Walking Dead #61
PICK OF THE WEEK!

Written by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Charlie Adlard
Just judging by the cover of this issue, you can tell that things are beginning to change for the characters in Walking Dead.
Flip open this issue and sure enough, things are changing, big time. At first, things seem optimistic, and sweet Jesus, this book needs optimism. The group come across an abandoned car that still functions, and even has some matresses inside, which in the zombie infested and constantly on the run world of the Walking Dead seems to be a luxury.
Two pages later, we see Rick going back to his old insane ways. Picking up the phone he carries around with him and hearing his dead wife’s voice say that they need to talk about their son, Carl. A page later, and Andrea is searching for the twins, Ben and Billy, only to find that one of them, Ben, is not so right in the head. After locking the boy away, the group argues about what needs to happen to the boy, for the sake of the rest of the group’s wellbeing. Also, a new character arrives that brings a eerie calm to the book. This newcomer, a preacher, claims to just walk across the country with only a Bible and God’s love to help him fend off evil. More noticeably, the group doesn’t encounter any zombies while the preacher is in their presence.
The most significant portion of the book deals with Rick and Abraham actually agreeing on something, but little do they realize, they are forming an impression on Rick’s son, Carl. So while the majority of the group agrees that something needs to be done about Ben, during the night, someone takes it upon themselves to correct the problem.
The last page gives away the upcoming plot that will soon be in full light. The group are being followed, but not by the dead.
Once again, Kirkman and Co. deliver an astounding issue of the Walking Dead. The last time something this horrific and depressing happened, it was back in issue 48, where many long time and much loved characters met their ends through various means. I’m gonna say that this issue, without killing off multiple characters, still manages to bring about the fact that absolutley NO ONE is safe in this book. Not even children.
Charlie Adlard again draws us a beautiful issue. It is just amazing how he can draw emotions for the characters. Little nuanced detail give this book the written AND visual feel that when both combined, give the reader the EXACT emotion that someone in the characters situation would have.
I really can’t stress this enough, YOU MUST BE READING WALKING DEAD! If you haven’t been, start from the beginning. It is paramount that you experience this series. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Walking Dead WILL go down as one of the greatest comic book series of all time when it finally ends. But in the meantime, with issues like these, I almost don’t want it to.
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