Review: The Walking Dead 92

Non Spoiler Review:

Issue 92 kicks off what appears to be the next major storyline as Michonne and Abraham encounter the guy with the binoculars from last month. That misunderstanding and subsequent confrontation fill the bulk of the story.

It was a good first chapter in a new arc and raises some intriguing questions about what lies beyond Rick's community, and if a repeat of the Governor awaits them.

Spoilers Now!

Carl wakes up from a nightmare where he killed a bad kid. He wonders why it felt so real. Rick says nothing, but Carl does apologize for his earlier behaviour.

Come morning, Rick sees off Michonne and Abraham as they check their new security measures. On the way, Michonne talks about feeling alone.

As they pick off random walkers, they encounter a man pinned down in a car. He'd been sleeping there, and when Michonne doesn't get answers fast enough she draws her sword, only to have him take it from her, leading to a standoff with Abraham. Michonne gets away and the man dives behind a vehicle under a hail of bullets, but this time he manages to get a leg up on Abraham, and demands to be taken to their leader.

Rick comes out and attempts to diffuse the situation. The stranger explains his name is Paul Monroe, but some have taken to call him Jesus (danger, danger!). He's from a community of two hundred and was investigating them to see if they would be interested in trading (his own people are low on ammunition and he sees they're running low on food). They have a farm, as well as new clothes to trade.

Rick is understandably skeptical, but Paul explains he was travelling to other communities as well. That comes as news to the rest of them and Paul realizes Rick has no idea of the other survivors out there. He lets them know their world is about to change.

The Verdict:

A good start to what could be an extended storyline. The introduction of Paul brought a lot of exposition and shows how quick to judge Rick's survivors are these days. I have no idea what to make of Paul yet, given it looks like Kirkman was throwing a lot of stuff to consider about him, especially the emphasis given to the part about him being called Jesus which set off warning bells. My first thought is that his settlement is a cult, but we'll see where that goes.

Michonne has been on the backburner for a few months, so it was good to see her voice some of her problems. While Abraham's loyalties remain in question, it always raises the spectre of who will throw their lot in with him if and when there's an uprising against Rick.

It's going to be exciting to get a sense of how civilization has restructured itself if we get a look at these new communities, the types of government, religion and societies that have sprung up among the survivors. I'm sure Kirkman's take on it will prove interesting.