The Walking Dead No. 46

Published by Image Comics. Plot and script by Robert Kirkman. Pencils and inks by Charlie Adlard.

The Deal: It's the latest issue of The Walking Dead, Image Comics' ongoing zombie survival series.

The Good: This issue continues the no-one-is-safe-themed storyline. This story arc is meant to shake up the book and drive home the fact that any character -- no matter how interesting or important -- can die in this comic at any time. And Kirkman ain't playing. As a matter of fact, a very important character dies this issue ... which frankly has pissed me off. But, that's what makes this issue, and The Walking Dead in general, so damn great: You never know what's going to happen. This sense of uncertainty permeates TWD. Fear and dread drip from each page. And, at the end of the day, shouldn't every good horror comic drip with fear and dread? On the art side of the equation, you've gotta love Charlie Adlard. Month after month, he churns out consistently haunting, dark, amazing panels. He reminds me of Sean Phillips (the artist of Marvel Zombies) in that the figures he draws are often ugly, which makes this horror comic so damn pretty.

The Bad: TWD is a gory book most of the time, but this particular issue is especially gruesome. Maybe it's a little more horrific because it features some brutal human-on-human violence, as opposed to zombie-on-human violence. It's pretty sick stuff, even for a dude like me. Also, did I say I was pissed with Kirkman for the killing of a particular character this issue? Grrrrr ...

The Verdict: You should be buying it every month anyway, but this issue is one of the best I've read so far. TWD is a horror book about a horrible world, and Kirkman drives that point home this month.

Reviewed materials furnished by Heroes Aren't Hard To Find: www.heroesonline.com.