Walking Dead #100 - Spoilers Abound

SolitaireRose

Kirkman, you rotten son of a bitch.

Great issue and it reminded us that this is a HORROR comic, not a soap opera.

jaydee74

Yeah. I couldn't believe what I was reading as I was reading it. Great issue but I've been reeling from it for a good part of today.

DoctorDoom

Sounds exciting!

DennisCuzinski

My review:

http://www.rpsteeves.com/2012/07/wrapped-up-like-comic-review-walking.html

Fade2Black

I attended my LCS's WD no. 100 release party last night.

Turnout for the event was disappointingly low. I suspect many of the would-be-attendees were en route to Comic-Con (my LCS is located in Northern California's South Bay Area). The shop offered a free copy of The Walking Dead vol. 1 to the first 25 attendees. By midnight, the store still had at least 7 of their 25 promotional trades left.

Zombie inspired foods and alcoholic drinks were served, and the store replaced their usual wall books with all 100 issues of the Walking Dead comic book.

They played AMC's The Walking Dead show on the store's television, and for dramatic effect adjusted the display settings to b&w. Another television was set up so people could play The Walking Dead PS3 game.

I'm not a big proponent of variant covers, so I didn't buy the bundled set (which the store was
offering for a considerable discount). I opted for the Frank Quietly cover.

David_D

@SolitaireRose I had that same thought- that a reminder was being made that horror can definitely be horrifying. It can be making the audience not get to turn away from something drawn out and terrible happening.

There was a contrary part of me that hoped there wouldn't be a big death in #100, as I feel like that is doing what is expected at this point. But it did succeed in being a horrifying scene, and I trust that the consequences and fallout will make for interesting reading. Also, I hope that Negan ends up being interesting and distinct from The Governor. We'll see.

The main thing though, is Walking Dead, the black & white indie that could, has reached 100 issues. And that is a hell of an achievement. Worth commending.



(The only thing that soured it a little bit was that, in the gushing, thank-yous, and self-congratulations in the back, Tony Moore was neither mentioned nor thanked. The TV people were thanked. Not him. Despite ongoing litigation, despite whatever intellectual discussion of whether or not Kirkman is sole creator, would it not have been the classier move to acknowledge he was there at the start? Sure, he only did the 6 issues. But without him, Walking Dead may not have even gone 6 issues, or been an accepted pitch to start with? I was Googling trying to find that original pitch for Walking Dead (not just to harp on this point, but because I thought I saw it online or in print somewhere and never got around to reading it. Does anyone know where to find it?)

I didn't find it, but I did come across this 2007 IGN interview, that I think is a reminder of just how much of a part Moore had in Walking Dead being able to find retailer support, and therefore have a chance to find an audience:

IGN Comics: Obviously, it's incredibly difficult for any independent series to find an audience early on. At what point did you realize that the Walking Dead was gaining steam and would be safe from cancellation?

Kirkman: It was very early on, because when issue one shipped, it was very different than when any of my other issue ones shipped. I mean, issue one hit stores and sold out immediately. There was all this buzz for the book, because we had sent out issues one, two and three to retailers in photocopy form. So before issue one had come out, retailers had already read the first three issues, so there was a lot of excitement for the book. I guess retailers were getting behind it very early on, and our sales went up on issue three quite a bit. By issue four, our sales had topped issue one's sales. Issue two sold a little less than issue one, because those orders had been placed before issue one had come out, and that's pretty standard. But even with issue two, we ended up doing a second printing because orders were low and we ended up printing a lot less than issue one. But demand was so high, we just rolled out another printing real quick, and that sold out. It was pretty early on when it was clear that this would be at least a marginal success.

Would it be fair to say that- given that many retailers got to SEE the book first, and therefore got excited for it and supported it the way they did- that Walking Dead got over that initial order hump and didn't become a 6 issue series? Because no matter how much Kirkman may have planned, or written, or conceived (with or without Moore's input, I don't know and I am sure at this point anything anyone says is suspect) the fact is Moore made that book look very, very good. And to not have the grace to acknowledge that contribution in the 100th issue is tacky. Petty. And it could be done without lessening the stunning endurance and achievement of what Adlard has brought to the book in his 94 issues. Anyway, that is the one sour note in an otherwise exciting indie comics achievement worth celebrating.

But, so it goes. Here's hoping it gets to an issue 200.

DoctorDoom

I attended my LCS's WD no. 100 release party last night.

Turnout for the event was disappointingly low. I suspect many of the would-be-attendees were en route to Comic-Con (my LCS is located in Northern California's South Bay Area). The shop offered a free copy of The Walking Dead vol. 1 to the first 25 attendees. By midnight, the store still had at least 7 of their 25 promotional trades left.

Zombie inspired foods and alcoholic drinks were served, and the store replaced their usual wall books with all 100 issues of the Walking Dead comic book.

They played AMC's The Walking Dead show on the store's television, and for dramatic effect adjusted the display settings to b&w. Another television was set up so people could play The Walking Dead PS3 game.

I'm not a big proponent of variant covers, so I didn't buy the bundled set (which the store was
offering for a considerable discount). I opted for the Frank Quietly cover.

They were fools for not going!

wrecking_crew

and at #100, I'm out...I quit. Not because its not an excellent book, far from it... but because I just started reading this series last month, and 100 issues in such a short time turns out to be just too much for me. Seriously. Maybe had I read them month-to-month the whole time everything would be gravy, but in one grand marathon, it's just too damn depressingly traumatic :-S

mguy1977

@wrecking_crew Walking Dead is a damn depressing comic to read that much so fast no wonder. Look I read this series in 12 issue HCs and while it is heartbreaking w/ moments of happiness to go 100 miles an hour so fast you were bound to hit a brick wall. You should read something else in between it that is NOT horror related, just your favorite reads before & after. That is the best advice I can give you wrecking_crew.

Matthew

mguy1977

I was weak I got the last few issues digitally and here are my thoughts:

Look

Out

Below

SPOILERS








I felt events of asshole governor 2.0 type character that had Lucille the bat mirrored the Joker killing a certain boy wonder many moons ago in Batman Death in the Family just ramped by like well a hundred (no pun intended). RIP Glenn. I think one of two things will happen either Rick will kill governor wannabe or die trying. In this series, Rick backs up his threats -- NO MATTER WHAT!

I am not done w/ the series but could Kirkman wrap it up at 120 or 144 issues after the tv series has 4 or 5 series on AMC sure. Does the series rise & flow like the tides of the day & night, be it issue #48, around 84 & now 100. I figure by issue 114 (at the end of two more trade volumes if it doesn't end by then) either Rick will pull a Return of the Jedi move & kickass & take names w/ some new communities helping him or the series will take a deep dark turn like none before.

Well that is my ten cents on WD #100.

Matthew

random73

Yeah, I generally wait for the trade but I cracked and bought issues 97, 98, 99, (for .99 each) and 100 from Comixology. I didn't think I could go 6 months-ish without spoilers.

The comic is certainly cyclical and the same sorts of things happen the scale just changes. I'm still okay with that at this point. When I hear the complaint, "it's just the same stuff over and over.". I think, "kinda like, of I don't know...life!".

I expected Rick to get capped in issue 100. So, yeah I didn't see this coming.

Marathon

I didn't see the point of the higher cost, when there wasn't a conclusion to this storyline. It was just padding to draw out the death as long as possible. Maybe this anniversary just came at a bad time in the planning of the story arcs.

David_D

and at #100, I'm out...I quit. Not because its not an excellent book, far from it... but because I just started reading this series last month, and 100 issues in such a short time turns out to be just too much for me. Seriously. Maybe had I read them month-to-month the whole time everything would be gravy, but in one grand marathon, it's just too damn depressingly traumatic :-S

Wow. I don't blame you: That is a lot of great reading, but that would also be a very grim month.

Don't worry, if you take a break from it, it will certainly all still be available in several formats when you decide to come back to it.

jaydee74

Yeah, I know where @wrecking_crew is talking about. I started in trades but I had a whole lot to catch up on. LIke 10 to 12 volumes to catch up on when I finally broke down and started reading and it was brutal. I had to take breaks every now and again because it was as harsh as anything I had read before but I loved the characters and I wanted to see where Kirkman was going to take everything and yeah. There were times where I felt like I had seen this scenario done before but it was still different enough that I still found it interesting. With this issue though, I don't know. I suppose I was looking for more action I guess? Not this this wasn't good. It was just freaking brutal and I will miss the character greatly and while I hope someone gets revenge for what happens, I hope it's someone else.

fredzilla

Broke down and finally got the entire WD series in trade... on Comixology. I've been reading them from the library, but I got caught up in the hype. Visited a LCS and picked up #100 (the Ryan Ottley cover--yowza!). Now I just have to get caught up from issue #90. I love this book!

Edit: All caught up and... damn, Kirkman. Damn.

Here's that Ottley cover:

jaydee74

I love that cover. It's full of beauty and awesome.

Krescan

I got the Silvestri cover from my LCS and I've got McFarlane's coming from DCBS.

Wasn't happy with who got killed of course (this makes Negan racist right?)

I was a little disappointed there wasn't anything extra in the back like 50 (I think it was 50 anyway)

@Wrecking_Crew maybe you should got on a my little pony marathon or get a care bear stare or something, you've been through a lot in a very short time

warpangel

I really enjoyed issue 100. Definately brutal tho. I liked how Negan went through all the potential victims, giving a reason for them all to survive, it read to me like Kirkman's own explanation to why he would/would not kill them, or perhaps, anticipation of what he'd be accused of by his hoarde of rabid fans once he had done the deed.

David_D

@warpangel That's a good observation. It was a sort of meta moment that way.

SolitaireRose

Nice discussion folks...

The death was one that, in retrospect, was easy to predict. It was the "I'm retiring in 2 days, gonna buy a boat and make up all the time I lost with my wife" death...however...

This series has always been about the Survivors. How society works when everything breaks down, and what people are will to do to survive. We look back on the Governor now and talk about how great a villain he was, but at the time, people were freaked the hell out. He cut off Rick's hand! He did horrible things to Michonne. He killed the baby!!!

It's a horror comic. And Glenn being beaten to death, brutally, on camera, brings it back to the core tenet of horror: Anyone can die at any time. No One Is Safe. For those saying this is their last issue because this was the last straw, all I can ask is: How is this worse than the death of Lori and the baby?

Just a brutal issue, but perfectly fitting for this comic.

SolitaireRose

and at #100, I'm out...I quit. Not because its not an excellent book, far from it... but because I just started reading this series last month, and 100 issues in such a short time turns out to be just too much for me. Seriously. Maybe had I read them month-to-month the whole time everything would be gravy, but in one grand marathon, it's just too damn depressingly traumatic :-S

I have been reading it since issue #1, and while the book IS depressing and nihilistic, I can't even imagine going thought all of the horror in the series in a month. That would be like reading Stephen King' "Dark Tower" series in a month...just not the best way to experience the story.

dubbat138

and at #100, I'm out...I quit. Not because its not an excellent book, far from it... but because I just started reading this series last month, and 100 issues in such a short time turns out to be just too much for me. Seriously. Maybe had I read them month-to-month the whole time everything would be gravy, but in one grand marathon, it's just too damn depressingly traumatic :-S

I have been reading it since issue #1, and while the book IS depressing and nihilistic, I can't even imagine going thought all of the horror in the series in a month. That would be like reading Stephen King' "Dark Tower" series in a month...just not the best way to experience the story.

The second or third time I read all of the Dark Tower series I did read it in a month. But by then I had read some of the earlier books at least 5 times.

SolitaireRose

and at #100, I'm out...I quit. Not because its not an excellent book, far from it... but because I just started reading this series last month, and 100 issues in such a short time turns out to be just too much for me. Seriously. Maybe had I read them month-to-month the whole time everything would be gravy, but in one grand marathon, it's just too damn depressingly traumatic :-S

I have been reading it since issue #1, and while the book IS depressing and nihilistic, I can't even imagine going thought all of the horror in the series in a month. That would be like reading Stephen King' "Dark Tower" series in a month...just not the best way to experience the story.

The second or third time I read all of the Dark Tower series I did read it in a month. But by then I had read some of the earlier books at least 5 times.

I think a re-read is very different from an initial read. I am planning on a reread of Walking Dead before the new TV season starts, and I'll prolly buzz through it fairly quickly due to the fact that I already know the major story beats and characters.

dubbat138

and at #100, I'm out...I quit. Not because its not an excellent book, far from it... but because I just started reading this series last month, and 100 issues in such a short time turns out to be just too much for me. Seriously. Maybe had I read them month-to-month the whole time everything would be gravy, but in one grand marathon, it's just too damn depressingly traumatic :-S

I have been reading it since issue #1, and while the book IS depressing and nihilistic, I can't even imagine going thought all of the horror in the series in a month. That would be like reading Stephen King' "Dark Tower" series in a month...just not the best way to experience the story.

The second or third time I read all of the Dark Tower series I did read it in a month. But by then I had read some of the earlier books at least 5 times.

I think a re-read is very different from an initial read. I am planning on a reread of Walking Dead before the new TV season starts, and I'll prolly buzz through it fairly quickly due to the fact that I already know the major story beats and characters.

Rereading the Dark Tower series after you know the ending leads you to seeing all the clues King had been dropping since the first book. There is actually clues in every book pointing to the ending.

random73

I know a lot of fans were disappointed with the cyclical nature of the book, particularly the ending. But honestly I don't think it could have ended any other way. Ka is a wheel.

The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.

Krescan

I know a lot of fans were disappointed with the cyclical nature of the book, particularly the ending. But honestly I don't think it could have ended any other way. Ka is a wheel.

The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.

I hope you're talking about Dark Towers because I don't remember any of this happening in Walking Dead

now I gotta go re-read and find out when rick whipped this man in black fella

dubbat138

I know a lot of fans were disappointed with the cyclical nature of the book, particularly the ending. But honestly I don't think it could have ended any other way. Ka is a wheel.

The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.

Yeah it was really the only way to end it. Around the time book 5 came out I read a theory online that proved to be right. So going into the final book I had a good idea how it would "end".

John_Steed

so far only read the first 3 of Dark Tower..... :-w

dubbat138

John_Steed said:

so far only read the first 3 of Dark Tower..... :-w

Which version of book 1 did you read? The original version or the revised version?

John_Steed

dubbat138 said:

John_Steed said:

so far only read the first 3 of Dark Tower..... :-w

Which version of book 1 did you read? The original version or the revised version?

The revised one. Looking that up I realised that I've read all up to the 4th book.

John_Steed

And to get back to TWD - I love #100

Couldn't wait for the HC so I bought the last 2 trades and the last few single issues from comiXology.

After finishing #100 my first reaction was to just quit reading TWD - I was shocked, angry and very sad. But after a couple of hours the longing for more of the same nightmare returned.... =P~