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Heavy hangs the head.

Unknown Binding

Published April 6, 2016

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About the author

Robert Kirkman

2,712 books7,199 followers
Robert 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.

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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Sofia.
217 reviews
April 18, 2018
¡Mucho mejor! Negan me fascina, en este momento no sabía que pensar... me sorprende siempre.
Profile Image for Artrix.
121 reviews14 followers
August 30, 2024
Negan siendo Negan, no entiendo como hay gente que confía en él, son imbéciles
July 20, 2026
After the shocking ending of the previous issue where Negan escaped with Brandon's help, I immediately felt a sense of dread because there are simply too many dangerous possibilities that could come from his freedom. Negan is unpredictable, manipulative, and incredibly intelligent, making him one of the most dangerous people still alive despite spending years locked behind bars. Whether he planned to return to the Sanctuary, rally the remaining Saviors, or seek out the Whisperers, none of those outcomes would be good for Rick's communities. The timing couldn't have been worse either. Alexandria is already struggling with fear, grief, and internal division after the massacre at the fair, and the last thing they need is Negan moving freely while everyone is still trying to recover. I went into this issue expecting more tension than action, but I was still eager to see where Robert Kirkman intended to take Negan's character now that he was finally outside his prison cell.

The issue begins immediately after Negan's escape is discovered. Paula rushes toward Alexandria's gate where Siddiq and Annie are standing guard. She refuses to explain why she is in such a hurry and simply tells them to wait until Rick arrives. Moments later Rick and Michonne reach the gate, quickly piecing together what happened. Since Maggie and the Hilltop residents had only recently departed, Rick concludes that Negan most likely slipped out with their group before separating from them. It is an unsettling realization because it means Negan already has a considerable head start.

Meanwhile, on the road toward the Hilltop, Dante escorts Maggie and the others as they travel home. Unknown to them, Brandon follows from a distance beneath a cloak before quietly slipping into the nearby woods where Negan is waiting. Brandon provides Negan with a fresh set of clothes to help disguise him, but the conversation quickly becomes heated. Brandon continues explaining his reckless plan while Negan becomes visibly irritated, shoving him and ordering him to simply lead the way toward the Whisperers' territory.

Back in Alexandria, Rick meets with Michonne and Aaron to discuss what Negan's next move could be. Aaron believes the smartest thing Negan could do would be to disappear forever, but Rick knows Negan too well. He believes Negan's pride and personality would never allow him to simply vanish. Rick fears that Negan's true objective is to destroy everything they have built over the past several years. Convinced that Negan is likely heading toward Alpha and the Whisperers, Aaron and Michonne volunteer to track him down before he reaches them.

Away from all the chaos, Eugene continues communicating through the radio with the mysterious woman named Stephanie. Their conversations have become noticeably more relaxed as trust slowly develops between them. Stephanie talks about her journey from Texas while Eugene carefully avoids revealing Alexandria's exact location. It is one of the few genuinely hopeful moments in the issue, suggesting that there may actually be other organized communities beyond the ones Rick already knows about. However, their conversation is abruptly interrupted by the sound of a gunshot echoing through Alexandria.

The gunshot reveals another consequence of the fear that has consumed the communities. Marco has been accidentally shot in the leg by a frightened resident named Paul, who mistakenly believed Marco was a Whisperer infiltrating Alexandria because he did not recognize him. Jesus quickly disarms Paul while Eugene rushes Marco to receive medical treatment. Paul is left horrified by what he has done, realizing that his fear almost cost an innocent man's life.

Elsewhere, Dwight continues training Alexandria's newly formed militia. During one exercise, Gabriel nearly gets bitten by a walker, but Dwight reacts immediately and saves him before the situation spirals out of control. The scene reinforces just how capable Dwight has become as both a soldier and instructor. His battlefield awareness is something few others possess, making him one of Rick's most valuable allies despite his constant doubts about himself.

Later, Laura notices Dwight carrying Lucille and asks why he still keeps Negan's infamous bat. Dwight explains that Lucille represents everything he suffered under Negan's rule: oppression, fear, abuse, and control. Instead of allowing someone else to reclaim it as a symbol of power, Dwight wants to redefine what it stands for. Rather than representing tyranny, he hopes it can eventually symbolize survival, resistance, and freedom from Negan's legacy. It is a surprisingly thoughtful moment that highlights how much Dwight has grown since his Savior days.

At Alexandria, Magna's group finds itself divided over the militia. Connie and Kelly express uncertainty about staying and participating in the coming conflict, while Magna and Yumiko firmly state that they are committed to standing with Alexandria. Magna reminds them that Luke died because of the Whisperers, and that defending the community is not just about revenge but about making sure no one else suffers the same fate.

Rick later questions Paul about the accidental shooting. Paul breaks down, admitting that after Alpha infiltrated the fair and murdered so many people, he panicked when he saw an unfamiliar face. He genuinely believed he was protecting everyone. Rick walks away without giving an immediate punishment, realizing that Alpha's greatest weapon has become fear itself. The Whisperers have already begun tearing the communities apart without launching another attack.

Meanwhile, Michonne and Aaron continue tracking Negan's trail and eventually confirm that he is indeed heading toward the Whisperers' border.

The issue concludes with one of the most unexpected moments so far. Negan and Brandon finally arrive at the line of pikes marking Alpha's territory. Brandon begins crying as he remembers his mother Tammy, whose severed head was displayed there. He admits that his entire plan was to manipulate both Rick and Alpha into destroying one another. Negan initially comforts him with a sympathetic hug, making it seem like he understands Brandon's grief. Then, without warning, Negan plunges a knife into Brandon's chest, killing him instantly. As Brandon collapses, Negan coldly explains that provoking a war between Rick and Alpha was Brandon's plan—not his. Leaving Brandon's body behind, Negan walks alone across the Whisperers' border.

This issue perfectly demonstrates how fear can become even more dangerous than the walkers themselves. Ever since Alpha massacred twelve innocent people at the fair, everyone has been operating under constant paranoia. Paul's accidental shooting of Marco illustrates exactly what Rick has been warning everyone about. Alpha may not physically be inside Alexandria anymore, but psychologically she is everywhere. People are suspicious of strangers, emotions are running high, and rational thinking is slowly being replaced by panic. The Whisperers have already achieved part of their goal by making the communities fear one another.

I continue to be impressed by Dwight's development throughout this storyline. Watching him lead the militia made me realize that military leadership genuinely suits him. Unlike Negan, Dwight doesn't command through intimidation or cruelty. He teaches, protects, and corrects mistakes before they become tragedies. The scene where he saves Gabriel during training was another reminder that experience often matters more than confidence. Dwight may constantly doubt himself, but his actions prove he deserves Rick's trust.

The disagreement among Magna's group was another interesting moment because it showed that not everyone processes grief in the same way. I personally sided with Magna and Yumiko. Luke was murdered by the Whisperers, and while revenge alone should never be the goal, preparing to defend themselves absolutely is. Alexandria isn't creating a militia because they enjoy violence—they're doing it because the Whisperers have already proven they can strike without warning. Sitting around and hoping nothing else happens simply isn't an option anymore.

Brandon somehow managed to become even more frustrating than before. Instead of learning from his father's mistakes, he allowed his hatred and anger to consume him until he made one reckless decision after another. Freeing Negan was probably one of the dumbest choices anyone could have made at this point in the story. Ironically, Brandon spent all this time believing he understood Negan, when in reality he understood absolutely nothing about him. He thought Negan would blindly follow his revenge fantasy, but Negan immediately saw through him. I honestly wasn't surprised when Negan killed him. Brandon had outlived whatever purpose he served, and Negan has never been the type to tolerate people he considers weak, annoying, or expendable. As harsh as it sounds, Brandon's death felt like the inevitable consequence of his own terrible decisions.

The biggest mystery now is Negan himself. His final words completely changed my expectations. For several issues I assumed he intended to betray Rick and ally himself with Alpha, but now I'm no longer convinced. By rejecting Brandon's plan, it feels like Negan has his own agenda—one that neither Rick nor Alpha fully understands yet. That's what makes his character so compelling. Even after years behind bars, he remains impossible to predict. Every time I think I've figured out what he's going to do next, he does something completely different.

Overall, Issue #153 is another outstanding chapter that focuses less on large-scale action and more on the psychological effects of trauma, fear, and leadership. Every storyline continues to build toward something much bigger, whether it's Eugene's mysterious radio contact, Dwight's growing role in the militia, the unrest within Alexandria, or Negan's journey into Whisperer territory. The pacing is slower than some of the previous issues, but every scene serves an important purpose. By the time I reached the final page, I wasn't excited because of a massive cliffhanger—I was excited because I genuinely had no idea what Negan was planning anymore, and that uncertainty made me eager to dive straight into the next issue.



Profile Image for Michael Sorbello.
Author 2 books329 followers
November 19, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.

Rick Grimes is a strong-willed deputy who missed the end of the world because he was in a coma for a month after getting shot in the line of duty. Shaken, starving and confused, Rick escapes the horror of the abandoned hospital only to be met with something far more terrible. Not only has the world ended, but the dead have learned to walk and to kill without mercy. After learning that his wife and son have fled to Atlanta from a single survivor and his son, Rick goes on a journey to reunite with his family and search for more survivors.

Rick quickly has to come to terms with the fact that the world has ended and only a select few survived. The dead have risen from their graves and they prey on the living. In a world where every minute feels like hours, where there's no such thing as law and order, where finding a small meal is a tremendous task, the walking dead are quite possibly the least threatening thing for the survivors to have on their breaking minds. Humanity is pushed to the brink of destruction, forcing them to embrace their cruel and primal nature in order to survive. Sometimes you have to be more concerned about who you let into your community so they don't kill you in your sleep and steal everything you once cared about. Rick has no choice but to abandon the ways of law and order that he's upheld as an officer for so long in order to protect the few loved ones he has left. He has to become a monster to protect his crew or risk being devoured by those who became more monstrous than him and even the walking dead.

Despite zombies running the world and having the series named after them, what really sets this series apart from the average zombie apocalypse tale is the focus on realism and the daily struggles, flaws and depth of the characters. There's plenty of badass zombie killing action, but the action often takes a back seat to give the characters plenty of times to share their extremely tragic yet endearing stories, grow through mutual suffering and learn to adapt to a world that has left them to die. Even after the world has ended, many people still can't see eye to eye. They turn on each other and kill each other when they should come together. Others form alliances in spite of their differences and try to rebuild over the corpse of everything that was lost. The daily human drama and conflict is more intense than any monster apocalypse could hope to be.

We watch Rick struggle to balance his old moral code with the many necessary evils he has to commit in order to survive and make the world a better place for the ones he holds close. We watch people like Glen, Dale and Maggie attempt to find love in spite of having every reason to be filled with fear, hate and self-loathing. Characters like Michonne have to learn how to forgive themselves and convince themselves they deserve to be loved despite all the blood on their hands. We watch the weak like Carl and Andrea become strong and sometimes the strong become evil like The Governor. Even monsters like the wicked yet oddly lovable Negan are given the chance to find new ways of redeeming themselves by struggling alongside the other survivors that have all been changed by the horrors of the fallen world.

The pacing is extremely slow and I can understand why that may be a turnoff for a lot of people, but I eventually learned to enjoy watching the characters grow, overcome their trauma, find meaning in life and learn to love again. The characters are forced to do many terrible things to survive and it haunts them every waking moment. The ways they overcome these regrets is very realistic, human and hopeful. The slow pacing really gives the feeling that we're living beside these people. The way every tiny detail of their lives and who they are is explored makes them feel very real and believable.

When I first started reading the series, I wasn't expecting it to have such an uplifting ending. It seemed so bleak and nihilistic for a long time and things would go horribly wrong even when they seemed to be going so well, but the finale channels all the pain, suffering and betrayal of the previous volumes and tops it off with a very touching and inspiring finish. This was never a story about hopelessness. It's about learning to appreciate the little things, learning to forgive yourself and learning to move on even when it's hard. When everything seems lost there's always more to be found, even when we believe otherwise because we convince ourselves that we don't deserve to be happy ever again. Instead of dwelling on what was lost, strive to try and make things better than they were before.

I've never been a huge fan of zombie apocalypse stories, but The Walking Dead had enough heart and strong social commentary to make me stick by the characters until the end and I enjoyed every moment of their long trial.

***

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Profile Image for Laina.
237 reviews2 followers
May 28, 2016
Oh shit, if what Rick's saying is true, then Negan got out of Alexandria and left with Maggie's group of people from the Hiltop. That means he probably killed a bunch, if not all of them.

Why the hell is Dante in charge? I thought Maggie was the one in charge of the Hiltop community and everything. I don't think I like the idea of Dante being in charge.

Brandon's still with with Negan? If it is, I'm sure he's about to kill him. Negan used him to get out of the jail and away from Alexandria, and now he's going to get rid of him.

Why is Brandon so gung-ho on helping Negan find the Whisperers, and take Rick out? I get that Rick pissed him off, but the kid is acting like a spoiled brat.

I'm so glad that Rick, Michonne and Aaron are so close, and that Rick can trust them to help him try and get Negan back, before he spills their plans to the Whisperers.

I still don't like that Eugene's on that radio talking to people. I keep getting the feeling that he's going to slip up and say something to give away their location.

Oh shit, I wonder who got shot while Eugene was talking to that random person over the radio. Well, Marco's back. I'm not so sure that's a good thing, but we'll see.

Oh shit, look at that group getting attacked by both zombies and some of the Whisperers. Well, I'm glad that none of the group died. Yuck, Dwight's still carrying around Lucille. I wish they would just get rid of that bat.

I KNEW that someone from Magna's group was going to get their fucking panties in a twist over the way Rick runs things in Alexandria. I hope that if they get the crazy idea to try to attack Alexandria or Rick, they get killed before anything happens.

I get that the guy was scared. He has reason to be. But he doesn't need to be running around shooting people. Not unless Rick, Michonne, or Andrea give him the go ahead.

Oh okay, so Brandon's still with Negan. And yes, I have a feeling Negan's going to have to kill him soon. The kid is useless and more of a liability than he's worth.

I was surprised that Negan hugged Brandon, but not at all surprised when Negan killed Brandon. I hate that the pikes are what marks the border.

Also, Negan's about to start some serious shit. I just hope that he gets killed for coming on the Whisperers land. That would teach him not to fuck with people.
Profile Image for Yolanda Sfetsos.
Author 80 books243 followers
April 7, 2016
After yesterday's binge (and catch-up) of this series, I was looking forward to reading the latest issue.

I've had a lot of ups and downs with this new storyline about the Whisperers because it's taking forever to reach the point of no return. But I can finally see it in the horizon.

Rick and Michonne are frantically looking for Negan and realise he's really gone. So Rick sends Michonne and Aaron to track him down. The citizens of Alexandria are reaching the point of paranoia where they start randomly shooting people. Eugene is still chatting on the CB radio. And Negan? Well, he did what Rick should've done.

I can't help but wonder what the MF has planned. Is he going to destroy Alexandria? Or will he surprise everyone and actually be useful--or, gasp, helpful--for once?

Man, I was so close to giving up, but now I have to find out how this is going to turn out...
Profile Image for Vikas.
Author 3 books179 followers
May 15, 2017
In the aftermath of Negan's escape Rick plans the next steps while Michonne and Aaron who to catch them and here Negan moves towards whisperer's camp with Brandon and that's the end for one. It's no wonder The Walking Dead is a legendary series, it truly deserves all the praise it can get. I love The Walking Dead and it's style. It's wonderful and I love the journey taken with Rick and the group as they roam the wasteland in search of life and stability.

I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
Profile Image for Jonathan Mirus.
96 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2016
The Walking Dead (#153) (2016)

Profile Image for Priya.
107 reviews
April 7, 2016
You got what was coming to you Brandon when you decided to free the beast that is Negan :) This has been one of the best issues of The Walking Dead in a really long time! Negan's out and about, who knows what he plans on doing, and that's what's so exciting!! This is how you do things, hopefully the show can take a hint after that horrible season finale -_-

On a side note, Jeffery Dean Morgan is killing it as Negan :D

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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Steven Shinder.
Author 5 books21 followers
April 7, 2016
I did NOT expect Negan to do that! In that past, he has shown sympathy over a crying Carl, but here he still manages to stab Brandon, a minor. It also looks like we're gradually learning more about the voice on the radio with whom Eugene is speaking. Someone mistakes a Hilltop person for a Whisperer, and Rick seems a bit lost. Dwight uses Lucille, but it does not seem like as big of a deal as I had expected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Will.
16 reviews
April 7, 2016
**All Spoilers**
Negan has a bromance with Rick. Negan escapes to kill for Ricky. Eugene is sad about Rosita's beheading, but he has made radio contact with some other group who wishes to remain anonymous--could be the Frequency movie plot; Negan kills a kid who has been bullying Rick and Carl; Dwight trains an ad hoc military group and sports Lucille.
Profile Image for Carol.
889 reviews32 followers
March 7, 2016
He's back!!
With this weeks episode of the TV show finally showcasing Negan, and cleaning up his language, it's great to see Negan back in the leather and swearing like the fucker he is!
Also, who the hell is Eugene talking to??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for John Keegan.
179 reviews5 followers
April 7, 2016
Now that the predator is out of his cage, the race to find him before he can disrupt the preparation against the Whisperers is on! Meanwhile, paranoia is in the air as Rick must deal with the impression that the survivors' world is on the verge of another collapse.
Profile Image for Dimitris Papastergiou.
2,699 reviews94 followers
April 7, 2016
Ah.. was expecting more. A little bit too short. Just finding out what Negan is up to and talking about it and how are we going to stop him for 20+ pages is NOT enough. But oh well... waiting for the net one.

Really liked every single panel with Negan though!
Profile Image for Kels.
201 reviews2 followers
May 10, 2016
Welp, Negan's back!!!
Profile Image for Joshua.
401 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2016
Negan kills the kid who helped him escape and they allude to Rick having an epiphany that his Silence the Whispers campaign may be more harmful than good.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews