The Walking Dead is an American comic book series written by comic book author Robert Kirkman. With the first issue coming out in 2003, the comics follow apocalypse survivor Rick Grimes trying to lead a group of fellow survivors through the zombie apocalypse. The artist of the most recent issues, Charlie Adlard, put lots of thought and care in to each issue, and enhances Kirkman’s story telling. The issues being focused on will be issues 97-100, or the volume known as “Something to Fear”. This volume slowly builds up to issue 100, and the issues leading up to that leave tiny hints along the way.

First, it is important to understand the comic as a whole. Originally, the comic focuses on the main characters surviving an onslaught of zombies. As the comic progresses however, the focus begins to shift to the actually survivors in this world, and how they have changed with the world around them. Eventually, the main characters are fighting against other groups of people, rather than the undead. The Walking Dead was never meant to be part of the horror genre. Robert Kirkman even says so in the first issue. “I’m not trying to scare anybody… With The Walking Dead, I want to explore how people deal with extreme situations and how these events CHANGE them.” The book is not geared just toward horror, or thriller fans. It is geared to everyone. Kirkman wants people to read The Walking Dead and think about how they would be in these situations and if they could do the terrible things most of the characters have to do in order to survive.

In issue 97, the first issue of the “Something to Fear” volume, it opens up with the main characters fighting off an opposing group known as the Saviors. The Saviors are a group of survivors who force other communities around them to give them half of their supplies exchange for protection. Rick and his companions kill all but one of the Saviors, and tell him to go back to his boss and tell him what happened. When Rick and his group return to their community, a fellow survivor Glenn hugs his wife who was still at their community, and she tells him that she’s pregnant. And instant smile flashes on Glenn’s face, and the two kiss, as their friends look on and smile. This panel shows hope. Even though everything around them is terrible, and they have to kill complete strangers in order to survive, the love between Glenn and his wife Maggie give the survivors hope that maybe society can return to that way it was someday soon. The issue ends with two survivors from the community, Eugene and Abraham, leaving their home and searching for a searching for a bullet manufacturing building, while secretly being followed by more Saviors. These last few panels are trying to build suspense, and leave the reader wondering what’s going to happen as they wait for the next issue.

The next issue begins with Abraham being shot through the head by a crossbow bolt while having a peaceful conversation with Eugene. It is possible that Kirkman is trying to say that there is now chance for peace in the world. As soon as someone lets their guard down, they are in immediate danger. The group of Saviors that killed Abraham grab Eugene, and bring him to the gates of Rick’s community. This leads to another skirmish between the two groups, and Rick has had enough. He tries to got after the Saviors as they escape, but is cut off my a group of wondering zombies. Once every safely back inside, Rick admits he has no idea what he’s going to do. This represents a possible shift in power. Rick has also been looked at as a leader by his people, and now that this new group is terrorizing his people, he suddenly doesn’t know what to do. In the next issue, Rick still can’t decide what to do, but in the midst of all this, Glenn tells him he wants to take his family and move them to another community where it’s more safe. Rick and a few others go with him for protection, not knowing that the Saviors are secretly watching them again, and telling someone on radio that they will attack at dawn. This is foreshadowing what will happen in the next issue, and hints towards a major shift in the story.

In issue 100, everything seems fine. Everything is okay back at Rick’s community, and the party out on the road hasn’t encountered any hostile people, and only a few zombies. At night fall, Rick agrees to take watch while everyone else sleeps. While not paying attention, a group of men sneak up behind him, and slam him to the ground. This is a physical representation of the power shifting. Rick, who has overcome all odds and has survived several years of the apocalypse, is suddenly thrown to the ground powerless. A massive group of Saviors surrounds Rick and his people, and forces them all down to their knees. Then Negan, the leader of the Saviors, finally makes his debut after being mentioned several times, brandishing a baseball bat wrapped in barbwire. He tells Rick’s group that he’s in charge now, and that half of what they own, now belongs to him. Negan tells them that for all the men of his that they murder, one of them is going to be beaten to death. As he contemplates who he’s going to kill, two things that he says could possibly be breaking the fourth wall. He approaches Rick’s son, Carl, and says “I can’t kill you before your story ends, too fucking interesting.” This is a possible nod to the fact that Carl will have an important roll as the comic series progresses. Negan also sarcastically mentions that Rick is “invincible” which is most likely a joke at the fact most main characters are very unlikely to die. After much debating, Negan finally chooses to slaughter Glenn. This is the end of hope for Rick’s group. This ties back to the opening of issue 97, where Rick’s group happily watch as Glenn and Maggie celebrate the fact that they are having a baby. It is as if when Glenn dies, their hope dies with him.

The Walking Dead is much more than just a a zombie story. It is about the people how they adapt to the changing world around them. The author wants people to think about how they would change if they were in these character’s shoes. Even the art of the comic leaves subtle hints as to what the text means. 