I don't think I'm a bloodthirsty person. At least, I'm not bloodthirsty for no reason. Do I appreciate stories of vengeance and just desserts? Why yes, I do. My husband may have commented on occasion that I appreciate them excessively.
And that's why I think this volume needed more bloodshed.
I don't think I can explain further the lowest rating I've ever given a Walking Dead comic without spoilers, so here goes.
I'm all for mercy and trying to turn things around. Rick didn't like what he was turning into. I get that. But starting with Negan? Seriously? The guy who beat Glenn to death with a club wrapped in barbed wire? And let's set aside the fact that vengeance needed to be poured on this guy's head like, I don't know, molten gold. What about the fallout of keeping him alive? You're going to put the psycho who has been terrorizing everyone in the world as you know it in prison? Because things are so stable, and you'll for sure be able to keep him there. You never have to relocate in a hurry or anything, so that should work out great. And during the time you actually succeed in keeping him imprisoned, I'm sure he'll spend his time pondering the error of his ways and wishing he could make amends. He won't be planning revenge or anything. On an unrelated note that's still a spoiler, what was with Carl and that "wimp" comment? I thought Negan might have gotten to him when he'd held him hostage, and somehow poisoned him against Rick, but if Carl wanted to kill Negan later, I don't know if that makes sense.
Of course I'll keep reading. It's one of my favorite graphic novel series. And this issue still had a lot of what I love in the series-tension, drama, action and gorgeous full-page spreads in just the right parts of the narrative. ( )

This series just continues to entertain. It's not the best drawn, or best written comic out there, but it's consistently good, and I'm liking the questions it wrestles with.

Negan has been an excellent, if freakish villain. It'll be interesting to see what new threats are in store for the survivors. ( )

Wow, that was very cathartic. ( )

I was unsatisfied with the way this arc concluded. It's the culmination of the journey so far and a large chunk of the previous issues/volumes have been building up to this. The journey was good but the destination, for me, was a let down. Maybe it'll improve with time and the consequences play themselves out. ( )

One of the things I enjoy most about [b: The Walking Dead|6465707|The Walking Dead, Compendium 1|Robert Kirkman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449865699s/6465707.jpg|6656179] as a series is just how often it allows characters to make mistakes. [a: Robert Kirkman|12425|Robert Kirkman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1238103316p2/12425.jpg] gives his characters ample leeway to be as human, or as inhuman, as people in power are apt to be. He allows them to create their own dictatorships or empires, their own kingdoms. He allows them to indulge in each carnal urge, and then reap the consequences they have sown. It's refreshing, and it allows for more storytelling experiments than I've come to expect in most comics. The Walking Dead shambles on, and the war does indeed end - for a time.

We had our massive spectacles of carnage with the war with The Governor - as is expected of Negan, he's a bit better than that. Negan's idea of covering the weapons in zombie gore to infect with the smallest scratch is nothing short of genius, an act of bio-terrorism that's enough to make my skin crawl. These sorts of details are fascinating in how much they horrify beyond the simple gore-fest of regular war. It's the intention that matters, and this volume plays upon the entire concept of intention masterfully.

We can choose to be better than we were before, and hopefully everyone understands that choice and why we made it.

It'll be interesting to see how the rebuilding plays out. ( )