The Walking Dead #89

The Walking Dead #89 opens with a potentially unstable Nicholas discussing with Spencer and Olivia why Rick and the gang needs to be taken down for the safety of the community. It’s been since before “No Way Out” an issue this human-on-human kind of intensity has come along. As readers of The Walking Dead know Kirkman has illustrated before that no character is safe. That’s why this volatile issue is especially hard to read when it kicks off with Glenn stumbling into said discussion on the first two pages.

Ironically, the reason Glenn is even still at the community and not with the foraging party is because Maggie asked Rick to let him stay behind because it’s “safer”. As Rick has said before it’s not the zombies, but other survivors who are the real danger to the group.

Kirkman’s gem for you to discover in this book is about the main protagonist and leader of the group, Rick. He organizes the mentioned foraging party to find any supplies in the previously searched houses nearby. The group splits up and Rick, while alone in a house, puts away his tough guy façade and comes undone. When Andrea discovers him, Rick finally gets to clear his thoughts and express emotions he’s been bottling up in a heartfelt conversation.

This breakdown, the telephone calls and now with the uprising led by Nicholas all allow the reader to start drawing conclusions that Rick may not be in the best position mentally to lead, but no one else is stepping up to the plate so he can’t step down.

While The Walking Dead‘s art, generally speaking, leaves something to be desired, the double-page splash with Nicholas exploding in the middle of the town trying to start an uprising is exceptionally powerful. You can feel the crazy coming off that guy when you see how all the background and side characters are handling it.

Another panel of note is on Page 11. This really intense scene involves Glenn, Nicholas and a drawn gun. However, it is interrupted mid-way through the page by a listless Spencer. He doesn’t seem alarmed at the scuffle or even relatively shaken, unlike Olivia. This Spencer panel really jolts the reader because it both interrupts the flow of the page, but also because someone could die and somehow doesn’t care.

After the “No Way Out” event, it’s been mostly rebuilding and checking on the wounded for the last few issues. In issue #89 of The Walking Dead, things are starting to pick up again now that the community has mostly recovered and I can’t wait to see how this drama bomb explodes.