I hate “Don’t Miss The Next Issue.” I hate the phrase and I hate what it means. Don’t be fooled by the idea of setting us up, “Don’t Miss The Next Issue” means whoever’s creating the comic has decided to stick in a filler issue. Sometimes, that can unbelievably frustrating, especially with a well-written title that always delivers. Thankfully, we don’t have that problem with The Walking Dead #110, even though it says “Don’t Miss The Next Issue” at the end of this one. Why is there nothing to fear? Because Walking Dead hasn’t been well-written or delivered more than boring repetition since around issue #60.
Issue #110 is a filler issue, which is saying a lot in a series that is fifty strong with filler issues. What makes #110 particularly filleriffic is that it accomplishes even less than normal. It also fails in its attempt to humanize characters that are clichés and get us to connect with them. Last issue, the man with the giggle-worthy name “Jesus” realized he’d been betrayed. Why is Jesus a giggle-worthy name? Mainly because he has long hair, a goatee, and he’s a cryptic-speaking white guy trying to “deliver” his people. Anyway, Jesus goes off after Kal, a member of his survival group that is heading to warn Negan, the latest leather-clad boogieman our heroes are facing.
This is hysterical stuff. Seriously. People should read The Walking Dead now simply for the comedic element. Kal, who has watched Negan wreak havoc and deliver death to his friends, has decided to warn his oppressor because Kal thinks it’s a bad idea to fight back. Writer Robert Kirkman attempts, through hyperbole and heavily inked lettering, to get us to understand this ridiculous way of thinking. Then, some of Negan’s men show up and Kal assists Jesus in saving their own skins. Wait. Hold on a minute. Didn’t Kal want to turn Jesus and the other fighters in because he was afraid a war would be bad. What happened?
Apparently, Kal saw Negan’s men and decided he hated them and it was time to go to war.
Wow. How positively “sixth grade writing class plot device” of Mr. Kirkman. Meanwhile, Rick is having an argument with a man who is building new weaponry. What’s the argument about? It’s about using it. This inventor, named Eugene, only wants the weapons used against walkers. Yep, his hippy idealist doesn’t want the homemade artillery to be involved with stopping the man WHO IS TRYING TO KILL THEM. Jesus Christ! Does Kirkman even read this shit anymore or does he just scribble it down on napkins between takes of the TV show?
Making matters worse, Rick and a team of handpicked fighters are going to the Kingdom. The Kingdom has to be the most insipid creation in Walking Dead outside of Negan. The Kingdom is run by an older black man that pretends to be a king, even speaks like one, to make his band of survivors feel better. Oh, did I mention this King, named Ezekiel, has a pet tiger. Oh yeah, he does. Much like Kal’s run of stupidity, Kirkman tries to explain how this man owns a tiger through a “human story” that is so preposterous it stretches the limits of patience to a breaking point.
The most offensive part of this entire story is how Michonne, the black girl, is the only person who can speak honestly with Ezekiel, the black man. Essentially, Michonne tells the guy to “keep it real.” Their conversation is empty space, a hollow coalescing of words that amounts to nothing. At the end, Ezekiel is still a guy with a tiger acting like a king. Rick and his crew are trusting their future to the largest gathering of Renaissance Faire lovers ever. That makes total sense.
At this point, the only surprising thing about Walking Dead is how it can outdo itself in mediocrity. Each time I think the series has bottomed out, it surprises me by sinking lower. I’m on pins and needles to see how Negan is defeated. I can’t even imagine the levels of suck that Kirkman will wallow in.
The art still sucks. Bring back Tony Moore so at least we’ll have something to look at.
