Comic Review: The Walking Dead #193 (SPOILERS)

The Walking Dead #193

Image Comics

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Charlie Adlard

Friendly warning – there are some heavy spoilers in this text.

So, this is it. This is actually it. 

The Walking Dead is over.

The mad men actually did it.

I don’t think anyone ever saw this coming, especially considering the letter hacks in #192. Robert and Charlie promised us a new story, as “The Walking Dead was never Rick’s story”. They went so far with the fake-out that they even solicited three non-existent issues with fake covers to throw us off. Most of you know all of this from the media storm that has surrounded this issue. Hell, it even sold out from Diamond and people have to wait for the second printing. But enough of this, let’s get on with the review.

The issue is great. Fantastic, even. I’d say it’s the best The Walking Dead issue in… a really, really long time. The gist of it is this: a long time has passed since Rick died and civilization is flourishing. The Commonwealth has grown dramatically, the dead are all but gone and people are pushing heavily to the West. Kirkman has never been shy with his allusions to the western genre, and he goes big with it here. The western aesthetic rules supreme in this new post-post-apocalyptic world.

This issue, naturally, follows Carl – a much older, family man Carl – who now works as a messenger. It’s a nicer way of saying a currier, I guess. Off the bat, I’m happy to see he didn’t grow up to be the supreme leader, instead opting for a quiet life with his wife and daughter. 

Making Carl a ‘messenger’ is actually a really neat plot device. It gives Kirkman and Adlard a chance to give us one last look at a lot of the major characters of the series, but still, keep the book moving. There is a bigger story being told in this issue, a clash of ideals between Carl and Hershel. One last… war, if you will. But it’s nothing too big, too grandiose – like the messenger subplot, it’s here just to show us what happened to everyone else.

The writing is top notch, the art is great and the flow is fantastic. It opens with a katana slash, ends with a supreme court hearing. A nine out of ten across the board, easily. You know the deal. Honestly, reviewing this issue in the usual way won’t do the issue any justice. So enough of this as well, and let’s talk about why this issue is actually a ten out of ten.

The Walking Dead isn’t just another zombie series (I will assume this is a thing, and work from here with this assumption). This is a book that has spawned the biggest cable TV show in the last decade. More importantly, it’s arguably Image Comics’ flagship title, a book that has constantly been a bestseller for a long, long time. So, ending the book while it’s still such a huge money maker… It’s a huge surprise, honestly. 

But that’s not the only surprise. The book ends on an extremely positive note. Civilisation has endured, everyone that survived the 192 previous issues got them “happily ever after“. For a book that is known for it’s (often overwhelming) bleakness, this is a serious change of pace. And I love it. As I’ve grown older (I am still rather young, to be fair), I have come to appreciate the ‘happy ending’ a lot more. Reading the book’s afterword and considering the original idea for the ending, it’s obvious that Kirkman shares my sentiment. It is too bad that Rick never got to see it. 

I guess this makes it a bit of a bittersweet ending.

There are probably people that are angry because of the way it ended – both the way it was executed and the plot delivered in the finale. But, honestly, I can’t think of a better way to end it. The book had started to feel a bit stale in the recent year or two. Kirkman himself acknowledged that he wasn’t sure he could delay the end of the series for another 47 or 95 issues of engaging and interesting stories. 

Could he have brought in another writer with a fresh perspective and set of ideas? Sure! But the story would stop being his story. It would take away the personality Kirkman and Adlard brought to the table, it would take away the intimacy the creators felt with the book. Better end it when you want to the way you want to than burn it to the ground. Like the greatest philosopher of our times, Kanye West, said: “You either die a hero or overstay your welcome so everyone hates your guts and just waits for you to just leave”. Something like that.

So there you have it folks, my train of thoughts on the finale of The Walking Dead. I’m sad it’s over because it has been a rare constant in my life for about seven years. But I’m also happy with the way it ended and I’m happy Kirkman and Adlard got to go out the way they wanted. I’d love for them to, one day, come back with some new stuff, just to show us how that world is doing. But until then – goodbye Rick, Carl, Michonne, Jesus and co., it was one helluva ride!