Comics
Review: ‘The Walking Dead’ # 118
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.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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