls down the full wrath of evil Fonzie himself. Rick’s hubris toward Negan leads to the death of two major characters and a new challenge for the group – but how do they fight overwhelming forces and leather jackets?
Negan and the others are a pretty one-dimensional group of people: they are bad, bad dudes who only bully/beat/murder people into getting what they want, and even threaten gang rape of children – one of them even has part of his face disfigured like a low rent Two-Face! And Negan himself? His opening speech used the word “fuck” so liberally, you’d think it was verbal punctuation (and of course only the baddest of the bad say fuck all the time)! So yeah, they are most definitely the villains and not at all rounded characters.
But what they lack in characterisation, they make up for in what they’ve done to the series direction because suddenly the story’s come roaring back to life! The best part of the series so far was when the Governor and Woodbury threatened Rick and co. in the prison, so to have another foe like him, but smarter, with more numbers and better trained men, is an exciting direction to take the series – far better than the stagnation of the last couple books.
Robert Kirkman underlines Negan’s significance by having him kill off two major characters, one of whom has been with the title since the start and whose death was quite shocking, in a way that the deaths of other characters have never been. As gruesome as that scene played out, it was absolutely riveting and showed how utterly compelling a figure Negan is. That said, the other character’s death was unexpected but hilarious, so back to the usual standard for Kirkman!
Speaking of poor characterisation, Kirkman suddenly starts writing Rick completely different, as a terrible tactician and leader – all contrary to how he’s been portrayed so far. Rick makes arguably the worst decision he’s ever made as leader after Negan’s second small group, led by Two-Face, attack: he decides to take some of the most useful people in the group on the road, away from the defensible colony, and head to Hilltop for…
… what? Reinforcements? Except it’s already been established that those people are soft and have no weapons! How useful would they be to the colony? None. Splitting the group compromised the strong position they were in and led to all the trouble in the second half of the book. That single decision was plain baffling, made no sense and felt totally out of character – Rick wouldn’t be that stupid! It was contrived solely so that Rick and Negan could meet, establish their enmity and nothing else.
This is just a minor aside but I found out in this volume that Heath is a dude! Heath was one of the new characters introduced since Rick and co. rocked up to the colony and I thought Heath was short for Heather (not sure why) and that she was a frumpy black woman. She kinda does look it – baggy clothes, kinda chubby, dreads, glasses – and there’s no audible voice in the comic to distinguish between male/female. I know Heath was in a relationship with the female doctor but I just assumed they were gay. Then we see Heath without a shirt in this book and… ohhh. Heath’s a dude! They’re just an interracial couple rather than a gay interracial couple. Wow, Charlie Adlard really drew that character ambiguously – at least to me!
So there we go – thankfully the spice is back in The Walking Dead in the form of Negan and his army of Fonzies. And how about this for an amazing setup for the next book: Jesus vs The Fonz – why has no-one ever done this as a comic before?
Ayyy!
On their return trip from Hilltop, Rick and co. (a name which makes them sound like a window washing company) encounter the first of Negan’s bikers, a fateful tussle that calls down the full wrath of evil Fonzie himself. Rick’s hubris toward Negan leads to the death of two major characters and a new challenge for the group – but how do they fight overwhelming forces and leather jackets?
Negan and the others are a pretty one-dimensional group of people: they are bad, bad dudes who only bully/beat/murder people into getting what they want, and even threaten gang rape of children – one of them even has part of his face disfigured like a low rent Two-Face! And Negan himself? His opening speech used the word “fuck” so liberally, you’d think it was verbal punctuation (and of course only the baddest of the bad say fuck all the time)! So yeah, they are most definitely the villains and not at all rounded characters.
But what they lack in characterisation, they make up for in what they’ve done to the series direction because suddenly the story’s come roaring back to life! The best part of the series so far was when the Governor and Woodbury threatened Rick and co. in the prison, so to have another foe like him, but smarter, with more numbers and better trained men, is an exciting direction to take the series – far better than the stagnation of the last couple books.
Robert Kirkman underlines Negan’s significance by having him kill off two major characters, one of whom has been with the title since the start and whose death was quite shocking, in a way that the deaths of other characters have never been. As gruesome as that scene played out, it was absolutely riveting and showed how utterly compelling a figure Negan is. That said, the other character’s death was unexpected but hilarious, so back to the usual standard for Kirkman!
Speaking of poor characterisation, Kirkman suddenly starts writing Rick completely different, as a terrible tactician and leader – all contrary to how he’s been portrayed so far. Rick makes arguably the worst decision he’s ever made as leader after Negan’s second small group, led by Two-Face, attack: he decides to take some of the most useful people in the group on the road, away from the defensible colony, and head to Hilltop for…
… what? Reinforcements? Except it’s already been established that those people are soft and have no weapons! How useful would they be to the colony? None. Splitting the group compromised the strong position they were in and led to all the trouble in the second half of the book. That single decision was plain baffling, made no sense and felt totally out of character – Rick wouldn’t be that stupid! It was contrived solely so that Rick and Negan could meet, establish their enmity and nothing else.
This is just a minor aside but I found out in this volume that Heath is a dude! Heath was one of the new characters introduced since Rick and co. rocked up to the colony and I thought Heath was short for Heather (not sure why) and that she was a frumpy black woman. She kinda does look it – baggy clothes, kinda chubby, dreads, glasses – and there’s no audible voice in the comic to distinguish between male/female. I know Heath was in a relationship with the female doctor but I just assumed they were gay. Then we see Heath without a shirt in this book and… ohhh. Heath’s a dude! They’re just an interracial couple rather than a gay interracial couple. Wow, Charlie Adlard really drew that character ambiguously – at least to me!
So there we go – thankfully the spice is back in The Walking Dead in the form of Negan and his army of Fonzies. And how about this for an amazing setup for the next book: Jesus vs The Fonz – why has no-one ever done this as a comic before?
Ayyy!
March 14, 2016
Such a good volume with a couple of major character deaths. Negan is a bit terrifying to say the least, but I kind of like him. He's like the Governor with a lot more personality and a penchant for saying the word 'fuck'. I wouldn't like to meet him, but to read about is a bit funny :P
July 20, 2024
I'm keeping track of the differences between the shows and books as I go along. If you don't want spoilers or a side-by-side comparison, stop reading.
Now.
Now.
Okay then.
Rick and Andrea are still sort of a thing.
Carl still experiences some amnesia; things come back to him with chilling coldness. He doesn't seem to be processing the emotions of his memories in a healthy way as they return to him.
Abraham is killed by a group of Saviors by a crossbow bolt to the head. It's somewhat anticlimactic in comparison to the show. Also, Abraham had a larger than life presence in the books and went out without being able to put up any fight. Reading the books, I realized they stole the idea for Denise's show-death from Abraham's book-death. Bolt to the eye- he finishes his train of thought before collapsing and dying. In the show, Denise went out the same way and finished her train of thought to Rosita and Daryl before collapsing, all while a bolt was protruding from her head.
Glen and Maggie find out they're pregnant; Glen decides they need to move to Hilltop for safety.
Holy crap. Jeffrey Dean Morgan slayed as Negan. He took a script that could have been completely over the top, slowed the cadence, and made this incredibly layered, complex character. The Book Negan would have come across as out of control and senseless (at least in Volume 17- we'll see where it goes from here). JDM portrayed a character that made us ask "why-are-you-like-this; who-hurt-you?" rather than a Jared-Leto-style-Joker that made us not care about "The Why". Really, Morgan's portrayal of Negan colored my view of the character while I read the book. I'm not sure I would have liked Book Negan without the perception I had from the Show Negan. *slow clap*
Show Negan's rule, at least in theory, was no rape. Unless Book Negan is posturing and trying to scare his victims with the threats he makes, he takes no issue with rape. Again, we'll find out what was legitimate as the series continues.
Show-fans were in an uproar over the brutality of Glen's death. Turns out, the producers stuck to the book, frame for frame. Eyeball and all.
I'd rate this book an R for swearing, violence and disturbing images, adult themes (such as mention of rape), and some rear nudity.
Original review posted February 5, 2020.
Now.
Now.
Okay then.
Rick and Andrea are still sort of a thing.
Carl still experiences some amnesia; things come back to him with chilling coldness. He doesn't seem to be processing the emotions of his memories in a healthy way as they return to him.
Abraham is killed by a group of Saviors by a crossbow bolt to the head. It's somewhat anticlimactic in comparison to the show. Also, Abraham had a larger than life presence in the books and went out without being able to put up any fight. Reading the books, I realized they stole the idea for Denise's show-death from Abraham's book-death. Bolt to the eye- he finishes his train of thought before collapsing and dying. In the show, Denise went out the same way and finished her train of thought to Rosita and Daryl before collapsing, all while a bolt was protruding from her head.
Glen and Maggie find out they're pregnant; Glen decides they need to move to Hilltop for safety.
Holy crap. Jeffrey Dean Morgan slayed as Negan. He took a script that could have been completely over the top, slowed the cadence, and made this incredibly layered, complex character. The Book Negan would have come across as out of control and senseless (at least in Volume 17- we'll see where it goes from here). JDM portrayed a character that made us ask "why-are-you-like-this; who-hurt-you?" rather than a Jared-Leto-style-Joker that made us not care about "The Why". Really, Morgan's portrayal of Negan colored my view of the character while I read the book. I'm not sure I would have liked Book Negan without the perception I had from the Show Negan. *slow clap*
Show Negan's rule, at least in theory, was no rape. Unless Book Negan is posturing and trying to scare his victims with the threats he makes, he takes no issue with rape. Again, we'll find out what was legitimate as the series continues.
Show-fans were in an uproar over the brutality of Glen's death. Turns out, the producers stuck to the book, frame for frame. Eyeball and all.
I'd rate this book an R for swearing, violence and disturbing images, adult themes (such as mention of rape), and some rear nudity.
Original review posted February 5, 2020.
February 2, 2023
This Volume. My Lord. This is what I have been waiting for.
First off, it's THIS VOLUME:
Which means we meet the baddest of the bad of guys ever, Negan. I was so pumped. I was giddy. Holy crap my heart burst for the characters but I was smiling. Does that make me a horrible person? I would say so. But I don't care. The last couple of volumes were leading up to this, and boy did I not get into them.
This one was gold. HOLY CRAP I am so content with this right now.
First off, it's THIS VOLUME:
Which means we meet the baddest of the bad of guys ever, Negan. I was so pumped. I was giddy. Holy crap my heart burst for the characters but I was smiling. Does that make me a horrible person? I would say so. But I don't care. The last couple of volumes were leading up to this, and boy did I not get into them.
This one was gold. HOLY CRAP I am so content with this right now.
January 3, 2017
Eh. So, Negan is yet another Kirkmanian villain, meaning that he's just fucking evil for no reason. So far he seems to be yet another shitty character, just like the Governor was. It wasn't a particularly bad volume, though, and so far we've only seen Negan for one issue, so maybe my opinion will change. I can't deny at this point that I am hooked on this series, even though I can't say I am enjoying actually reading it. But I am curious to see how Rick will handle that situation.
June 30, 2016
I was afraid that after the feud with the Governor that we would never see another truly evil villain in this series. Negan makes the Governor look like a pussy. I couldn't believe the torture scene and the introduction to the war that has begun with Negan. Absolutely amazing.
December 13, 2018
This was the saddest one yet. First we meet Negan—Negan kills Glenn—and now all Alexandria serve the Saviors. Besides Lori and the baby both getting shot, the scene where Glenn dies was the most graphic—gory—most disgusting thing I’ve seen in a long while. The only thing worse than that picture was the scene on the show.
December 22, 2020
Gosh! Negan is so terrifying. This volume kept me on the edge of the chair.
You will be missed Glenn :'(
You will be missed Glenn :'(
March 1, 2013
With this collection, The Walking Dead tops 100 issues. Quite an achievement. I do have mixed feelings about this collection, though.
On one hand, I do like that Kirkman is trying to explore all of the situations that might pop up post-zombie uprising. Here, we have Negan and his protection racket. The situation itself, and the way it's handled, is fairly realistic. I'm also enjoying the hints, spread thinly over the last few volumes, that maybe this too shall pass.
That said, this is a horribly grim series. I think I'm still reading at this point just because I'm hooked, because was almost enough to make me quit in the middle of the volume. I get brutal. This is the zombie apocalypse, after all. But I don't like when an author seems to be throwing in the most brutal scenes he can think of just for shock value, and that's sure how it played here. I'd say that I don't know how much more of that I can take, but who am I kidding? I'm hooked, and I suppose I will be until the last sympathetic character exits the story.
On one hand, I do like that Kirkman is trying to explore all of the situations that might pop up post-zombie uprising. Here, we have Negan and his protection racket. The situation itself, and the way it's handled, is fairly realistic. I'm also enjoying the hints, spread thinly over the last few volumes, that maybe this too shall pass.
That said, this is a horribly grim series. I think I'm still reading at this point just because I'm hooked, because was almost enough to make me quit in the middle of the volume. I get brutal. This is the zombie apocalypse, after all. But I don't like when an author seems to be throwing in the most brutal scenes he can think of just for shock value, and that's sure how it played here. I'd say that I don't know how much more of that I can take, but who am I kidding? I'm hooked, and I suppose I will be until the last sympathetic character exits the story.
November 22, 2014
Whoa.... Damn that was intense. New characters, new threats. Damnnnnnn.
March 5, 2022
So, finally, we meet Negan! Eep!
Well, ok, there is some build-up and shorter excursions and skirmishes, but eventually we make his unpleasant acquaintance…
And then the unmentionable thing happens. You know what I mean, if you have read this or watched the TV series. And it is explicit. Wow. I am actually a little shell-shocked. The Governor was a fluffy teddybear compared to Negan.
And despite of the horrible violence, this was a really good volume. Tight plot, great dialogue, good artwork. Excellent story telling.
I checked out of the TV series during Season 6, so I don‘t actually know how Rick and the others are going to deal with this situation. Looking forward to the next volume!
Well, ok, there is some build-up and shorter excursions and skirmishes, but eventually we make his unpleasant acquaintance…
And then the unmentionable thing happens. You know what I mean, if you have read this or watched the TV series. And it is explicit. Wow. I am actually a little shell-shocked. The Governor was a fluffy teddybear compared to Negan.
And despite of the horrible violence, this was a really good volume. Tight plot, great dialogue, good artwork. Excellent story telling.
I checked out of the TV series during Season 6, so I don‘t actually know how Rick and the others are going to deal with this situation. Looking forward to the next volume!
August 12, 2022
That scene with Glenn is forever engraved in my mind...
August 10, 2016
This volume was fucking crazy oh my god! Two huge characters got killed off what the fuck. I'm so depressed. Negan is fucking crazy and I honestly think he's one of the worst villains in this series to date. So funny story about this particular volume. This might make me a bad person but oh well. I wanted to check it out form the library but for some reason at my local library volume 17 was checked out, but they had volumes 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and all the rest. You get the idea. So I went to Barnes & Noble because I wanted to purchase this volume, but then I realized each volume is $15 and I finish these volumes in less than an hour and I didn't feel like dishing out the money. So I sat in the starbucks cafe area in the Barnes & Noble and I read this volume in about 40 minutes and then I put it back on the shelf and left. Hahaha that probably makes me a shitty person but I am so OBSESSED with these comics I couldn't stop myself. And I couldn't just skip a volume and go from 16 to 18, especially not with all the shit that goes down in this one! So... oops. I couldn't wait and I have no self control. It was totally worth it though, this volume is amazing!
SPOILERS BELOW
Oh my gosh so right in the beginning of this volume Abraham dies. ): It mad me so sad because I was just starting to really like his character. I think he got an arrow through the eye or some shit like that as he was walking with Eugene. Negan's "saviors" are fucking insane. I couldn't believe how ruthless and cruel they are. There are so many of them and they all want to attack Rick's group. Then they have this terrible run in in the middle of the night, Negan's grabs Rick by the neck with this rope and yanks him off the car. Then Negan introduces his barbed wire bat named Lucille and he tells them that all their property now belongs to Negan, and that this is the beginning of their new lifestyle. He's so creepy and disgusting. Negan starts to play "eenie meanie minie mo" and starts to decide which one of them he is going to kill. Then he picks Glenn and it was the saddest thing ever. He hits Glenn over the head so hard that his eye falls out of its socket. Then he continues to bash Glenn's head in with his bat while Rick and the group watch helplessly. It was so fucking sad. Then Negan and his people leave and Maggie starts to beat up Rick cause she's so mad at him. Maggie announced earlier in this volume that she's pregnant with Glenn's baby which makes this all even worse. Maggie and Sophia decide to stay behind at the Hilltop and Rick takes the rest of the group back to Alexandria. Then Andrea tells Rick that Negan's people attacked Alexandria and she took one of them prisoner. Rick decides they can't go against them cause there is too many of them, so he lets the prisoner go, and he decides that they will live in peace with Negan's people. I'm shocked that Rick is basically just rolling over and letting them win but at the same time with all that they've lost and all that they're up against, I understand it. This shit is intense I can't wait to read the next volume!
SPOILERS BELOW
Oh my gosh so right in the beginning of this volume Abraham dies. ): It mad me so sad because I was just starting to really like his character. I think he got an arrow through the eye or some shit like that as he was walking with Eugene. Negan's "saviors" are fucking insane. I couldn't believe how ruthless and cruel they are. There are so many of them and they all want to attack Rick's group. Then they have this terrible run in in the middle of the night, Negan's grabs Rick by the neck with this rope and yanks him off the car. Then Negan introduces his barbed wire bat named Lucille and he tells them that all their property now belongs to Negan, and that this is the beginning of their new lifestyle. He's so creepy and disgusting. Negan starts to play "eenie meanie minie mo" and starts to decide which one of them he is going to kill. Then he picks Glenn and it was the saddest thing ever. He hits Glenn over the head so hard that his eye falls out of its socket. Then he continues to bash Glenn's head in with his bat while Rick and the group watch helplessly. It was so fucking sad. Then Negan and his people leave and Maggie starts to beat up Rick cause she's so mad at him. Maggie announced earlier in this volume that she's pregnant with Glenn's baby which makes this all even worse. Maggie and Sophia decide to stay behind at the Hilltop and Rick takes the rest of the group back to Alexandria. Then Andrea tells Rick that Negan's people attacked Alexandria and she took one of them prisoner. Rick decides they can't go against them cause there is too many of them, so he lets the prisoner go, and he decides that they will live in peace with Negan's people. I'm shocked that Rick is basically just rolling over and letting them win but at the same time with all that they've lost and all that they're up against, I understand it. This shit is intense I can't wait to read the next volume!
February 13, 2017
The introduction of Negan .... so good.
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