The Walking Dead comic book was first printed in black and white for three reasons. First, printing comics in black and white is typically cheaper than color. Second, it paid homage to the first George A. Romero zombie movie, 1968’s Night of the Living Dead. Third: gore.
As Robert Kirkman explained in the first issue of the colorized reprint series The Walking Dead Deluxe, “This book is mighty gory, it can get pretty gross at times. And while I may not understand it myself, some people find that to be off-putting.” But when presented without color, Kirkman continued, “Those scenes can be less jarring and gross. As much as I love gore, I never wanted it to overshadow the emotion of the scene, and black and white, I feel, helps keep the focus on the emotion and loss than all that splashy red stuff.”
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There is all that splashy red stuff and more in The Walking Dead Deluxe #100. Penciled by Charlie Adlard and newly colored by Dave McCaig, the milestone issue depicts the debut appearance of Negan and Glenn’s brutal death in full color the first time since the original printing in 2012.
“It certainly hits harder with Dave McGaig’s color calling all attention to the esteemed Mr. Adlard’s amazing drawings,” Kirkman wrote in the Cutting Room Floor section of the anniversary issue, out now from Image Comics. “Sheesh. It’s a lot.” A splash page that depicts Glenn’s remains, his skull and brains bashed in by Negan’s barbwire-wrapped baseball bat, Lucille, “is the page that finally tops Judith’s little hand poking out from under Lori’s dead body. Quite the arresting image.”
After the Saviors killed Abraham in issue #98, Rick Grimes took a small group of survivors to warn Jesus and the Hilltop about Negan’s attack. Rick, Carl, Michonne, Heath, Maggie, Glenn, and their adopted daughter, Sophia, were captured by the Saviors and were forced to kneel before the bat-wielding Negan.
A game of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” ended with Negan plucking Glenn out of the lineup and brutally beating him to death with a baseball bat in a display of graphic violence that is every bit as gory as the television show. (Warning: the below image is not for the faint of heart.)
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“I’m pretty proud of the fact that there’s a before Negan and after Negan feeling to this comic,” Kirkman wrote. “It’s hard to keep things interesting and compelling for 100 issues, it’s a slog. Honestly, it was a constant battle, but Negan feels like a breath of fresh air for the book. I mean, this issue really does feel like the first issue of a new era. As sad as it is. Man, I was emotional re-reading this issue. Poor Glenn.”
The Walking Dead Deluxe issue #100 is on sale now, with a new cover by David Finch and variant covers by Adlard & McCaig, Mattia De Iulis, Julian Totino Tedesco, Arthur Adams, Yasmine Putri, Simon Bisley, and Derek Hunter.
