Written by Robert Kirkman
Pencilled by Ryan Ottley & Cory Walker
Inked by Cliff Rathburn & Cory Walker
Colored by John Rauch
Lettered by Ross Wooton
The big reveal… and the end?
So this issue starts right off from where we left off in issue #94, and then reverts quickly to a flashback detailing the genesis of the latest Flaxan threat. Something I enjoy seeing about this book is the use of two different artists to tell about two different but related stories, similar to Snyder’s use of Jock and Francavilla in Detective Comics. Walker’s art was designed to present a backstory or a backup story for Invincible but as the story developed and the threat intensified Walker’s art began to bleed into the main story to match the rising tension. It also helps give Ottley a break, potentially to rest up for the climb from issues #96 to #100.
I am still not convinced that the Flaxan invasion sets off the, “Death of Everyone,” arc but the closer it gets to #100 the more likely it seems. The counter argument would be that Conquest appears pretty much directly, and I mean during the same issue, after the resolution of a huge Angstrom Levy attack featuring 100’s of evil alternative universe Invincibles. Conquest was worse than 100’s of evil Invincibles. I could ramble about theories about the type of conflict that might come out of, “Death of Everyone,” but it’s really just speculation till the arc goes full tilt.
The story… wow… just wow… At this point I am picturing Kirkman in his creative area with some sort of scenario mishap table chucking dice to find the most seemingly unlikely but plausible plot devices, reveals, and explanations imaginable. Honestly, who saw the ending of The Walking Dead #100 coming? Seriously? The upside is that you’re not left in that mood when we get a nice pep talk from Brit to help close the issue and rally the troops for a counterattack. Kind of unusual for Kirkman to end on a positive note, being that he’s the king of leaving readers so mortified they have a complusion to continue the story to see if everything will get better. Makes me wonder just how bad this situation will get.
The Verdict
Go on and buy it! If Kirkman has taught us one thing during his tenure with Invincible it’s that you’re always rewarded for knowing more and reading more. I feel this lesson couldn’t be emphazed more for #100. Even if the crisis has nothing to do with the Flaxans, the knowledge of where things are going into, “Death of Everyone,” will be critical.
P.S.- Anybody think it’s maybe a little unusual that, “Death of Everyone,” and “Death of the Family,” are so close together?
