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The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead, Vol. 14: No Way Out
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics (2011)The survivors of Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's Eisner Award-winning post-apocalyptic survival adventure have found relative safety in the confines of the community's walls—or have they? As conflicts continue within, the undead approach from the outside. Everyone is forced to make hard decisions, and this chapter of New York Times Best-Seller The Walking Dead proves again—no one is safe.
136 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2011
108 people are currently reading
3860 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,741 books6,933 followersRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 766 reviews
July 20, 2023
This volume right here! This is The Walking Dead!! A Zombie 'herd' has surrounded Alexandria, there's no way out. Kirkman and Adlard use an entire volume to show once and for all who the real monsters are, and they might not be the Zombies. Breath taking page turning drama as the series returns to it's roots as a Zombie herd grows and grows surrounding Alexandria. 10 out of 12 = Five Star Read.
Like I wasn't going to drop this GIF :D
2019, 2017, 2013 and 2012 read
Like I wasn't going to drop this GIF :D
2019, 2017, 2013 and 2012 read
August 25, 2011
The Walking Dead series is soooooo dark….
“How dark is it, Kemper?”
The Walking Dead series is so dark that:
- each volume acts like a small black hole and immediately sucks all available light out of any room they’re placed in.
- it used to give wardrobe advice to Johnny Cash.
- Stephen King considered calling the Dark Tower series The Walking Dead Tower.
- people who have read it have then watched Requiem for a Dream to cheer themselves up.
- Andrew Vachss had to stop reading it because it was too grim for him.
- whenever sales of anti-depressants drop off, the pharmaceutical companies start handing out free copies.
- that it apparently drove the AMC executives mad and led to them firing Frank Darabont in a cost cutting measure on the highest rated show it ever aired.
And this one is worse than usual. So if you like your zombie apocalypses to plumb the depths of despair and the limits of humanity, this is the one for you.
“How dark is it, Kemper?”
The Walking Dead series is so dark that:
- each volume acts like a small black hole and immediately sucks all available light out of any room they’re placed in.
- it used to give wardrobe advice to Johnny Cash.
- Stephen King considered calling the Dark Tower series The Walking Dead Tower.
- people who have read it have then watched Requiem for a Dream to cheer themselves up.
- Andrew Vachss had to stop reading it because it was too grim for him.
- whenever sales of anti-depressants drop off, the pharmaceutical companies start handing out free copies.
- that it apparently drove the AMC executives mad and led to them firing Frank Darabont in a cost cutting measure on the highest rated show it ever aired.
And this one is worse than usual. So if you like your zombie apocalypses to plumb the depths of despair and the limits of humanity, this is the one for you.
November 8, 2017
Alexandria under Zombie attack!
This is the fourteenth volume of The Walking Dead, collecting the comic book issue from #127 to #132.
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrators: Charlie Adlard
Additional gray tones to inking: Cliff Rathburn
Chapter Fourteen
NO WAY OUT
Well, boys… Good plan so far. Now what?
Rick’s group is again...
...Rick’s group...
...but now it’s larger...
...and so its the menace falling over it too.
Alexandria was the scenario for a power struggle where Rick took the lead again and just in time since...
...Alexandria is under massive zombie attack and it will be impossible that everybody would get alive from this...
...since indeed in the apocalyptical world of The Walking Dead nobody is safe...
...NOBODY!!!
This is the fourteenth volume of The Walking Dead, collecting the comic book issue from #127 to #132.
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrators: Charlie Adlard
Additional gray tones to inking: Cliff Rathburn
Chapter Fourteen
NO WAY OUT
Well, boys… Good plan so far. Now what?
Rick’s group is again...
...Rick’s group...
...but now it’s larger...
...and so its the menace falling over it too.
Alexandria was the scenario for a power struggle where Rick took the lead again and just in time since...
...Alexandria is under massive zombie attack and it will be impossible that everybody would get alive from this...
...since indeed in the apocalyptical world of The Walking Dead nobody is safe...
...NOBODY!!!
November 19, 2017
I love complex characters in fiction. Who doesn’t? I like characters that are morally conflicted and deeply torn. If they are going through some form of crisis it means they are distinctly human; their emotions are real and their actions unpredictable: they are volatile and potentially dangerous.
Enter Morgan, one of my favourite characters from the television series:
He is a man who has abstained from killing because the consequences of it drive him to the brink of despair. He has no off switch, once the floodgates open (and the bullets start flying) he cannot control himself. So he has decided to step back, to carry no guns and simply defend himself with a staff when absolutely necessary. And he is rather deadly with it, but circumstances arise to complicate his life. He is forced into a corner and forced to kill in order to save another life. What does he become after? Where does he stop?
He is one of the most interesting characters in the series, but, unfortunately, in the comics he is so very, very weak. He is emotionally numb, stoic and a complete liability until he lets down his barriers and becomes a needy, emotional, blubbering wreck. His reactions are understandable, though it is just portrayed far more effectively on the screen. Morgan becomes hard and he uses his grief to become a bad-ass.
At this point I’m actually contemplating abandoning this series all together. I’m reading it out of habit and feel like I have to continue due the subnational time investment I’ve already put in. I may try another issue sometime in the future, but not anytime soon. It's starting to feel a little dull, the show is just so much better.
Enter Morgan, one of my favourite characters from the television series:
He is a man who has abstained from killing because the consequences of it drive him to the brink of despair. He has no off switch, once the floodgates open (and the bullets start flying) he cannot control himself. So he has decided to step back, to carry no guns and simply defend himself with a staff when absolutely necessary. And he is rather deadly with it, but circumstances arise to complicate his life. He is forced into a corner and forced to kill in order to save another life. What does he become after? Where does he stop?
He is one of the most interesting characters in the series, but, unfortunately, in the comics he is so very, very weak. He is emotionally numb, stoic and a complete liability until he lets down his barriers and becomes a needy, emotional, blubbering wreck. His reactions are understandable, though it is just portrayed far more effectively on the screen. Morgan becomes hard and he uses his grief to become a bad-ass.
At this point I’m actually contemplating abandoning this series all together. I’m reading it out of habit and feel like I have to continue due the subnational time investment I’ve already put in. I may try another issue sometime in the future, but not anytime soon. It's starting to feel a little dull, the show is just so much better.
January 30, 2019
Just as the group thought they’d found a nice safe home in the Alexandria Safe-Zone, then a horde of zombies break down a fence and course total havoc!
The slower pace in the last couple of volumes had prepared me for the relentlessly grim action piece during this part of the series, though I was completely shocked by the repercussions of these events.
The slower pace in the last couple of volumes had prepared me for the relentlessly grim action piece during this part of the series, though I was completely shocked by the repercussions of these events.
December 13, 2025
When Carl said that he will be a good leader someday just like his dad I knew he would become one. Carl might even become a better leader than Rick. At least he doesn't talk to somebody diseased on a phone.
I feel bad for Ron, he lost his father and he is the only one being sad about it. Not every father is good, some are bad.
Jessie and Rick shouldn't hook up. They aren't a great match, in my opinion. Let's see where this goes.
This volume is so terrifying 'cause even though it snows and everything looks even more beautiful now, more zombies are drawn to appear. There's just no way out when you barricade yourself against zombies. They might have no way in, but if they are everywhere, you can't get out. The idea to cross with a rope in issue 81 added to the terrifying atmosphere.
Rick shouldn't feel insensitive to say that he will always put his own kid first. If he wouldn't, he would be as bad as a parent as Pete.
The adaption of this volume was also so creepy. I couldn't walk around with blood smeared all over me for a long time. My nerves wouldn't survive this. How can they stay so calm?
StoryGraph review
I feel bad for Ron, he lost his father and he is the only one being sad about it. Not every father is good, some are bad.
Jessie and Rick shouldn't hook up. They aren't a great match, in my opinion. Let's see where this goes.
This volume is so terrifying 'cause even though it snows and everything looks even more beautiful now, more zombies are drawn to appear. There's just no way out when you barricade yourself against zombies. They might have no way in, but if they are everywhere, you can't get out. The idea to cross with a rope in issue 81 added to the terrifying atmosphere.
Rick shouldn't feel insensitive to say that he will always put his own kid first. If he wouldn't, he would be as bad as a parent as Pete.
The adaption of this volume was also so creepy. I couldn't walk around with blood smeared all over me for a long time. My nerves wouldn't survive this. How can they stay so calm?
I think about the road ahead of us and for the first time it seems long... and bright. After everything we've been through, all the people we've lost... I suddenly find myself overcome with something I thought we'd lost; Hope.
StoryGraph review
January 27, 2023
Even though the show is going down the toilet right now, I am still interested in the comics. I mean, I haven't even gotten to Negan yet!
Do you remember this episode?
Or this, poor-special-features-season-premiere-that-we-were-all-like-wait-what-is-happening-again?
Or this woman who was all like "I'm big and bad and can take care of myself and my sons (LOL)?
Well, the graphic scene involving Jesse and her younger son and that random start to a season is in this volume. The comic was such a better read than the show being a watch. It was written well and things didn't feel forced (which is what the show has become in my opinion).
Oh, and this happens:
*not marking as a spoiler because everyone and their cousins know that this happens and if you don't, I bet that rock that you have been living under is still where you left it.
and we are left with this..
Do you remember this episode?
Or this, poor-special-features-season-premiere-that-we-were-all-like-wait-what-is-happening-again?
Or this woman who was all like "I'm big and bad and can take care of myself and my sons (LOL)?
Well, the graphic scene involving Jesse and her younger son and that random start to a season is in this volume. The comic was such a better read than the show being a watch. It was written well and things didn't feel forced (which is what the show has become in my opinion).
Oh, and this happens:
*not marking as a spoiler because everyone and their cousins know that this happens and if you don't, I bet that rock that you have been living under is still where you left it.
and we are left with this..
September 19, 2019
First Read: May 14th 2016
Re-read: September 19th 2019
a whole lot of crazy just went down in this issue, Alexandria was invaded by a horde of the undead so naturally the community must work to either get this threat contained or die trying to save it.
The issue starts of seemingly quiet and normal but nothing is ever quiet in the walking dead universe Aaron and Eric storm through Alexandria coming back on a horse after an recruitment mission went horribly wrong with Eric getting stabbed by a crazy women. Then Heath and Denise are getting freaky?! it's turning to a sex community where everyone is picking a partner. Abraham and his construction crew go out to clear some of the walkers hanging around Alexandria but there are more walkers hanging around then they realised. Bruce is the first resident to be killed since regina where he isn't that lucky trying to get back, is bitten and Abraham then puts an axe through his skull.
Then Alexandria is invaded not by people but the walkers themselves as they knock down the wall. Tobin is the next to go and I really didn't care he died his character was annoying in both the comic and the television show. Morgan is bitten by a walker but Michonne cuts off his arm with her sword as her and Rick get in to safety but sadly Morgan later dies and once again Michonne is the one who kills him. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Jesse, Ron and Denise cover themselves apart from Denise and move through the herd of walkers and of course Ron being a kid wouldn't shut up gets himself killed and Jesse killed in the process. this part i knew was coming and wasn't looking forward to it after Rick chops Jesse's hand off as she wouldn't let go of Carl, Douglas comes out of his home trying to get the rest of the group to his house, however he is bitten and shots his gun and the bullet goes straight through Carl's eye.
One of my favourite parts was seeing all of Rick's group and the Alexandrian's working together to get the herd under control, each page for this scene was done beautifully i really enjoyed it!
Re-read: September 19th 2019
a whole lot of crazy just went down in this issue, Alexandria was invaded by a horde of the undead so naturally the community must work to either get this threat contained or die trying to save it.
The issue starts of seemingly quiet and normal but nothing is ever quiet in the walking dead universe Aaron and Eric storm through Alexandria coming back on a horse after an recruitment mission went horribly wrong with Eric getting stabbed by a crazy women. Then Heath and Denise are getting freaky?! it's turning to a sex community where everyone is picking a partner. Abraham and his construction crew go out to clear some of the walkers hanging around Alexandria but there are more walkers hanging around then they realised. Bruce is the first resident to be killed since regina where he isn't that lucky trying to get back, is bitten and Abraham then puts an axe through his skull.
Then Alexandria is invaded not by people but the walkers themselves as they knock down the wall. Tobin is the next to go and I really didn't care he died his character was annoying in both the comic and the television show. Morgan is bitten by a walker but Michonne cuts off his arm with her sword as her and Rick get in to safety but sadly Morgan later dies and once again Michonne is the one who kills him. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Jesse, Ron and Denise cover themselves apart from Denise and move through the herd of walkers and of course Ron being a kid wouldn't shut up gets himself killed and Jesse killed in the process. this part i knew was coming and wasn't looking forward to it after Rick chops Jesse's hand off as she wouldn't let go of Carl, Douglas comes out of his home trying to get the rest of the group to his house, however he is bitten and shots his gun and the bullet goes straight through Carl's eye.
One of my favourite parts was seeing all of Rick's group and the Alexandrian's working together to get the herd under control, each page for this scene was done beautifully i really enjoyed it!
January 13, 2016
This was such a good volume. It packed everything that makes The Walking Dead so good and addicting into this volume - action, character development, plot development, shocking scenes, death, horrible injuries, sad people, excitement, amazing art work, amazing writing, as well as all of its usual psychological stuff. It was just so good that it deserved 5 stars. I was reading it so fast because it was so exciting! Rick is one crazy dude. I mean what he did - I was so shocked (and upset) but it definitely showed me the lengths he is willing to go to. I always feel like I can no longer be surprised by this comic because of everything that has happened but I swear, it shocks me in almost every other volume! Another great thing about this comic is the fact that it is unpredictable. Some bits, yeah they're really obvious but seriously there are so many twists and turns that overall, I'm barely just keeping up with the group, never mind guessing what's going to happen next!
I really recommend this to EVERYONE. It doesn't matter if you watch the show or not or if you like comics or not, this series is above and beyond everything that classes it as a zombie comic. It's ability to deliver in every single issue is just crazy, it's completely insane really. To think that I've read 80 odd issues and I haven't disliked a single one yet. I can't wait to read what happens next. Hope.
I really recommend this to EVERYONE. It doesn't matter if you watch the show or not or if you like comics or not, this series is above and beyond everything that classes it as a zombie comic. It's ability to deliver in every single issue is just crazy, it's completely insane really. To think that I've read 80 odd issues and I haven't disliked a single one yet. I can't wait to read what happens next. Hope.
January 4, 2016
Well then. Remember when I said the last few volumes were a mite slow? This one made up for that in spades. This one got the ol' ticker going, that's for sure.
Crazy, grim, exciting, and dark. And that desperation at the end... the revelation. The hope. The clean-up. Yikes.
So good.
Crazy, grim, exciting, and dark. And that desperation at the end... the revelation. The hope. The clean-up. Yikes.
So good.
June 22, 2020
Intense! The walls are breached and the gang goes for broke.
Morgan is an awesome character in the show, but in the comic he is a lame ass weakling. What on earth does Michonne see in him? Especially after Tyreese? Good riddance.
Morgan certainly isn't the only lame ass. Jessie, Spencer, Gabriel. Ugh. The world is too dangerous for moaning and hand flapping.
Abraham had a few moments of doubt in previous issues, but he is most definitely back with a vengeance. Rick...wow, I bet Jessie never saw that coming. When Rick decides to cut someone loose he really makes sure the job is done.
Seems like everyone just needed a good old fashioned hack fest to get their mojo back.
Morgan is an awesome character in the show, but in the comic he is a lame ass weakling. What on earth does Michonne see in him? Especially after Tyreese? Good riddance.
Morgan certainly isn't the only lame ass. Jessie, Spencer, Gabriel. Ugh. The world is too dangerous for moaning and hand flapping.
Abraham had a few moments of doubt in previous issues, but he is most definitely back with a vengeance. Rick...wow, I bet Jessie never saw that coming. When Rick decides to cut someone loose he really makes sure the job is done.
Seems like everyone just needed a good old fashioned hack fest to get their mojo back.
February 25, 2012
Have you ever seen the movie 'Groundhog Day' with Bill Murray? Where he relives the same exact day over and over to the point of inanity? But only he knows that its the same day, and everyone else just keeps reliving and then he starts trying to kill himself in a number of diferent ways like driving off a cliff and a toaster in the bathtub and robs an armored car just to see what would happen. Its a great movie. I love it. but that's because the joke went on for 90 minutes and not 6 years.
The Walking Dead comic book is 'Groundhog Day'. It keeps reliving its same stories, keeps doing the same exact tings to the point of inane repetion. What was once a fresh breath of air is now soured milk. Its as rotten as zombie flesh and its time for Kirkman to just give up the ghost.
I'm not going to hide this review for spoilers because nothing here is a spoiler.
What have Rick and the gang gotten themselves into now? Same old high jinx as last issue. Find somewhere safe, but 'oh no! its not really safe!', run, duck, dodge, kill zombies, some characters die, they pick up the pieces. Repeat ad infinitum. This is the book that doesn't end... it just goes on and on, my friend...
What's worse is that now all the characters seem to have the same personalities, they're all just a blend of each other, which isthe hallmark of lazy writing. Lazy artwork in this book to match it and we have something that doesn't deserve to be read anymore.
Don't get me wrong. I love horror. Love it. And I understand that every slasher movie is essentially the same slasher movie remade. But great horror, really great horror, focuses on the humanity and not the horror. Books like 'I am Legend' and movies like 'Dawn of the Dead' understood this fact. Without the humanity, there is no contrast for the horror. That's what Kirkman originally understood when this series started. Its what he and Tony Moore tried to convey. They did an excellent job. Now, its just tired, and needs to be put to rest. I don't care about any of these characters anymore. I really, really don't. Why won't they just die? Please Robert Kirkman, kill them. Kill them all.
The Walking Dead comic book is 'Groundhog Day'. It keeps reliving its same stories, keeps doing the same exact tings to the point of inane repetion. What was once a fresh breath of air is now soured milk. Its as rotten as zombie flesh and its time for Kirkman to just give up the ghost.
I'm not going to hide this review for spoilers because nothing here is a spoiler.
What have Rick and the gang gotten themselves into now? Same old high jinx as last issue. Find somewhere safe, but 'oh no! its not really safe!', run, duck, dodge, kill zombies, some characters die, they pick up the pieces. Repeat ad infinitum. This is the book that doesn't end... it just goes on and on, my friend...
What's worse is that now all the characters seem to have the same personalities, they're all just a blend of each other, which isthe hallmark of lazy writing. Lazy artwork in this book to match it and we have something that doesn't deserve to be read anymore.
Don't get me wrong. I love horror. Love it. And I understand that every slasher movie is essentially the same slasher movie remade. But great horror, really great horror, focuses on the humanity and not the horror. Books like 'I am Legend' and movies like 'Dawn of the Dead' understood this fact. Without the humanity, there is no contrast for the horror. That's what Kirkman originally understood when this series started. Its what he and Tony Moore tried to convey. They did an excellent job. Now, its just tired, and needs to be put to rest. I don't care about any of these characters anymore. I really, really don't. Why won't they just die? Please Robert Kirkman, kill them. Kill them all.
March 21, 2012
update: Another bonus to the whole series is, if you line up all the trade covers next to each other, the zombies at the bottom make one big, long banner.
Here we go... a little sample below.
3/20/12
-----------------------------------------
To be honest, not much happens here. Nothing to look at, move along folks.
Just more hooking up between survivors, characters you barely had a chance to get to know getting eaten, characters you like being killed out of mercy, and then the final kicker at the end... which you will read for yourself.
Atleast Rick(Robert Kirkman)FINALLY just comes out and says that it isn't about managing the roamers, it's about the people they come in contact with that make the difference. Well, Good for you Robert.... PLEASE, wrap up this series... or take it in a new direction altogether. Enough of the move in to a safe place, all heck breaks loose, kill off some people, and move on.
~~~
I can't believe there is 'to be continued' at the end...
Does anyone have a clue when this will end? I'm praying for a happy ending, 'cuz it really couldn't get worse.
Here we go... a little sample below.
3/20/12
-----------------------------------------
To be honest, not much happens here. Nothing to look at, move along folks.
Just more hooking up between survivors, characters you barely had a chance to get to know getting eaten, characters you like being killed out of mercy, and then the final kicker at the end... which you will read for yourself.
Atleast Rick(Robert Kirkman)FINALLY just comes out and says that it isn't about managing the roamers, it's about the people they come in contact with that make the difference. Well, Good for you Robert.... PLEASE, wrap up this series... or take it in a new direction altogether. Enough of the move in to a safe place, all heck breaks loose, kill off some people, and move on.
~~~
I can't believe there is 'to be continued' at the end...
Does anyone have a clue when this will end? I'm praying for a happy ending, 'cuz it really couldn't get worse.
April 2, 2016
This Volume was so shocking and the ending is mind blowing so i won't spoiler it but one of the best volumes in the walking dead , it contains everything u hoping for after many slow actions in the last episodes and it was so so dark :( idk if Robert Kirkman so dark or thinks that is life :(
May 27, 2014
This bleedin’ colony…
Rick and co. are so cosy in their walled-in compound that the story has become about the various characters hooking up, like a post-zombie apocalypse Big Brother – argh, true horror! Thankfully Robert Kirkman stirs the pot a bit by throwing a massive zombie herd at them which manages to breach their walls and kill off a bunch of the survivors.
There isn’t much to say about the first two-thirds of this volume – Rick gets some, other characters get laid, everyone spins their wheels – but the final third saves this volume from being a total waste. If you’re like me and find the paper-thin characters’ dying off hilarious, you’ll be chuckling quite a bit in this one!
It says a lot about Kirkman’s shoddy character work that I didn’t care while watching one after another die gruesomely and found the earnestness with which the other characters’ reacted to their deaths be funny rather than tragic. I know that makes me sound a little crazy but I just don’t buy half of these characters as even halfway real so it’s not like seeing people I care about dying. Oh, and the arm-chopping in this book felt more slapstick than anything else too – great comic timing, Charlie Adlard!
That said, a character who’s been here from the start gets killed and I still laughed – maybe because of the double splash page over-announcing its importance and the way the character looked when they got it? Either way there’s no way the character lives after that injury and if they do I’ll be seriously annoyed – I didn’t like them much anyway!
This volume raises a lot of questions about the zombies themselves.
These zombies move slowly right - they’re not like the rage zombies from 28 Days Later, sprinting towards you? They shuffle forward in droves. So why, when it comes to running away from them, does Maggie say that she can’t do it? Why can’t Maggie outrun a bunch of shuffling, braindead corpses? They can’t run, you can – what’s the problem? Even a light jog seems sufficient to put distance between you and them, so you don’t tire yourself out too soon. Plot hole?
And why does it take this long for Rick to realise that the survivors don’t have to cower before the ranks of the zombies, that they can raise an army and fight them back? It’s taken him 14 volumes to realise that he and others like him, with their wits about them and all the weaponry they could ask for, could perhaps stand up to unarmed, shuffling corpses who can’t think! Michonne was doing this by herself before she joined the group – how thick is everyone in this world?!
Like the Kevin Costner movie of the same name, No Way Out is a really dull and repetitive volume in this increasingly stale series. The group finding this safe colony was by far the worst thing to happen to the story and we’re seemingly stuck with it for now. I really hope the series improves from here on out but until they have this sanctuary taken from them, I’m not sure how it will.
Rick and co. are so cosy in their walled-in compound that the story has become about the various characters hooking up, like a post-zombie apocalypse Big Brother – argh, true horror! Thankfully Robert Kirkman stirs the pot a bit by throwing a massive zombie herd at them which manages to breach their walls and kill off a bunch of the survivors.
There isn’t much to say about the first two-thirds of this volume – Rick gets some, other characters get laid, everyone spins their wheels – but the final third saves this volume from being a total waste. If you’re like me and find the paper-thin characters’ dying off hilarious, you’ll be chuckling quite a bit in this one!
It says a lot about Kirkman’s shoddy character work that I didn’t care while watching one after another die gruesomely and found the earnestness with which the other characters’ reacted to their deaths be funny rather than tragic. I know that makes me sound a little crazy but I just don’t buy half of these characters as even halfway real so it’s not like seeing people I care about dying. Oh, and the arm-chopping in this book felt more slapstick than anything else too – great comic timing, Charlie Adlard!
That said, a character who’s been here from the start gets killed and I still laughed – maybe because of the double splash page over-announcing its importance and the way the character looked when they got it? Either way there’s no way the character lives after that injury and if they do I’ll be seriously annoyed – I didn’t like them much anyway!
This volume raises a lot of questions about the zombies themselves.
These zombies move slowly right - they’re not like the rage zombies from 28 Days Later, sprinting towards you? They shuffle forward in droves. So why, when it comes to running away from them, does Maggie say that she can’t do it? Why can’t Maggie outrun a bunch of shuffling, braindead corpses? They can’t run, you can – what’s the problem? Even a light jog seems sufficient to put distance between you and them, so you don’t tire yourself out too soon. Plot hole?
And why does it take this long for Rick to realise that the survivors don’t have to cower before the ranks of the zombies, that they can raise an army and fight them back? It’s taken him 14 volumes to realise that he and others like him, with their wits about them and all the weaponry they could ask for, could perhaps stand up to unarmed, shuffling corpses who can’t think! Michonne was doing this by herself before she joined the group – how thick is everyone in this world?!
Like the Kevin Costner movie of the same name, No Way Out is a really dull and repetitive volume in this increasingly stale series. The group finding this safe colony was by far the worst thing to happen to the story and we’re seemingly stuck with it for now. I really hope the series improves from here on out but until they have this sanctuary taken from them, I’m not sure how it will.
June 15, 2018
It’s happening: The Walking Dead is losing me. It’s not the ups and downs that have tired me out, but the consistent steadiness of storytelling. Each volume brings a few changes in this post-apocalyptic world, but on the large scale, nothing is … happening.
We get more of Rick and his people realizing that they might not be as safe as they thought they’d be in Alexandria, and every issue they had felt familiar from previous storylines. It’s the last third that finally brought some excitement back to the series, and it ended with enough of a cliffhanger to make me read on, despite my fading interest.
This episode did make clear how numb our bunch of survivors have become. They have lost so many people, made so many hard decisions, that they have lost a lot of compassion and empathy that one might argue makes us all human. It’s about survival and saving the ones that matter most to you.
We get more of Rick and his people realizing that they might not be as safe as they thought they’d be in Alexandria, and every issue they had felt familiar from previous storylines. It’s the last third that finally brought some excitement back to the series, and it ended with enough of a cliffhanger to make me read on, despite my fading interest.
This episode did make clear how numb our bunch of survivors have become. They have lost so many people, made so many hard decisions, that they have lost a lot of compassion and empathy that one might argue makes us all human. It’s about survival and saving the ones that matter most to you.
August 22, 2016
Holy shit! I have officially caught up to where they are on the show right now (Season 6, Episode 8) and oh my gosh! It's just so intense. This volume was action packed and several characters were killed and alksdlakjs. I can't rally talk about it without giving spoiler so...
SPOILERS BELOW
So Morgan got bit on hi arm and Michonne immediately uses her sword to cut off his arm but it's too late. He gets the fever and he eventually dies. I was shocked by this because he hasn't died yet in the show and I love Morgan's character so it was sad. Then, the walkers take over Alexandria and it was so intense and epic just like the show! The last episode of the show ended with Rick and his group using the walkers blood on their poncho and walking through the herd of zombies, and then Sam calling his Mom's name! in this volume we see all the shit that goes down because of this. Sam gets attacked and eaten by walkers, Jessie won't let go of his hand and so she goes down with him. Then, she won't let go of Carl's hand and Rick is forced to chop off Jessie's hand in order to save Carl. It was so crazy and intense. Also, Carl got shot in the eye! It was crazy and it happened so fast I couldn't see exactly what happened. Carl is rushed to the doctor but Rick and the group were able to get rid of the rest of the walkers. This is when Rick realizes that the real threat isn't the zombie anymore, but the people who are alive. You know, fight the dead fear the living type of shit. I really loved this volume. I'm so curious to see what happens now that I'm ahead of the show.
SPOILERS BELOW
So Morgan got bit on hi arm and Michonne immediately uses her sword to cut off his arm but it's too late. He gets the fever and he eventually dies. I was shocked by this because he hasn't died yet in the show and I love Morgan's character so it was sad. Then, the walkers take over Alexandria and it was so intense and epic just like the show! The last episode of the show ended with Rick and his group using the walkers blood on their poncho and walking through the herd of zombies, and then Sam calling his Mom's name! in this volume we see all the shit that goes down because of this. Sam gets attacked and eaten by walkers, Jessie won't let go of his hand and so she goes down with him. Then, she won't let go of Carl's hand and Rick is forced to chop off Jessie's hand in order to save Carl. It was so crazy and intense. Also, Carl got shot in the eye! It was crazy and it happened so fast I couldn't see exactly what happened. Carl is rushed to the doctor but Rick and the group were able to get rid of the rest of the walkers. This is when Rick realizes that the real threat isn't the zombie anymore, but the people who are alive. You know, fight the dead fear the living type of shit. I really loved this volume. I'm so curious to see what happens now that I'm ahead of the show.
January 9, 2016
Rick and his new community are in terrible danger when a herd of roamers take down a section of what was thought to be sturdy wall. Just when they thought they had found a tiny modicum of security, everything begins to fall apart. This herd is one of the biggest threats that they have faced in a long time, and not everyone will make it out unscathed.
This volume is truly gut wrenching, but I couldn't look away. If you thought the previous volume was intense you're in for quite a ride here. After having watched the fifth season of the tv adaptation, I had almost forgotten just how young Carl is here. He's eight rather than the fifteen or so that he is in the show. Needless to say that by the end of this volume I reacted something like this:
At least Rick had quite the opportunity to make an excellent speech regarding hope.
This volume is truly gut wrenching, but I couldn't look away. If you thought the previous volume was intense you're in for quite a ride here. After having watched the fifth season of the tv adaptation, I had almost forgotten just how young Carl is here. He's eight rather than the fifteen or so that he is in the show. Needless to say that by the end of this volume I reacted something like this:
At least Rick had quite the opportunity to make an excellent speech regarding hope.
February 17, 2016
Such an improvement from Volume 13. A much faster pace and things actually happen. This one finishes off where the latest episode of the show did (as of February 15th) and I'm glad to see there were very few changes.
February 6, 2021
Still in Alexandria, the one with The Herd. And Winter Is Coming!
The last volume with our motley crew settling into life in Alexandria was pretty meh for me. I could not work up any real interest in the storyline of that volume.
In this and the previous one I occasionally had a hard time recognizing Rick. Sometimes he seemed to look different on every page. Or, in some cases, it was someone different and I just didn‘t get it.
Well, Vol. 14 has a lot more suspense and action than Vol. 13, simply because of the added danger of the herd surrounding Alexandria.
The tension just ramps up and up and up. In the last third something shocking happens and the action really explodes. Holy crayola! Unputdownable! Nail-biting! I was screaming inside throughout the whole thing! Flipping heck.
Hulk Smash! Belief in humanity restored. There is hope! Well, in fiction anyway. What a ride. Some great two-page spreads! All the stars!
My favourite character in this: Abraham
Most annoying character: Morgan
Wow! Onwards to Vol. 15...
The last volume with our motley crew settling into life in Alexandria was pretty meh for me. I could not work up any real interest in the storyline of that volume.
In this and the previous one I occasionally had a hard time recognizing Rick. Sometimes he seemed to look different on every page. Or, in some cases, it was someone different and I just didn‘t get it.
Well, Vol. 14 has a lot more suspense and action than Vol. 13, simply because of the added danger of the herd surrounding Alexandria.
The tension just ramps up and up and up. In the last third something shocking happens and the action really explodes. Holy crayola! Unputdownable! Nail-biting! I was screaming inside throughout the whole thing! Flipping heck.
Hulk Smash! Belief in humanity restored. There is hope! Well, in fiction anyway. What a ride. Some great two-page spreads! All the stars!
My favourite character in this: Abraham
Most annoying character: Morgan
Wow! Onwards to Vol. 15...
Read
June 2, 2018If I was rating these things this one would get the highest score so far. Some of my favourite moments from the show! 😍🧟♂️
August 12, 2014
Bullet Review:
I was actually rather liking this - all the way up until a major character is attacked. And then the rage monitor goes off.
Can Rick Grimes become any MORE of a Marty Stu? How much more angst can this guy bear - all the while other characters get shoved into the background and forgotten? We barely see any other characters at this point, it's all Rick Marty Stu Grimes and his Eternal Angst. What about Michonne? What about Andrea? What about Eugene? What about Abraham? Actually, what happened to the women in this series? We used to have Patricia, Lori, Carol, etc. but all the women keep dying and no one is replacing them. And when some attempt to join, they are popped off to suit Rick Marty Stu Grimes.
What makes it worse, I think is how STUPID Rick's decision was. Yes, let's try to run away while zombies are literally SWARMING the commune! That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all - NOT! Sad, because it takes this stupid idea to make Rick Marty Stu FINALLY come up with the smart idea - why not just go all Tyreese on the zombies and hack them up?!
This one has made me the most frustrated/infuriated since the Massive Compendium I finished a while back. However, I still have 4 more volumes from my coworker and more than ever, I want to see what happens next.
I was actually rather liking this - all the way up until a major character is attacked. And then the rage monitor goes off.
Can Rick Grimes become any MORE of a Marty Stu? How much more angst can this guy bear - all the while other characters get shoved into the background and forgotten? We barely see any other characters at this point, it's all Rick Marty Stu Grimes and his Eternal Angst. What about Michonne? What about Andrea? What about Eugene? What about Abraham? Actually, what happened to the women in this series? We used to have Patricia, Lori, Carol, etc. but all the women keep dying and no one is replacing them. And when some attempt to join, they are popped off to suit Rick Marty Stu Grimes.
What makes it worse, I think is how STUPID Rick's decision was. Yes, let's try to run away while zombies are literally SWARMING the commune! That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all - NOT! Sad, because it takes this stupid idea to make Rick Marty Stu FINALLY come up with the smart idea - why not just go all Tyreese on the zombies and hack them up?!
This one has made me the most frustrated/infuriated since the Massive Compendium I finished a while back. However, I still have 4 more volumes from my coworker and more than ever, I want to see what happens next.
November 3, 2016
A bit better than the previous book, although filled with some weird-ass decisions made by most of the main characters. And of course, that Carl moment — just no. No way. And it seems like the community is here to stay, so that's not good news. Anyway, moving on to the next one.
February 5, 2017
Este volumen me ha gustado especialmente. Ha estado repleto de acción y de reflexiones sobre como quieren el futuro y la necesidad de trabajar juntos.
April 5, 2023
2.5
I mean, it’s fine, but I just like the characters so much more in the show. Like I feel like they are so flat in the comics.
I mean, it’s fine, but I just like the characters so much more in the show. Like I feel like they are so flat in the comics.
August 24, 2021
I really like No Way Out, but I can't give it 5 stars because I don't really like how (SPOILERS) Morgan was just killed off like that. In the show he had a far more important role, and I was expecting something similar here. I feel like this was a waste of a character. Not to mention the fact he never even had a final meaningful conversation with Rick. That was just kinda lame. Other than that this issue is a classic.
March 31, 2017
A zombie herd threatens the Safe Zone. Strangely, the storyline seems to drag at times, unlike the TV show which handled this arc more briskly. The end was surprisingly optimistic, so of course we know it's about to get a lot worse.
February 7, 2017
A much more exciting story in this one! The show took this storyline and put it right in the show. There were two things that were different that I liked better in the show but this was still a good Volume.
December 12, 2018
I really liked this one. I liked the TV episode too. I loved how everyone joined together and fought for Alexandria to repel the dead. I love the moment when Rick sees hope for the first time since everything started.
January 9, 2024
One of my favorites!!
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