Here there be SPOILERS. After the picture of the cover of this month’s issue I will begin the review and will share the most shocking moment in this series in a very long time.
SPOILER WARNING! MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!
THE WALKING DEAD #83
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Charlie Adlard
Published by: Image
Cover price: $2.99
No Way Out, Part Four!
Alright, this is where it not only hits the fan… it destroys the thing! Rick has finally found some semblance of normalcy in this mad world and he isn’t ready to let the living dead take it away! He tells Jessie they are leaving and the only people he’s concerned with are them and their own kids. That isn’t to say he’s willing to abandon his group, no, he wants to get those closest to him out of harms way then figure out a way to save the rest.
While they are having this discussion Michonne and Morgan say their final goodbyes and we see a side of Michonne we have never seen before. Killing Morgan as he turns is the hardest thing she’s had to do in a very long time.
In order to escape, Rick goes back to the basics: Taking out a walker and smearing his stuff over themselves to disguise their smell to the dead. As he begins, Maggie tells him the she and Sophie are staying, something Glenn wouldn’t be happy about.
Andrea and the others, still trapped on the roof just outside of town, begin to plan a way to clear some of the walkers and help their friends.
Rick, Carl, Jessie and her son Ron along with Michonne and Denise begin their escape attempt while Douglas decides it’s time to end it once and for all.
This is where things go all pear-shaped. Take a deep breath and hold on to your hats because things happen hard and fast:
Ron gets attacked by the walkers, seeing a child taken down by zombies is bad and just the start. Jessie refuses to leave her son despite knowing there is no way to save him which makes her part of the feast. In the distance, Douglas is standing in a group of walkers preparing to shoot himself in the head. Rick has to leave them behind but Jessie is holding Carl’s hand and won’t let go! She pleads for Rick to not leave her and her son… Rick apologizes and takes his hatchet to Jessies wrist to free his son as the zombies engulf them. Michonne tries to come to Rick’s aid as Douglas begins shooting in an attempt to save Rick and the others. Rick screams at him to stop because all it will do is draw more zombies which it does and they attack Douglas causing him to shoot wildly. Five shots go off before Douglas is taken down. We see Michonne duck… Rick then begins to ask if everyone is alright as he turns and see Carl.
The double page spread is the single most shocking moment I’ve seen in a comic book in years. It’s just as impactful, if not more, than the shooting death of Lori and the newborn baby way back during the prison siege. I have to be honest, I did nearly shout “NO!” when I saw it and I was frozen in place, staring at the horror on the page before me, my hands began to shake as I realized that what I’ve always told my friends about this series it very true: Just because you’re a main character and just because you’ve been around since the beginning doesn’t mean you’re going to survive.
One of Douglas’ bullets hit Carl in the head. His right eye is gone but it apparently didn’t hit the brain because he was still conscious for a few moments before passing out. Is he dead? We don’t really know. But with Rick holding him close running to Denise for medical aid, I couldn’t help but notice the way Rick was holding the dying boy. The open wound was right up against the sheet Rick was wearing that was covered in the zombie they used to cover their scent. I would assume this means there is a good chance Carl may die and Rick will have to kill the zombie that used to be his son.
We have some serious questions now: Rick has now lost EVERYTHING. His wife and newborn, the only other woman he allowed himself to have feelings for and the son who he fought so hard to protect. Will he be able to go on? More than that…would he even want to?
No Way Out…truer words have never been spoken in this series.
This was an amazing issue. Shocking like a slap to the face or bucket of ice water! Can't wait for the next few issues.