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“Call to Arms”
Image Comics
Story by: Robert Kirkman
Art and Lettering by: Charlie Adlard, Stefano Gaudiano, Cliff Rathburn, Rus Wooton, and Dave Stewart
Last month, The Walking Dead reached a significant milestone—issue 150. Rick announced his plans to form a military to fight the Whisperers, and everyone (aside from Jesus) was ecstatic. This issue follows through with Rick’s plan, as the people of Alexandria train—first starting with walkers. Kirkman does an excellent job of following through with his plan laid out in issue 150 and tying up some of the loose threads from previous issues.
Charlie Adlard’s art is great in this issue. We get pages of walkers, which for a comic about zombies, there haven’t been a ton of lately. The first panel is a close-up walker reaction shot to gunfire, which the Alexandrians use to lure them out of the woods. The whole first page brings back a taste of the suspense the comic is built off of, as the walkers stagger out of the woods toward the gunshots. The detail he uses during the practice battle scene—especially the head-shots—are some of the issue’s best. His use of close-up, wide-angle, and point-of-view shots add to the issue’s intensity and offer variety. He’s always had a knack for communicating emotion perfectly through facial expressions and body language when the panels are void of dialogue. Cliff Rathburn’s shading is especially great in the close-ups of the walkers.
The cover shows Dwight in a full military getup, with a rifle in one hand and Lucille in the other. He has several other visible guns and a few grenades on his person. He seems a bit conflicted, with his gritted teeth and look of concern over his face. But he’s a leader prepared for battle, even if he doesn’t want to be. He can’t hide from it any longer.
Warning: Spoiler Ahead!
The most exciting part of this issue is the very last page. Eugene has been fixing the radio for several issues and trying to reach someone to no avail. Well, he finally receives a response. What a great way to end the issue. It’s been a while since we’ve had a really good cliffhanger. Who answered? What part will the group play in the plan to form a military? Will they be good? With the bad luck Rick’s group has encountered in the past, it won’t be surprising if whoever answered are the new baddies.
This is a great issue to follow the over-hyped issue 150. Issue 150 certainly had some great elements and laid the groundwork for future issues. And Kirkman didn’t wait to pick up the pieces. We get a lot to look forward to in this issue, and plot-lines are starting to take action.