Well, I guess It’s time to talk about the newest volume in The Walking Dead comic book series. It’s been about two years since the end of the war with Negan with him now encased in a jail cell in a basement, he seems to be no longer a threat to any of the other neighboring systems. Now, all parties can begin to rebuild for a better future (hence the name “A New Beginning”).

I really like where this is going as we pick up things with things as normal as they possibly can be. Carl wants to make weapons as a blacksmith at the Hilltop and Rick is debating it as he should. I thought it was the right idea as there are people still there to watch him, but if Carl is still alive after all the stuff he’s been through then this should be one of the easier things he has to do in his life, I enjoy seeing Maggie as a more authoritative person because of her experiences and it looks much more like she stands beside Rick as a leader and not behind him. Even Rick notices this when he says “I believe in Maggie Greene”.

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a new group of people with such of the focus being on the war but now that that’s over we see another group led by a woman Named Magna. They eventually become apart of the Alexandria community but that doesn’t stop them or Magna from being Leery of their surroundings. Magna seems very similar to Rick in a lot of ways. From checking out the entire compound to finding Negan and not falling for his stories and even breaking in  Andrea’s home to interrogate her for the sake of herself and her crew, these would have all been moves Rick would (and did) make at one point or another.

The biggest thing by far has been what was thought of as talking zombies which turned out to be a group of people who wear the skin of zombies as active camouflage to move freely about. I actually thought they would go for the angle of actually giving the zombies some sort of humanity to which I would have not been a fan and just see it as grasping at straws (although it surprised the heck out of me when it first happened). I am much more happy with the actual result as it is something not touched or alluded to before and is something I would have never really thought of (guess that’s why I don’t write comic books), but is something i wanna see play out. The revelation blew my mind in a way that the series hasn’t in quite some time and opens a world up to new possibilities for story angles.

Verdict: I’m alright with another angle of Rick and the gang going against another group as I feel the angle hasn’t gotten old yet. The way it is written each time whether it be the Governor, the cannibals, or Negan is all different and presents deeper stories and challenges all types of ideologies and ways to survive. In the end that is what this world is about and it’s Rick’s job to show that survival is easier when you work together than when you work against each other. I don’t know how much longer Rick can last the way he is now, but he has been amazing thus far and through everything he has been an inspiration in a way nobody in that world thought someone could be. This will be a different challenge all together and even though he and the others will have their work cut out for them I think they’ve got enough to succeed. In some way much like it’s television counterpart this new arc could be a return to the glory days in the eyes of many (don’t count me among the many, I’ve always love TWD). It’s got potential and I certainly look forward to the coming issues now more than ever.

 The Walking Dead Vol 22: A New Beginning gets a 5 out of 5

+ New group members like Magna make for endless possibilities

+ Potential for the return of Negan

+ Great plot twist to set up the upcoming story arc

+ Original intro for new adversaries of this arc