Rick builds an army worthy of Alexandria.
The Walking Dead #150 didn’t necessarily deliver a seismic shakeup to the long-running series, but it did clearly define the focus of the book going forward. Rick Grimes is struggling to keep the community of Alexandria together and restore civilization to a post-apocalyptic world. To do that, he needs to train a well-regulated militia to keep the peace and combat the growing threat of the Whisperers. As the first chapter of the next phase of the series, The Walking Dead #151 offers a slow start, but one that shows there’s plenty of potential in this new story direction.
This issue opens strong before losing some of its momentum in the back half. The scenes of Rick training his new militia are a welcome burst of zombie-fueled tension into the book. Every so often this series needs a good zombie encounter to spice things up and remind readers whom the real enemy is supposed to be. As a simple training exercise goes awry, the reader can’t help but fear for this group of rookie soldiers as they experience their first brush with failure and potential death. The aftermath is also compelling, as Rick and Dwight come to a reluctant agreement about the future of their militia.
Needless to say, artist Charlie Adlard does a great job of bringing this tense, frenetic sequence to life. This issue is an especially strong showcase for the tag-team duo of Stefano Gaudiano and Cliff Rathburn. Gaudiano’s inks combined with Rathburn’s gray tones bring a haunted, foreboding mood to these pages. There’s a sense that the art team relished the chance to play with the undead and made the most of the opportunity.
The issue loses some of its steam after that point, as the focus shifts to Rick strolling about Alexandria and conversing with various familiar faces. Some of this material is enjoyable enough on its own, such as Rick’s overdue heart-to-heart with Michonne and his brief encounter with Negan. But following up such an intense opening sequence with so much slow, conversational dialogue results in a very unbalanced comic.
It’s always exciting when The Walking Dead kicks off a major new storyline. This issue opens on a terrific note, as a training ground quickly degenerates into another battle for survival. Those pages stand out as one of the most visually memorable Walking Dead sequences in recent memory. Unfortunately, that momentum doesn’t last throughout the issue as zombie action makes way for talking heads.
