Cody Scot LaCrone

As I said in the last review, there's indeed a bit of a decline around this point. Still a great story being told, but we start getting into a routine at this point (a routine that will admittedly be broken soon), but we can see what's coming. Rick and the group will find a new place, that seems good, has hidden evils, they'll be forced to fight or something, rinse and repeat. The camp outside Atlanta, Wiltshire Estates, Hershel's Farm, the Prison, Gabriel's Church, now Alexandria. I like Aaron. I like Heath. Alexandria is unique.

This right here is peak Walking Dead. The art style of the covers changes for these 6 issues. These 6 issues are arguably the most devastating of the entire series. I'm popping the spoiler button to talk about this one, because just SO MANY main characters die, and watchers of the show, who haven't read this, can't understand how important of a volume this was. The show saw 2 main characters die during the Governor's final assault on the Prison, and that includes him. Just 2. Up to this volume, Rick was the obvious main character, and Tyreese was seen as the secondary main character. Lori was up there too. Both dead. Baby Judith that was just born? Dead. Half the remaining Greene Family? Dead. The last Prisoner? Dead. Last good guy from Woodbury? Dead. The best villain the franchise has ever seen? Dead. And that's all just in a couple of these 6 issues.

There's a nice bait and switch moment half way through this volume, and the Governor continues to be a twisted villain, but parts of this set of issues meanders a bit. For the first time in the series, we've been consistently torn between 2 major locations that are far apart, and the story feels it in a way. Up until Woodbury, the reader has stuck with the group of characters nearly consistently. But now our cast is being fractured, and at the beginning it can be jarring a bit. Messes with some pacing. Still a fantastic storyline.

Now I LOVE these first volumes. Really everything up to Alexandra is some of my favorite comic stuff out there. But I have to knock this volume in a minor way and that's purely because of how it rushes to close out the Prisoner storyline, the rushed way it handles a love triangle, but overall the fight between Tyreese and Rick is great, and of course this volume ends with the titular "WE are the Walking Dead" line from Rick, so it's an important set of issues going forward, it's just not many of my favorite.

Made to Suffer, the last volume, effectively acted as a sort of reset for the series. Everyone is scattered and alone. Lost, trying to find their way back together. I'm personally not the biggest fan of the slower issues putting more focus on Carl; though I see why they're necessary, as he eventually becomes the main character of the series. Rick's hallucinating is also not my favorite addition, but Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita are great additions to counter that. Plus, we get to see Hershel's Farm again!

The Governor. That's really all that has to be said. The introduction of Woodbury and it's iconic leader cemented the Walking Dead in the modern era. BUT a massive technical/artistic issue starting here in the series: Tony Moore no longer does the art on any part of the franchise. The cover of issue 24 was his final one, and it really is a shame because he shaped how most of the characters looked. How the world and tone felt. Adlard is great too, as a replacement, but nothing can beat the original.

Kicking off a 5 volume arc in the Prison, it starts strong. We're introduced to new characters (Axel rocks), MANY minor ones are killed off, romances are set up, but the entire environment shift of being vulnerable and out in the open, to being cramped but still vulnerable, just in a different way, is what makes this set of issues memorable.