The Walking Dead comic issue 156 review: Queen and King

Another issue of The Walking Dead was released, this one being #156 titled ‘Queen and King’. But was the issue good, bad, or just comic book filler?

Issues like ‘Queen and King’ are the reason why there should be support groups for comic book readers of The Walking Dead. While AMC television shows get Chris Hardwick and others to break it all down and help get emotions under control, comic book fans don’t quite have that option.

With Negan going to The Whisperers and meeting up with Alpha, just about anything could happen. Will they accept him as one of their own? Is he just gaining intel? How much damage could they do as a team?

If you haven’t yet read issue #156 of The Walking Dead, it is highly suggested you do that now, as this review will discuss the major points of the issue.

***WARNING: Issue 156 spoilers below***

While seeing a pairing of Negan and Alpha would have been a huge threat to every other nearby settlement, it was never going to work out. While they are both powerful leaders, their styles and beliefs just didn’t allow that team to work.

However, that didn’t mean what happened this issue was inevitable. Negan slicing Alpha’s throat and then cutting off her head to bring it to Rick should create a major shockwave throughout the communities for several reasons.

First, this means Negan will have done something Rick couldn’t do. The people of Alexandria, The Hilltop, The Kingdom, and even The Sanctuary will see this move and think of it as a major display of power and dedication to them.

Alpha and Negan – The Walking Dead, Image Comics and Skybound /

Negan knows this, as Rick has vented to him about his struggles as a leader and has every opportunity to use that information against him when he returns with his trophy. There is also the chance that Negan will just want to live a non-caged life in Alexandria, but with The Sanctuary looking for leadership, it could be a natural fit for Negan to slide back in there.

That’s a dangerous situation as well. Negan, reunited with his men and being able to rebuild what he had could be a huge mistake if they can return to the levels of power they once had. With so many possible outcomes of what could happen in this situation, it makes every upcoming issue of the series a must-read.

Now that the major event of the issue is discussed, there are a couple of littler things going on that are noteworthy.

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Specifically, it appears as though Beta will be the man in charge of The Whisperers now and he seems even less trusting and more brutal than Alpha ever was. Could this rally their troops and make them fight even harder? Or will Alpha’s fall crush the group and send them into disarray?

Finally, there are the great panels where Negan was fighting two men attempting to sexually assault a woman on The Whisperers compound. To see this kind of humanity in Negan is something that helps make him a fan favorite. While reading the pages, it was hard not to cheer for the big bad when he was doing the right thing.

Overall, this was another amazing issue of The Walking Dead that ran the rollercoaster of emotions. There was funny stuff, emotional things, and, of course, blood and death. This will be one of the issues that fans of Negan will absolutely cherish for many, many years.

Next: Who did Negan kill? Check out the odds here!

“The Whisperer War: Part 1 of 6” is the title of issue #157 of The Walking Dead. It is slated for release on August 3rd, 2016. It should have more killing, or at least preparing for killing, within its pages and set up a huge showdown between The Whisperers and everyone else.

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