***Contains Spoilers***
The Walking Dead Compendium Four issues 145-193 continues the story of the survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies and their conflicts with other communities and groups. The final volume picks up in the aftermath the fair. There are challenges to Rick’s leadership and the beginning of Negan’s redemption.
For this final volume there were some great storylines. When reading, I did not know where they were going to go with Negan escaping from prison. I was shocked when he took Alpha’s head, and the resulting war with Beta was amazing. The hoard that Beta throws at Alexandria was one of the more intense and action-packed arcs in the whole series.
I enjoyed Negan’s attempt at redemption, and it was fun to see how his character evolves throughout the series. Princess was my favorite character that was newly introduced. She was awesome like an awesome new character, and her introduction adds a new layer to the story. I wish she was introduced earlier so that we got more.
The Commonwealth is the final antagonist for the series, and starts to take us out of the smaller world of “survival” and begin to take us into the world moving forward. I thought that there could have been a lot more story built around the Commonwealth — but the series comes to a rather abrupt and surprising end.
The Walking Dead ends as suddenly and starkly as the demise of many of its characters, so while a surprise to readers, I felt it was fitting. I also really liked that the story ended years into the future. The world still a mess, but the survivors have overcome the zombies, and Carl has the life that Rick wanted. I also rarely read additional materials, but I really apprectiated the letter from Kirkman that explained his decision to end the series and to do it without letting readers know it was coming.
I enjoyed the conclusion to this incredible series, and I think it’s a great ending to a story. Overall, these issues of The Walking Dead satisfyingly conclude the story and leave the readers on a high note. I complete the series with another 5-star review.
Feature Image Walking Dead Compendium Four cover art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
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