Did the show affect the comic book, or did the comic book affect the show? That’s something I’d love to know down the line, since Robert Kirkman didn’t just help reboot the series after the season four finale of “The Walking Dead” TV show, but he rebooted the entire damn series, period, in issue 127 of “The Walking Dead”! Not only does it have a brand new scheme and has been set on a whole new course, but damn it, it’s set two years in to the future, and even has a new logo. A new logo!
Being a big damn fan boy for “The Walking Dead,” I love what Kirkman and co have paved for future issues. Kirkman sets the new issue after the humongous life changing confrontation with nomadic monster Negan and his army of survivors. After beating him in combat, Rick decides not to mutilate or kill him, and instead imprisons him forever. If you pictured it something like the end of the Tex Avery cave man cartoon where the criminal is locked in a makeshift prison for eternity with long hair and a beard, you’d be correct, sir! And similar to the opener of season four, the small village that Rick took leadership of has become a massive town with farms, housing, and a slew of villagers. Rick is still the leader, commanding a slew of nomads and warriors to take on the wilderness and look for ways to continue expanding their town in to a bonafide city.
And things have changed massively, as promised. Jesus is a horse riding samurai, Andrea holds great power as the matriarch of the village, and Rick has undergone a radical new look. His hair is now gone in to a buzz cut, he dons a large beard, a prosthetic hook hand, and his leg injury from his battle with Negan has made him reliant on a cane. What’s even more interesting is that Maggie now runs the opposite village on the other side of the country that is competing with Rick and his civilization for new residents and upcoming festivities. Sadly, the walker problem is as horrible as ever with a massive herd of them becoming the problem for a scavenging party as well as a brand new group of characters.
The conflict arises though when Carl requests to be allowed to live in Maggie’s village working as a blacksmith, but Rick is scared to let him leave since he’ll not only be far away, but without much contact or help should raiders or walkers storm them. Carl is much older and wiser, with a lot more awareness of what the world holds around him, and he seeks constant advice from an unlikely person, revealed in the final pages. There’s sure to be a new difficult presence introduced soon, but for now I’m interested to see if Kirkman will focus on the politics and upkeep of the both villages and how they interact in this evolving world. I’d also love to find out what happened to Michonne, Maggie, and the baby she had with Glenn. “The Walking Dead” is definitely aimed in a new direction and I can’t wait to see what progresses.