Broken Frontier

Everything goes to complete hell for Rick and company after they learn of the diabolical reasons behind being held prisoner.

Well, if there is ever going to be a reason to hate writer Robert Kirkman then this is probably about the time to do so. I’ve been enjoying the characters and situations he’s crafted around this series, but man, did he have to get so mean within the span of a single issue? His story here certainly has the hate on for Rick Grimes, and I was cringing by the time I got to the last page, but I guess this is what makes The Walking Dead such a great read for me.

At the end of the last issue, Rick, Michonne and Glenn were brought to an enclosed compound only to discover that they were being held prisoner. When this issue opens, they learn of the true reason behind this and the trio doesn’t like it one bit. The leader of the compound wants answers from them, despite the fact that no one is talking, so he decides to go medieval on their butts to force as much info out of them as possible. He first starts with Rick and after he refuses to answer his right hand gets lopped off at the swing of an ax. Then poor Michonne is carted off to a private chamber to presumably endure an endless stream of violent acts and the same goes for Glenn. It sure looks as if these three will not survive long enough to make it back to their friends and loved ones in one piece.

So as I was saying at the start of this review, don’t you just hate writer Robert Kirkman? Things had finally seemed to be calming down for Rick and his friends over the last few story arcs, and then all of a sudden within the blink of an eye everything takes a disturbing turn for the worse. This is just great storytelling first and foremost and Kirkman surely knows how to "amp" up the drama and tension. It takes a special writer to get me hating the brutality perpetrated in this issue, and I have to say he had me cringing all the way through it. I take my hat off to you, Mr. Kirkman, for writing a gutsy story and putting all the main characters through an emotional wringer.

On the flipside of this issue, the art of Charlie Adlard continues to churn and disturb me at every turn. He really knows how to illustrate the creepy moments by adding his own sense of morbidity into the mix of drama and action. There’s an incredibly gross moment about halfway through the issue focusing upon the continuous appetite of the zombies and I thought it was a marvelous display of cinematic horror at its finest. He’s been nothing short of brilliant since succeeding Tony Moore on art chores, and I look forward to every issue he works on.

Again I have nothing but praise for this book and for both creators involved. The Walking Dead is an intriguing take on the zombie sub-genre and in many ways one of the more important books to come out from Image these last few years. This is also a book that makes you want to believe in all the characters and what befalls everyone in this issue is shocking enough. So pick this one up and I am sure you will be cringing by the end of it.