The Walking Dead #73 – Review

The Story: Our plucky band of survivors continues to settle into an enclave near Washington, D.C., but are things too good to be true?  Or are the survivors too warped by their experiences on the outside to even know what “normal” is anymore?

[NOTE ABOUT SPOILERS: Knowing how many people read The Walking Dead in trade, I’ve always been very aware of not spoiling this wonderful title for others.  Thus, the normal “What’s good” and “What’s not so good” are going to be short and vague.  I might mention whether something shocking happened in the issue, but I will not say what that shocking thing is.  I am also going to put the “Grade” at the top of the article.  HOWEVER, way down below “What’s not so good” will be discussion of the issue THAT WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS.  So, if you just want to know whether the issue was any good: read the “Grade”.  If you want to know why: read the “What’s good”/”What’s not so good”.  And if you want to know it all: read the whole article.  Just please don’t read the whole thing and then bitch….]

Grade: B+

What’s Good: This issue continue the slow burn that has been going since our band of survivors found apparent sanctuary in a walled encampment near Washington, D.C.  I give Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn a LOT of credit for how they’re handling this story-arc.  The three creators are working in perfect harmony and building an incredible amount of tension.  The art makes it clear that our main characters are some seriously disturbed people. I’m amazed month-after-month how much range of emotion Adlard and Rathburn convey.

What’s Not So Good: Not much, but I find myself wanting this story arc to come to a sort of climax!  It isn’t much of a complaint because the slow-burn is working so well right now, but after reading this entire series and knowing what Kirkman is capable of doing (see issue #48), you find yourself almost holding your breath when you turn the page.

Conclusion: Another tension building issue of my favorite comic series.

SPOILERS AND DISCUSSION BELOW