FAREWELL TO THE WALKING DEAD

By Barry Dutter

I’ve read every issue of THE WALKING DEAD comic. But now, after 127 issues, I feel it’s time for me to say goodbye to a comic that has given me so many hours of enjoyment over the years.
“Why?” you may ask. Why does anyone stop reading any comic after a prolonged period? Because it no longer entertains me as it once did. Actually, this goodbye has been coming for a while now. It’s been slowly building over the last few years.
I wasn't aware of the THE WALKING DEAD when the first issue came out in 2003. Like most TWD fans, I came aboard a few years later, catching up with the trades and then eagerly devouring each new issue of the comic as it came out.
Although I've been a regular reader for a while now, I really haven’t fully enjoyed THE WALKING DEAD since the end of the Governor storyline, and that was a long time ago. (2008, to be exact.)
So why has it taken me so long to drop a book I stopped liking six years ago? Simply put, I enjoyed the Governor storyline -- a lot. I thought it was far and away the best storyline THE WALKING DEAD ever had.
It introduced one of the all-time greatest villains in the history of comics, in a story that pushed the main characters to the edge and back.
It was a tough act to follow. But the secret of the success of THE WALKING DEAD -- both the TV show and the comic -- has been the fans’ insatiable desire to know What Happens Next.
Even when the comic (and the TV show) are bad, or boring, you still hang in there, because you feel like you have to know what happens next.
The Governor story felt like writer/creator Robert Kirkman was taking you on a journey where he knew exactly where it was going, but he kept you guessing every step of the way.
The stories in the comics since then just have not had that same appeal. Issues #50 to #100 are kind of a blur for me. After the demise of the Governor in #48, the next truly memorable moment for was the introduction of Negan in #100.
That issue featured one of the most shocking deaths in the history of the series, as one of the most beloved characters, Glenn, met his end at the business end of Negan’s baseball bat.
This was a powerful introduction to Negan, a villain who seemed to have some Governor-type overtones to him, only on a larger scale. (The Governor only controlled one city. Negan controlled a much larger territory.) As the story wore on, the similarities  between the Governor and Negan seemed to grow and grow, despite Kirkman's vehement denials that any such similarities existed. At this point, I wonder if Kirkman is capable of creating another human villain who is not a  copy of the Governor.
By the time #100 came out, I had gradually become disenchanted with the comic, and I made a decision that I would stick around only till the end of the Negan storyline, and then I would move on.
The Negan story dragged on for about a year when it seemed like it would come to an abrupt end in issue #112, when Rick appeared to shoot Negan in a dramatic two-page spread. Turns out those 2 pages were just a big tease, as Negan survived Rick’s attack. (One definitely got the sense that Kirkman was just treading water, eager to keep this particular story going for as long as he could.)
The story meandered on for another year or so, finally culminating in a 12-part saga called “All-Out War.” The “All-Out War” arc turned out to be just a continuation of the same saga that had been ongoing for a while.
 Finally, after 27 issues, the Negan saga ended with a whimper. Fans were denied the satisfaction of seeing Negan killed. Instead, Rick slashed Negan's throat  with a knife, and then instantly ordered his medical people to patch him up. Rick decided that killing Negan was not the right thing to do; he felt the more humane thing to do would be locking him up  for the rest of his life.
For fans who had been following the Negan saga for 2 years, it seemed a rather anticlimactic finish. (Honestly, I would swear the story went on for 50 issues, not 27.)
By this point, I had tired of the series. The next issue promised “A New Beginning.” “Fine, “ I decided. “I’ll give Kirkman one last chance to keep me hooked.”
“The New Beginning” turned out to be more of the same. It was a quiet issue where some new survivors are introduced and the gang takes them in. Blah blah blah, same old, same old. Kirkman seems to have painted himself into a corner where he is destined to repeat the same types of stories over and over. Basically it’s Rick and the gang, perennially trying to find a safe place they can call home, while dodging zombies and meeting new human villains.
I realize that is the premise of the book, but it’s one that I feel has run its course. It would be great if Kirkman could shake it up a bit -- have a zombie who acquires intelligence and takes over leadership of all the other walkers… or have one of the human heroes become a zombie who sticks with the good guys and fights other zombies…
Maybe even introduce other supernatural elements besides zombies, such as werewolves or vampires.
Any one of these ideas would intrigue me enough to keep buying the comic. But as it is, I feel each issue is just bringing more of the same.
As for the TV show -- I’ve stuck with it since episode one, but it has been rough going, at times. Season two was a slog that almost drove me away for good.  I've thought about walking away from this show more times than any other show I've ever watched. 
But then season 3 got real strong, and the first half of season 4 kept me at the edge of my seat.
But now that season four has ended and the TV Governor is no more, we’re stuck at the same point the comic was at in 2008. The big question: will the TV show be able to tell compelling stories beyond the Governor?
Season four ended with a cliffhanger, with the gang trapped by the apparent cannibals of Terminus. So, of course, I have to stick around to see how it all turns out. But I can’t promise I will stay beyond that. We will see.
Even though I’m saying goodbye to THE WALKING DEAD comic at this time, it doesn’t have to be forever. If they get a new artist, I might check it out. If they do something radically different from what has gone before, I might pick it up. If they kill a major character, well, I'll probably flip through the issue in the store, even if I don't purchase it.
Over the past few years, THE WALKING DEAD has been the only comic I have followed on a regular basis, and I’ve enjoyed having a reason to go to the comics shop once  month (or sometimes twice a month) to pick up the new issue. Now that I’m dropping my last monthly book, I do feel a tinge of sadness that my 40-year weekly comic-buying ritual is coming to an end.
I’m glad to have had THE WALKING DEAD as part of my life for the past few years. It’s been a fun ride, but I really stayed a few years longer than I should have. For me, reading THE WALKING DEAD has been like being in a bad relationship that you know is going nowhere, but you just can’t bring yourself to let go.
Now it’s time. So goodbye, WALKING DEAD, and thanks for all the brains.