The Walking Dead 157 comic review: The Whisperer War Part 1

The Walking Dead 157 - Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment
The Walking Dead 157 - Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment /
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Was issue 157 of The Walking Dead comic book series titled “The Whisperer War Part 1 of 6” any good or did it miss the mark? Find out with this review.

Released on August 3, 2016, issue 157 of The Walking Dead from Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment continued the crazy story of The Whisperers and their impact on the surrounding communities.

Related Story: What happened in issue 157 of The Walking Dead?

If you haven’t read issue 157, it is highly recommended that either check out the issue or read the recap above so you know what happened in the issue before discussing the good and bad things from “The Whisperer War Part 1 of 6”

***WARNING: The Walking Dead 157 spoilers below***

So, this issue of The Walking Dead was basically to set two things in motion.

The first thing of note is that the war between The Whisperers and the other surrounding communities. With Beta finding the dead body of Alpha and Gabriel spotting the army of undead approaching, war will be happening at any moment.

The Walking Dead 157 - Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment
The Walking Dead 157 – Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment /

The other big takeaway is that Negan appears to be playing nice with Rick. Whether or not Negan can actually be trusted to be a functioning member of a group rather than a leader has yet to be seen, but it is interesting that Rick is willing to give him that chance after everything he’s done to other survivors in the past.

More importantly, how will Dwight handle being Rick’s eyes on Negan? Dwight wanted to shoot him on sight when Negan approached Alexandria, so who is to say that he will show more patience now that Rick has trusted him with such an important job.

Among other interesting things that happened in this issue of The Walking Dead is a potential romance between Jesus and Aaron. Most readers probably felt that this coupling seemed almost inevitable, but it’s good to see the two playing coy about their feelings for now.

Possibly the most intriguing thing about this issue is that so many people, including Lydia, still don’t know that Negan killed Alpha. Whether or not this would change how people felt about the upcoming war is yet to be seen, but it will definitely be interesting to see how Lydia reacts to this news.

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The situation at The Kingdom has been one of the most overlooked stories in the series, but it’s great that it is finally getting some attention now. Adding that tension to the other situations going on right now, this could be building a possible storyline for after the war with The Whisperers.

Finally, Eugene giving away the location of Alexandria to the people on the radio was a big gamble. His decision to keep the conversations a secret combined with the sensitive information he has given out has put everyone at risk. When you add that to everything going on with The Whisperers, there may have never been a more dangerous time to be living in Alexandria.

Overall, this was a solid issue of The Walking Dead. Establishing a new relationship between Rick and Negan was important, as was finally putting The Whisperers into attack mode. When you combine that with some of the other small things going on, the next issues of The Walking Dead could be some of the deadliest and most intense of the series.

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

September 7th, 2016 is the date when issue 158 of The Walking Dead is scheduled for release. Titled “The Whisperer War Part 2 of 6”, first contact with The Whisperers will likely be made. Plus, it will be interesting to see how well Negan fights when teamed with Rick’s group. Watch for it on newsstands and comic shops next month!