Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
“THE TIP OF THE SPEAR”

33 pages, Unknown Binding

Published June 1, 2016

11 people are currently reading
116 people want to read

About the author

Robert Kirkman

2,779 books6,968 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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
198 (40%)
4 stars
183 (37%)
3 stars
89 (18%)
2 stars
14 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Michael Sorbello.
Author 1 book317 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.

***

My Social Media

My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...

My Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/michael_sor...

My Wattpad Account: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Michael-...

My Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/SorbelloHorror

My Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/michael.sorb...
Profile Image for Erik.
1,122 reviews11 followers
July 8, 2025
Ok I’m sorry I brought vegan burgers to a bbq
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
142 reviews1 follower
March 22, 2020
I still prefer the books to the show even though I enjoy the show a lot.
Profile Image for Artrix.
121 reviews15 followers
August 31, 2024
Alguien dijo guerra? Se viene guerra 😈
Profile Image for Joshua.
384 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2016
Negan back to his classic wise ass self. Michonne is saved by Dwight, former Negan number 2 man, just in time. Aaron might not make it. The drums of war are sounding since Rick's group knowing crossed the border and killed a few Whisperers to save Michonne.
Profile Image for Laina.
237 reviews2 followers
June 17, 2016
Whoo! That was a close one for Michonne and Aaron! I was worried that Beta and the rest of the Whisperers were going to kill them. I'm so glad that Dwight and is group showed up at the last minute.

I don't understand what Dwight meant just now. Did Rick send them after Aaron and Michonne to protect them? Or did Rick just tell them to check the area and they happened to come upon Michonne and Aaron right when they needed it?

I don't like the conversation between Rick and Andrea. I get that Rick's trying to get people to focus on the Whisperers and not on fighting with him, but when all those people find out, they're gonna be pissed.

Also, if Andrea's reaction when she first got back was anything to go by, once Rick tells her that Negan's escaped, she's going to be even MORE pissed off, and worried.

The way Alpha and Negan act around each other is weird. Alpha still acts the same, but yet, flattered. And Negan's definitely got a crush on Alpha. He's acting like a lovesick kid.

I was hoping when Beta flipped out, that Alpha would let him kill Negan. No such luck. And now Negan's talking a hell of a lot, and he's about to give up everything about Rick and Alexandria.

Aww, I hope that Michonne and Aaron make it back in time, and that Aaron doesn't die. I really like the Aaron character and want him to live for a while yet, in the series.

And ugh, of COURSE we have to see Carl and Lydia right after they've had sex. I just really want someone to kill Lydia so we can be done with her. She just makes me more and more suspicious all the time.

Well, I'm glad that Michonne and Aaron made it to the Hiltop. I just hope that they made it in time and that Aaron doesn't die. I hope Doctor Carson can help Aaron.

I'm glad that Dwight explained things to that guy, but really? He shouldn't HAVE to explain. Are these people really THAT stupid? They've crossed the boundary line and now all the Whisperers are going to be gunning for them.
Profile Image for Vikas.
Author 3 books178 followers
March 5, 2020
Michonne and Aaron are saved by the brink by Dwayne and gang and Beta goes to confront Negan. Things are going to get bloody and nasty very soon. 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 Carol.
881 reviews32 followers
June 3, 2016
That was great, classic Negan, back at it again.
I'm hoping you find me panty-drenchingly-rugged-as-fuck handsome. Like...get-me-another-skin-suit-I'm-soaking-through-this-one handsome.

Crude but charming, just the way we love him,
Alpha-please stop that.
Negan- Your mouth says "no," but your eyes say, "Fuck me until your dick breaks off inside me and fuses into some kind of Barbie doll crotch."

and gone too far as usual! If I'd been drinking I would have shot it out through my nose laughing at that one!
Profile Image for John Keegan.
176 reviews5 followers
June 7, 2016
Lines are crossed as the war that has been looming for so long is all but ready to break out, and the stage is set for a bit of a rematch between Rick and Negan. No doubt it will evolve in a very different way, though. Meanwhile, Rick's leadership style is under fire and for good reason. It's still setting things up, but the moment when things cut loose is right around the corner!
Profile Image for Komuniststar.
1,386 reviews35 followers
November 29, 2016
Negan u ovom izdanju mi je dosad najdrazi. Kao vođa bio mi je kopija Guvernera, u zatvoru mi je bio vise kao u frizderu bez prave namjene. Sad dok se probija je fascinantan. Poput morskog psa.
Stvorila se i napetost pred rat, što i naslovnica sugerira.
Profile Image for Stella Dee.
31 reviews
June 2, 2016
Back at it again

Daaamn Daniel! This was a great read as always. I can't wait until October for the new season to begin! I hope we get to learn more about Alpha in the meantime.
Profile Image for Babs.
1,446 reviews
June 11, 2016
War. Negan and his salty language. Damn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Diana.
1,983 reviews309 followers
June 12, 2016
At least things have been spiced up!!!
Profile Image for Tania.
12 reviews
June 16, 2016
Good read!

I liked this issue a lot. One can feel the build up for the coming fight. Negan is as devious as ever!
Profile Image for Michael.
155 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2016
Oh Aaron. Did you make it in time? Negan continues his run of absolutely amazing quotes. War is on!

What side is Negan on? Has he even decided yet?
Profile Image for Steven Shinder.
Author 5 books20 followers
June 4, 2016
Loved Negan's banter with Alpha and Beta. I'm very curious about what he's offering The Whisperers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.