COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews The Walking Dead #124

Written By: Robert Kirkman

Penciled By: Charlie Adlard

Inked By: Stefano Gaudiano

Gray Tones: Gliff Rathburn

Published By: Image Comics

The Walking Dead #124 is part 10 of the All Out War arc. It has been jam packed with suspense since the beginning and this issue is no exception! While slower in the action department, this issue makes up for it in important discoveries that I believe will make or break this battle. Rick is recovering from being shot with an arrow and dealing with what he believes is betrayal from Dwight, the man who shot him and a supposed rogue member of the Saviors. Unfortunately once he is safely in the medical ward it is noticed that the other patients who were recently injured seem to be developing “the fever” which is associated with the zombification of a living being, Rick however seems to be doing well, except for the hole in his side from being shot with an arrow. Upon the important discovery of weapons from the Saviors being contaminated with zombie guts they quickly realize that the sick are in trouble and will likely turn in the near future.

In other areas, Eugene and his group are on their way back to the Hilltop with rogue Savior member Carson. Unlike Dwight, Carson seems to truly be looking for an escape from the Saviors which is lucky for the rest of them since he caught them during their exit plan in the last issue. During their return to the Hilltop the crew gets in a little bit of a sticky situation, however they are able to overcome it and even take out one of the rooftop snipers Negan has put into place for protection. Eugene gets his first kill in this issue, it will be interesting to see if it changes him at all or if he is able to stay the same person he was before. It seems like in this series once you kill you either become a stronger person, or become a little bit evil. I like Eugene so I hope for the best.

Everyone’s favorite jerk Negan loves every part of his “genius” plan to take over the Hilltop. Besides Michonne and Ezekiel ruining his big plan of this issue, everything seems to be going without a hitch for this guy. I think everything could have completely failed and Negan would still be happy though because in last issue Dwight shot Rick with what was believed to be a zombie contaminated weapon so Negan is on cloud 9 thinking that Rick will keel over dead any second now. However I don’t think Negan is going to get his wish just yet.

I think Dwight is the wild card of this entire arc. He claims to be against the Saviors and sometimes that side of him comes through. But he is still following orders from Negan and even though he has had plenty of opportunities to personally kill Negan he has failed to do so. While he did shoot Rick, I think he shot to wound not to kill, and was careful not to use a zombie contaminated arrow. Whether I’m right or wrong will come out in the next two issues, but I will say this: Rick Grimes will not go out without a fight. Even if he has been contaminated he will fight until he is a full zombie, and even then I could see a zombie Rick tear Negan apart. If Dwight is smart he will go full on rogue and turn on the Saviors, but only time will tell if this will happen.

This issue was definitely a progression issue. It had a good bit of action, but it’s the knowledge that was learned by the members of the Hilltop that is the key component. Negan is still oblivious to what is actually going on around him, and while he has manpower, I think his plan will unravel in upcoming issues. I can’t wait to get to the end of this arc to see what happens. I know some beloved characters will probably be leaving us soon and while that makes me sad, it’s all for the greater story.

4 out of 5 nerds