In the immediate aftermath ofThe Walking Dead’smost brutal scene, in which Negan infamously beat Glenn to death, Rick made a bloodthirsty vow to kill the newly-introduced villain in turn – andover a decade later, it still strikes fans as one of the comic’s greatest shocks that this promise was ultimately subverted, rather than fulfilled.
The Walking DeadDeluxe#100 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – is a stunning return to the milestone issue, this time in full color,making Glenn’s death that much more gutwrenching.
The issue serves as a reminder to readers how truly vile Negan was upon his first introduction. In turn, given the knowledge of how things play out, the moment where Rick Grimes tearfully declares his intention to avenge Glenn once more raises the question of whether Negan’s surprise survival and redemption arc were theright creative choice forThe Walking Dead.
“I’m going to kill you,” Rick told Negan inThe Walking Dead#100, setting up the dynamic between the franchise’s next great adversary andthe series' arguable protagonist. What readers who followed Robert Kirkman’s zombie comic during its original run will remember is that, at the time, there was no reason to believe that Rick would not eventually make good on this threat. By the comic’s hundredth issue, it had begun to develop a familiar rhythm – Rick and his group of survivors would encounter a malevolent group of human survivors, more dangerous than the last, and eventually, would overcome them.
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In a sense, this narrative pattern applied toNegan and the Saviors, and continued even after they were defeated – except that defeatleft Negan alive, and subsequent arcs transformed him into a more heroic, and even more sympathetic figure, providing the antithesis of the outcome that had been set up by his introduction. This brought an increased level of complexity toThe Walking Dead’sstory, and arguably it was the right choice, but it was a radical departure from the expectations author Robert Kirkman had cultivated in his audience up to that point.
The battle betweenThe Walking Dead’smain group of survivors and Negan’s Saviors lasted for twenty-five issues; it is important to note that Rick didn’t fail to kill Negan, but rather, chose not to. This was what made it such a dramatic narrative turn – and as much as many fans wanted Rick to fulfill his earlier declaration, this represented a major step forward for his character. Faced with the possibility ofbecoming more cruel, more like Negan, Rick refused, and that was what made it such a powerful storytelling decision.
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As explained by Robert Kirkman,Walking Deadartist Charlie Adlard advocated for this twist, arguing against the trope of extracting narrative satisfaction from killing off villains.The Walking Deadwas more than just zombie action entertainment – it was a meditation on human nature in the wake of civilization’s sudden collapse, andAdlard convinced Kirkman that this theme could be better explored by having Rick spare Negan, forcing him to face the consequences of his defeat, and his loss of power, rather than just being the subject of literary catharsis.
One unexpected byproduct of Negan’s survival, and his continued role inThe Walking Dead’sstory, was that the character became increasingly popular over time. Even Robert Kirkman himself admittedNegan was his favorite characterby the end of the series. However, that in itself both furthered and complicated the character’s redemption arc; Kirkman, to his credit, did a solid job of having the character fit into a new role, without actually growing too much, but even so,the fact that Glenn’s murderer became a fan-favorite continues to be divisive amongWalking Deadreaders.
Rather than a villain to be triumphed over, Negan became one ofThe Walking Dead’smost recognizable characters.
While Negan’s survival made the underlying moral structure ofThe Walking Deadless clear-cut, it also gave fans the opportunity to root for the character’s behavior. That is to say, it contextualized his tenure as the franchise’s central bad guy as one part of a larger story arc – yet whether that was truly for the better or worse of the series overall is a question for critics to continue dissecting indefinitely. In any case, rather than a villain to be triumphed over, Negan became one ofThe Walking Dead’smost recognizable characters.
Glenn’s death is widely considered the most devastatinginThe Walking Deadcomic series. When it originally happened, it was considered a major shock, despite the fact that the book had already earned its reputation for killing off major characters without hesitation. TheDeluxereprint ofThe Walking Deadissues leading up to #100 hashighlighted how the seeds were planted for Glenn’s demise during his final arc, and has emphasized the heartwrenching tragedy of his exit from the series.
As visceral as [Glenn’s death scene] was in black-and-white, and on screen, it has never been more gruesome than in theDeluxeedition, as this pivotalWalking Deadmoment is rendered in vivid, violent color.
Hand in hand with that,The Walking Dead Deluxe#100 is a reminder of what an unrepentant, unforgivable villain Negan was upon his debut. While the shock and the gore of Glenn’s death are burnt into the memories ofWalking Deadfans, what is often forgotten is the horrifying dimension that Negan’s dialogue adds to the moment. While the former weredepicted faithfully on screen in the AMC TV adaptation, Jeffery Dean Morgan’s interpretation of Negan was arguably more restrained than the comic version.
While previousWalking Deadvillains like the Governor had been deranged and sinister, comic book Negan was an entirely different kind of unhinged.The Walking Dead Deluxe#100 is just the start of an ongoing reappraisal of the character, as he appears in full color on the page for the first time, starting with Glenn’s death. As visceral as the scene was in black-and-white, and on screen, it has never been more gruesome than in theDeluxeedition, as this pivotalWalking Deadmoment is rendered in vivid, violent color.
The Walking Dead Deluxe#100is available now from Image Comics.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
