The Walking Dead: Compendium Two - Issue 168

​by Robert Kirkman

Reviewed on March 10, 2016

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current issue, so I expect I'll catch up within a couple of weeks or so. Then I'll be reading at the regular speed--one issue a month, as they are released, which is kind of exciting. I'll miss being able to binge them, but I think the anticipation that will build between each issue will give me a different reading experience altogether, and I look forward to that.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I haven't been the world's biggest fan of TWD comics in the past. I started with the show, and have always adamantly insisted that the show is superior in many ways. However, I've kept reading the comics all the same. They're good, even though I would argue they're not usually as good as the show. 

But I have to admit, the further I get into the comics, the better I think they've become. It's like practicing writing made Robert Kirkman a better writer--fancy that! I'm now beyond where the show is in the comics, and while I still feel generally more engaged with the show, there are a lot of things that the comics do really, really well, and in fact, one particular change the show made in recent episodes--no spoilers, but it has to do with Lydia and her relationship with her mother--I strongly feel the comics handled better. The character of Alpha is much more complex in the comics. In the show, she just feels like a weird sociopath--not as interesting, in my opinion.

I will say, too, that I like when the show and comics diverge. It is like two alternate universes for the same basic story, which is a lot of fun for us hardcore fans. So, of course, I'm going to keep reading the comics. I'm about 20 issues away from the