Well it’s finally here. “All Out War” begins and the face of The Walking Dead could very may change forever. Today Jordan and Adam will both take a crack out the issue and give you their thoughts and a score, but before that let’s find out what this issue is all about from Skybound: ALL-OUT WAR BEGINS! The biggest storyline in WALKING DEAD history – just in time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series! It’s Rick versus Negan with a little help from everyone else!
Jordan:
And so it begins. The Walking Dead #115 is all about set up, set up for a war that’s been a long damn time coming. After the explosive setup of last issue that left Rick Grimes real close to dead this, the first issue of ALL OUT WAR didn’t have a body count at all. What it did master though was tension and planning. In another splendid example of immersion Robert Kirkman kept me intrigued for 24 pages just via set up alone in an issue that essentially amounted to being a checklist (both in terms of characters Rick needed to visit and the actual checking off on a list of supplies). Normally, watching a group of characters in a comic gather and assemble resources (and cojones) for an upcoming fight wouldn’t work, especially if said fight never even got a chance to happen. Usually I’d be disappointed, that wasn’t the case for this issue. Watching Rick go from leading to doubting and back again in the face of such an insurmountable challenge really made the character live for me. And by the end when the face-off finally does go down I was proud to be on team Grimes.
A bunch of great interplay between members of Rick`s group really made this issue shine to, lots of characters showing real bravery, or fear or what had they in the face of war. His hodge-podge assembly of Doctors, mailmen and tailors all assembled as soldiers for peace. It’s a cool thing to see and it puts you right on the front lines and, as you’re reading, there’s no other place you rather be. The addition of tons of huge splashes makes everything feel like a Spielberg epic. Rarely have I felt so inside of the world of TWD. I am ready for all-out war.
Adam:
This is such a huge moment for The Walking Dead (the comic, not that abomination of a show that’s unfortunately coming back soon) and issue #115 delivers on all accounts. Personally, I thought it was going to be a huge tease that would only see the groups getting ready for the huge war, but luckily I was wrong. I enjoyed seeing Negan again, he’s my favorite villain thus far in the series and his dementedly quirky personality and dialogue was in full-swing.
The end of this issue was one of the biggest twists in any issue I’ve read of The Walking Dead. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I’ll just leave it at that. I can’t wait to see how Kirkman decides to play the situation out and how it will affect the impending war itself. It’s pretty remarkable that this comic has lasted for ten years and still continues to keep getting better. There’s no reason not to get this monumental issue if you’re a Walking Dead comic fan and enjoy the 12-issue run.
Scores: 5/5
Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Charlie Adlard Publisher: Image and Skybound Entertainment Price: $2.99 Release Date: 10/9/13