The final quarter of The Walking Dead’s second Compendium is up next to be reviewed and with it… some pretty chill volumes, it has to be said. In fact Volume 15 barely has any action in it at all as its once again focused on the Alexandria community coming together post-crisis and then a small mutiny. At least 16 introduces the Hilltop community and does something a little different. Still, we all know what Compendium 3 is full of, but that’ll have to wait until later in the year, so let’s finish this chunk of Walking Dead comic first, shall we?
As mentioned most of Volume 15 was the literal clean up after the zombie outbreak at the end of the previous volume followed by a bunch of relationship stuff: Rosita knows Abraham is sleeping with Holly, Glenn and Maggie get back on the same page, Andrea rejects Spencer, it’s all very slight. Rick is visiting Carl, who’s in a coma after being shot in the face (understandable…) and throw in a bunch of scenes of Rick taking ideas of how the community can unite more and make the walls and people safer and that’s pretty much the majority of the volume. Towards the end Rick, Andrea, Michonne, Abraham and a few others head off to scavenge for food, leading to three original Alexandria members led by a man named Nicholas to decide to stage a coup while they’re gone.
“Hey Carl, wake up! It’s time for, um… damn, not really much to get up for post-apocalypse…”
Sadly for him Glenn overhears everything and begins to get beaten quite badly by Nick before running back to his house and just as they point guns at each other at Glenn’s front door Rick and co. return and going against his gut instincts Rick doesn’t just straight up kill Nicholas and instead convinces him to back down and tells him to leave. It’s quite tense, but over very quickly. Also during this time Carl wakes up but his memory is extremely foggy and Rick and Andrea kiss right at the end of the volume. So yeah, not a lot going on…
Cue American sitcom “Woooo-oooooo!” crowd soundeffects!
After a quick reiteration that food is getting low and more Rick / Carl memory issues we’re very quickly introduced to Paul “Jesus” Monroe, who comes from the Hilltop settlement and wants to talk to Rick. He claims to come in peace and simply wishes for the two communities to unite and share resources but Rick knocks him unconscious and drags him inside. Initial reaction is “bit harsh” but given the situation the fictional world is in, understandable. I really enjoyed Jesus in the TV series so it’s good to see his original comic counterpart is also a fun character as he still acts friendly despite being tied up and mildly beaten. He eventually gets through to everyone and Rick, Glenn, Andre and Michonne go with him to Hilltop, and a few encounters with zombies and other situations later Rick is brought around to the idea that Jesus means them no harm, oh and Carl had snuck aboard the van and therefore is allowed to go with them. They soon arrive but things don’t go smoothly right out of the gate…
It’s a fun double bill with great art as always, but it’s definitely the intentional lulling into a false sense of security that the series oh-so loves to do…
Overall Thoughts:
Jesus! … Is pulled to the floor by Rick.
The Walking Dead’s 15th and 16th volumes settle the pace down a bit, take a look at some of the personal relationships brewing and then introduces a new settlement and hints at a forthcoming major antagonistic force. So, mostly set up, but still well written and drawn set up, I can’t rag on it for playing the long game!
When everyone arrives at Hilltop and goes to meet their leader Gregory he is almost immediately stabbed by a man named Ethan, who claims the two people who were with him were “killed by Negan” who then told him to give Gregory “this message”. Rick instinctively slashes Ethan’s throat open, becoming bathed in his blood so he can deliver his now-classic “…what?” line (see below!) Ignoring Rick being socked in the eye by an angry Hilltopper that’s your drama for the volume. Rick and Gregory agree that they need to kill this Negan person so the two communities can unite in peace and Jesus and others say they’ll go with Rick when the time comes to take their enemy down.
I remember seeing this panel in forum topics as people questioned whether the TV series version of this scene would happen or not (it did!)
That’s it, like I said two volumes and not a lot happens. Well, the introduction of the Hilltop and all the talk of Negan is significant in the long run, but isolated to just these two issues and it’s a pretty quiet duo.
As mentioned, Compendium 3 will have to wait a little while I finally make good on my other comic-related promise from a year or two ago…
Hogan Reviews 