Connect with us

Comics

Review: ‘The Walking Dead’ # 118

Published

10 years ago

on

Maggie takes center stage in an action packed issue that sows seeds of doubt in Rick’s leadership. The multiple angles of war are examined from many perspectives. Giving us an issue that deals with loss, doubt, and small victories. All Out War continues in “The Walking Dead” # 118.


WRITTEN BY: Robert Kirkman
ART BY: Charlie Adlard
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: December 11, 2013

All Out War has certainly been a departure for this series. Often this book feels like it’s treading the same ground without ever really moving forward in new or exciting ways. Then we have an issue like 118 that takes a step back and examines the repercussions of everything going on.

Rick isn’t the best leader. He makes due, but people see the error in his ways. For the meantime he’s fucked Negan over, but Gregory is losing hope. Too bad Gregory’s a fucking coward and should be mounted over Negan’s fireplace. Luckily, Maggie realizes this and when Gregory sows seeds of doubt she steps up. She sets him straight and looks after the camp.

The latter half of this issue goes into a stream of consciousness like narration accompanied by razor sharp art from Adlard. We follow someone’s voice as they walk us through Rick and his group attacking an outpost on the way back to camp.

Adlard springboards off the voice to show us some truly horrifying imagery that readers of the book are not used to. The voice speaks of the horrors of war, the vastness of the conflict, and the sheer insanity caused by it. Adlard takes the time to show the differences in this type of bodshed. Be it the constant “Baraka, Baraka, Baraka!” outside the warehouse, or soldiers being torn to pieces by bullets, it’s all-new here.

The lynchpin of the issue rests with the revelation of the disembodied narrator. It comes out of left field and serves as a nice surprise. It’s also touching, heartbreaking, and infuriating all at once. The narrator experiences a real loss in this issue, and its something that will resonate with this character for the rest of their lives. It demonstrates the needless destruction of war and the innocence that is lost with conflict.

Kirkman did a fantastic job at varying the pacing of the book this month. He takes a step back to examine the world at large, and the book is infinitely better for it. Instead of continually plodding forward this issue takes a step back and looks at the ramifications of what’s going in. It’s an interesting and welcomed choice; one that I hope will inspire the rest of the year. The larger context of the issue allows each member of the huge cast a little time to breath and still manages to push the story forward.

“The Walking Dead” has been a rollercoaster as of late. All Out War seems to push the book into an upswing that we won’t soon forget. The losses have only begun in this issue, but there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.

Rating: 4/5 Skulls.

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

13 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

Continue Reading