HUGE spoilers ahead.  We don’t talk about the Walking Dead here without talking about spoilers as well.  It is a deep and exciting book, and it needs to be talked about in depth.  If you continue to read, and something is spoiled for you, then you have only yourself to blame.  Is that enough?  OK, check out the cover of this issue and then the spoiler warning and break and I’ll see you on the other side.

 

Last chance to turn back!

For those of you who don’t remember, in the last issue Abraham died.  It was one of the more shocking deaths in the Walking Dead’s history and the most shocking in recent memory.  This is one of the “quiet” issues that fans are split on.

I am favorable of these issues.  If you’re reading The Walking Dead expecting gory zombies and major character deaths every issue, then you’re reading it for the wrong reasons.  If we didn’t know Abraham for so long, then his death wouldn’t have been so important in the last issue.  We need these issues in order to grow the characters into people we care about.  Rick and Andrea continue to explore their new relationship.  Rosita and Holly have a beautiful moment at Abraham’s funeral that elevates both characters.  In fact, Rosita is the perfect character to point out for a “quiet” issue.  She has been around as long as Abraham but she is still an unknown.  Through death the characters of Rosita and Holly are given more life.  I want them to heal, but I expect one if not both of them to make some crazy decision out of grief.

However, as much as characters need to be developed so we care when they die, that doesn’t mean a massive body count isn’t coming.  In fact, if I had to guess, I would assume that the regular cast list will be cut down dramatically in the next issue.  I’d say all of our regular cast members as of issue 101 could… oh I don’t know… fit inside of a van?

Rick and a select group travel to the Hilltop to warn them that Negan’s Survivors are coming.  The white knuckle of a last page reveals that the Survivors are already there and will be attacking shortly.  At dawn in fact.  Rick and crew will not travel to the Hilltop and back in time.  Maybe the Community can hold off and make a stand.  But there is a good chance that is not happening.

Be prepared for something horrible in the next issue.  People will die.  They have to.  Its the Walking Dead after all.  The count down to July 11th begins.