The Comics: Same, Yet Different

[mandolin]

Yes, Negan is still around "now," and that's after a significant time jump.

[Pete Martell]

That's where I wonder about JDM. He works a lot. I can't see him sticking around for multiple seasons.

[jsbt]

They could potentially phase him in and out for stints - Negan waxes and wanes, IIRC. Sometimes he's on the loose, other times he's a prisoner.

Edited March 10, 2016 by jsbt

[Pete Martell]

http://www.thewalkingdead.com/abraham-rositas-split-show-vs-comic/

 

This also covers the Rick church scene and a bit of the Saviors.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Pete Martell

[Anela]

I've just clicked on a link to another article predicting who would die thanks to Lucille and Negan, and am kind of miffed they gave away something I didn't know: I thought the baseball bat was bad enough, but it's covered in barbed wire??? 

 

I might not watch the finale at all. I'm tired of shocking deaths, even though it's a show that's bound to have them. 

[lookattheflowers]

I just don't see the GA tolerating having Negan alive indefinitely, especially if he kills Glenn.

Hell, I got tired of TG in the same season, and it seemed like they would never kill him off.

[placate]

I just don't see the GA tolerating having Negan alive indefinitely, especially if he kills Glenn.

Hell, I got tired of TG in the same season, and it seemed like they would never kill him off.

I just hope the show makes Negan Negan and not the Governor 2.0. Negan is reasonable and negotiable. The Governor was a blood thirsty lunatic. That said, Negan doesn't need a two episode arc to show how he got more people to follow him into trying to take the prison.

[Pete Martell]

I've seen some fans who are upset about Denise's death saying they killed her because she's not a white man like Abraham and he had to be spared, etc. I doubt that's the reason, but I do wonder why he was spared. I tend to assume it's because most viewers wouldn't be all that emotional with his death, as he's a very isolated character, and also because he and Daryl weren't close enough to where Daryl would be this upset, but then I wonder if they're just saving it, and if, as some keep speculating, Sasha will have Holly's death. I hope not, I really don't want Sasha to go out as just dying because the Saviors mix her up with someone else. 

 

I saw someone say that Kirkman regretted killing Abraham. If so I wonder if that's why they changed it here.

[RustbeltWriter]

Watching last night's episode where Denise was killed reminded me why I gave up on the comics. Kirkman has the annoying habit of substituting violence and death for character development and story depth and now we're seeing that influence storylines on the show. Denise was a character who was showing signs of growth, who was breaking out of her shell and then whammo, she's dead for no particular reason. In my opinion, Kirkman enjoys the act of creating the characters but he doesn't like the work it takes to flesh them out into full blown, believable people. It's easier to give them just enough personality to get the reader's/viewer's attention and then he pulls a cheap stunt like killing them off for easy drama.

 

Look at all the discussion surrounding Negan. It's not about the philosophical differences between the self-sufficient Alexandrians and the predatory Saviors, it's all about who will be killed with the goddamned baseball bat. Our group could face a hundred different survival scenarios that would be gripping in their tension but we're just served the same course of "Rick's people are good and they're being threatened by violent people" who are increasingly bizarre in their philosophies and actions. At this point the antagonists on this show all seem to have escaped Arkham Asylum.

 

I really like the world of The Walking Dead but I thoroughly dislike what the creators are doing with it. It's my fondest wish that the TV show will run out of comic book plots and have to go its own direction.

Edited March 21, 2016 by RustbeltWriter

[Eyes High]

Another change that interested me is that there appears to be no Eugene/Rosita in the show. Rosita is rebounding with Spencer, a character who was interested in Andrea in the books, and Eugene appears to have no romantic interest in Rosita whatsoever. Eugene and Abraham in their sortie in the show did not discuss Rosita at all. Eugene was already interested in Rosita before Abraham died in the comics, if I recall correctly, but Rosita didn't reciprocate that interest (sort of) until after Abraham's death. With TV Abraham still alive and kicking, it makes sense that neither of them would go there. Moreover, TV Eugene is even more ridiculous as a character than Comic Abraham, so while it was unlikely that Comic Rosita would want anything to do with Comic Abraham romantically, the suggestion would be absurd for TV Rosita and TV Eugene.

 

Speaking of Spencer, Comic Spencer tried to sell out Rick to Negan and lost his life as a result. Like TV Deanna, TV Spencer seems more sympathetic than his comic equivalent. Doesn't mean he won't die, of course, but hopefully he goes out more heroically than Comic Spencer. Or maybe he sticks around as Rosita's new beau, who knows?

Edited March 21, 2016 by Eyes High

[Pete Martell]

Speaking of Spencer, Comic Spencer tried to sell out Rick to Negan and lost his life as a result. Like TV Deanna, TV Spencer seems more sympathetic than his comic equivalent. Doesn't mean he won't die, of course, but hopefully he goes out more heroically than Comic Spencer. Or maybe he sticks around as Rosita's new beau, who knows?

 

I don't really get the sense Rosita cares about him, unless she starts to just as he dies. I could see him having one of the deaths that already dead characters had in Negan's war, and they want us to like him. Unless the selling out is still to come, but he doesn't seem to have any resentment toward Rick or the group.

 

I do wonder if we'll still be getting Rosita/Eugene at some point, but just a ways off. I actually think the actors would probably make it work, but maybe the show decided pushing that angle would make Rosita look like property or fall too much into tropes, and that they don't need to be together in order to have storylines. 

[Eyes High]

I do wonder if we'll still be getting Rosita/Eugene at some point, but just a ways off. I actually think the actors would probably make it work, but maybe the show decided pushing that angle would make Rosita look like property or fall too much into tropes, and that they don't need to be together in order to have storylines.

Eugene/Rosita was more or less Eugene and Rosita's storyline in the later comics, at least until Rosita is murdered, so I'll be curious to see whether it's excised altogether. To be fair, Comic Rosita was never in love with Eugene; it seemed more like a rebound relationship of convenience for her, and she wasn't faithful to him or anything like that. I just have trouble seeing it from that perspective in the show, since TV Eugene hasn't shown any interest in Rosita in a romantic sense, and TV Rosita treats Eugene like an annoying kid brother (although she was holding his hand when he was convalescing from his gunshot wound, so there's that). TV Eugene's non-reaction to Rosita and Abraham's breakup and lack of animus towards Abraham in relation to the way he broke up with Rosita seemed telling.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Eyes High

[ACW]

TV Eugene hasn't shown any interest in Rosita in a romantic sense, and TV Rosita treats Eugene like an annoying kid brother (although she was holding his hand when he was convalescing from his gunshot wound, so there's that). TV Eugene's non-reaction to Rosita and Abraham's breakup and lack of animus towards Abraham in relation to the way he broke up with Rosita seemed telling.

 

You'd think he'd have some reaction purely out of self-interest, since he liked to watch them have sex.  Though I imagine they put a stop to that once they had an actual house.

[Eyes High]

You'd think he'd have some reaction purely out of self-interest, since he liked to watch them have sex.  Though I imagine they put a stop to that once they had an actual house.

Well, if Abraham and Rosita knew it was going on and never even tried to put a stop to it before, maybe they enjoyed being watched?

[Nashville]

Another change that interested me is that there appears to be no Eugene/Rosita in the show. Rosita is rebounding with Spencer, a character who was interested in Andrea in the books, and Eugene appears to have no romantic interest in Rosita whatsoever.

I do wonder if we'll still be getting Rosita/Eugene at some point, but just a ways off. I actually think the actors would probably make it work, but maybe the show decided pushing that angle would make Rosita look like property or fall too much into tropes, and that they don't need to be together in order to have storylines.

I am in agreement with Pete Martell on this:

• Spencer is purely rebound material for Rosita - a pretty bedwarmer who's easy on the eyes and (apparently) has a nice package of unbittens to offer a lonely girl. Rosita has absolutely zero interest in pursuing any kind of serious relationship with Spencer, though. Unfortunately, the converse might not be true; Spencer appears to already be in lost-puppy stage, pursuing an expansion on the relationship which Rosita is clearly resisting.
• I think there's definite potential for a Eugene/Rosita relationship, but that's a ways on down the road. More on that below.

I just have trouble seeing it from that perspective in the show, since TV Eugene hasn't shown any interest in Rosita in a romantic sense, and TV Rosita treats Eugene like an annoying kid brother (although she was holding his hand when he was convalescing from his gunshot wound, so there's that). TV Eugene's non-reaction to Rosita and Abraham's breakup and lack of animus towards Abraham in relation to the way he broke up with Rosita seemed telling.

Really? I see Eugene's reactions quite differently. Keep in mind Eugene has all the social/romantic relationship experience of a Sheldon Cooper and/or the guy running the local comic book store. Given that context, I think:

• Eugene is deeply attracted to Rosita - has been for quite a while, actually - but always considered her off-limits because of her relationship with Abraham. His attraction probably started out on a superficial sexual level with the Peeping Tom sessions, but has evolved over time.
• Eugene was shocked by the Abraham/Rosita split, and felt bad for Rosita; he simply lacked the emotional tools to effectively convey his feelings to her.
• One thing Eugene does understand, however: there is no way on God's green earth Rosita would consider Eugene a serious suitor AT THIS TIME. Rosita's extended relationship with Abraham, if nothing else, demonstrates at least some of the qualities she finds attractive in a man - strength, bravery, self-sufficiency - all qualities Rosita would consider Eugene to be lacking. And Rosita is totally justified in doing so; hasn't Eugene himself blatantly broadcasted his lack of such virtues in the past?
• So, what's our mullet-headed little man to do? Why, extend himself to develop those qualities he currently lacks.

We've seen repeatedly that Eugene values Rosita's opinion of him more than anybody else; IMHO during the Horde cleanup, it was purely Rosita's disdain at the notion of Eugene's participation which prompted Eugene to take machete in hand and do his part. I also think this is the prime motivator behind Eugene's current attempts to be more self-reliant survival-wise, and think of more ways he can effectively contribute to the community in general. He wants Rosita to see him as somebody worthy of being her partner.

In THAT respect, I'm not sure if the whole dick-biting thing advanced Eugene's goals, or set him back a bit. Time will tell. ;>

Edited March 21, 2016 by Nashville

[Eyes High]

Spencer is purely rebound material for Rosita

Sure. For now. Comic Rosita had no interest in Eugene as a romantic prospect initially, but he was her first stop after she was rejected by Eugene, and they eventually formed a romantic relationship. There was no intervening rebound in the comics between Abraham and Eugene; it was one or the other (apart from the dude she cheated with later on, I guess); Eugene was the rebound. That there is an intervening guy suggests to me that they are going in a different direction, at least for now. Abraham still being alive in the show probably has something to do with it; it was mutual grief over Abraham that brought Eugene and Rosita closer together in the comics. Without that impetus, Eugene/Rosita goes away.

 

I wouldn't mind if the show took things in a different direction. Comic Eugene and Rosita's "romantic" relationship, such as it was, was a depressing, if realistic, affair. Both TV characters deserve better.

 

Eugene is deeply attracted to Rosita - has been for quite a while, actually - but always considered her off-limits because of her relationship with Abraham.

He wants to fuck her, I have no doubt, but he doesn't love her. I don't think he even really likes her, which is not all that surprising given how she treats him. A guy in love with Rosita would have manifested some sort of reaction to Abraham viciously dumping Rosita in front of him other than awkwardness. He didn't even express any sympathy. Despite being emotionally impaired, Eugene does have feelings of love and kindness and can convey those feelings. Look at him weeping with joy when Tara regained consciousness. He's never expressed those feelings to Rosita. He might want to fuck her, but he's not in love with her. He doesn't even seem to like her all that much compared to Abraham or Tara. I have no doubt that he loves Tara (platonically). He does not love Rosita.

 

Eugene was shocked by the Abraham/Rosita split, and felt bad for Rosita; he simply lacked the emotional tools to effectively convey his feelings to her.

Eugene is not emotionally subtle--one reason why I doubt he was passive-aggressively needling Abraham over the way Abraham dumped Rosita with his comments about no longer needing Abraham--but he is capable of showing emotion and talking about his feelings. He was pissed at Abraham and was mean to him. If he didn't show any feelings at the time or didn't make any move to comfort Rosita when she was clearly distressed, it's likely because he didn't feel all that strongly about what Abraham had done or about Rosita's pain. And given that Eugene is better friends with Abraham and more kindly disposed towards Abraham than Rosita, he may very well have assumed that Rosita had done something to piss Abraham off. 

 

So, what's our mullet-headed little man to do? Why, extend himself to develop those qualities he currently lacks.

It's an interesting interpretation, but I don't see any evidence for Eugene's self-improvement attempts to be aimed at impressing Rosita alone. Rosita was nowhere in sight when Eugene was puffing and strutting about what a badass he now was to Abraham. If Eugene's self-improvement was opportunistically aimed at making himself a more viable suitor for Rosita, he would only care about killing walkers when Rosita was around to witness how brave and strong he was. He seems to be trying to impress Abraham as much as he's trying to impress Rosita, which suggests that there's nothing romantic about his self-improvement course.

 

He did want to prove himself to Rosita, but that probably had more to do with Rosita chewing him out publicly in machete class and sneering at his stated intention to assist in the walker massacre than anything romantic. He wants to prove himself to Abraham as well, and there's nothing romantic about that...as far as we know, although Eugene watching Abraham have sex and Abraham being cool with another man watching him having sex is not exactly the most heterosexual of arrangements, is it?

 

In THAT respect, I'm not sure if the whole dick-biting thing advanced Eugene's goals, or set him back a bit. Time will tell. ;>

Well, Rosita was holding his hand and showing something other than contempt or exasperation towards him, so if that was his goal, I'd say he'd made some progress.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Eyes High

[Pete Martell]

I forgot to say that I thought they did a really good job with Dwight's burn makeup. In the comics it looks horrific, which obviously does work for shock value, but it makes more sense to me the way it looks on the show, where Negan obviously scarred him, but not to such an extreme level to where it overshadows everything else in the scene.

[SimoneS]

I just hope that Negan is only around for one season.  They can put him in prison and disappear him for a good long while. I thought Phillip overstayed his welcome. I suspect despite all the claims from the producers that they will tone down the worse aspects of Negan to make him somewhat relatable like they did with Phillip. At least David Morrissey is a good actor, I am not a fan of JDM. I have seen him in a lot of projects and I just don't think that he is a particularly good actor although he has charisma at times. 

Edited March 22, 2016 by SimoneS

[Pete Martell]

I just hope that Negan is only around for one season.  They can put him in prison and disappear him for a good long while. I thought Phillip overstayed his welcome. I suspect despite all the claims from the producers that they will tone down the worse aspects of Negan to make him somewhat relatable like they did with Phillip. At least David Morrissey is a good actor, I am not a fan of JDM. I have seen him in a lot of projects and I just don't think that he is a particularly good actor although he has charisma at times. 

 

I thought he was superb on Supernatural, but I've never really watched him in anything else. 

 

I feel like they brought The Governor in with no real story plan for him, and it showed onscreen, with heavy repair work done in season 4 to try to make up for the unintentional hilarity of a man gunning down his army and driving off in a huff. I imagine they have more of a plan for Negan (especially with the jail already being built), but I don't really want him to stay around long either. I have a feeling a lot of comic fans are going to be disappointed, as everything I've seen of Negan is very very typical of the modern comic book world and unlikely to translate well to TV...this show in particular. 

Edited March 22, 2016 by Pete Martell

[SimoneS]

I feel like they brought The Governor in with no real story plan for him, and it showed onscreen, with heavy repair work done in season 4 to try to make up for the unintentional hilarity of a man gunning down his army and driving off in a huff. I imagine they have more of a plan for Negan (especially with the jail already being built), but I don't really want him to stay around long either. I have a feeling a lot of comic fans are going to be disappointed, as everything I've seen of Negan is very very typical of the modern comic book world and unlikely to translate well to TV...this show in particular. 

 

I don't think that is what happened exactly. Rather Gimple took over as showrunner in mid-season 3 after Mazzara was fired and his vision of TWD is very distinct from Mazzarra's. Gimple is more into developing characters as a part of every story, but the show is planned out so far in advance that it is near impossible to change the stories that are planned out once filming starts. This is why I suspect that Gimple tweaked the arc of Phillip's story at the finale of season 3. It was clearly set up for Phillip to die in the attack on the prison, but Gimple changed it so he could flesh Phillip's character in season 4 before having him launch his final attack on the prison and scatter the survivors so we could have episodes focused on different characters.

Edited March 22, 2016 by SimoneS

[Pete Martell]

I don't think that is what happened exactly. Rather Gimple took over as showrunner in mid-season 3 after Mazzara was fired and his vision of TWD is very distinct from Mazzarra's. Gimple is more into developing characters as a part of every story, but the show is planned out so far in advance that it is near impossible to change the stories that are planned out once filming starts. This is why I suspect that Gimple tweaked the arc of Phillip's story at the finale of season 3. It was clearly set up for Phillip to die in the attack on the prison, but Gimple changed it so he could flesh Phillip's character in season 4 before having him launch his final attack on the prison and scatter the survivors so we could have episodes focused on different characters.

 

I always sort of saw that finale as Mazzarra's, as he was the one supposedly pushing to kill Andrea, even though the manner in which it was done upset Laurie Holden and they had to have reshoots. You may be right though.

[SimoneS]

I always sort of saw that finale as Mazzarra's, as he was the one supposedly pushing to kill Andrea, even though the manner in which it was done upset Laurie Holden and they had to have reshoots. You may be right though.

 

I agree that the finale was Mazzara's. Gimple took over in early 2013 and now I think about it they already filmed the season finale by then so maybe I am wrong about Gimple tweaking Phillip's actions at the prison. I do know that the re-shoots of Andrea's death were done under Gimple's tenure so he could have saved her if he wanted. However, I suspect that Gimple was cool with the decision to kill Andrea, especially if he was thinking about pairing Rick and Michonne as Danai has talked about, It would be easier to make Rick and Michonne a couple if Andrea, his love interest, from the comic was dead. The decision to bring back Phillip with those stand alone episodes was Gimple's which suggests that he was not happy with how everything went down with Phillip or where that story was going.

[Nashville]

It's an interesting interpretation, but I don't see any evidence for Eugene's self-improvement attempts to be aimed at impressing Rosita alone.

Oh, absolutely not - and this is probably on me for not explaining myself clearer. I don't think for a second Eugene is doing this as a simple facade, to impress Rosita or anybody else. I believe Eugene is genuinely trying to change himself - to actually be that better person, and not just appear to be.

Ever notice how Eugene always seems to fixate on (for whatever reason) unattainable women? ;)

[jsbt]

Negan in the comics is basically everything I hate about Kirkman's writing (and the Governor of the comics) on crystal meth. That being said, I have faith in Scott Gimple to make it work and I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an incredible actor. Gimple's approach (and a lot of Mazzara's, I felt) often seems/seemed to be to try to ground those comic book excesses in some kind of relatable human reality. 

 

I felt I understood what they were trying to do with the show version of the Governor - show a man evolving from disturbed to completely deranged with a very talented actor, and make it something more viable than the sheer Kirkmantude of the comic where all that iteration of the character needed was a scabbard (he may have had one) and a parrot (pretty sure he didn't). We were allowed to see Phillip's "softer" side at first, see his charisma, why people would follow him, what attracted Andrea to him before she knew of his other side. We saw him try to be better and become a monster. I thought that was engaging and worthwhile in Seasons 3 and 4 - that being said, a whole lot of people apparently did not and felt cheated or sold a bill of goods when he split in Season 3 to be crazy another day.

 

It was a deeply polarizing (or just unpopular) choice but it worked for me, and hey, it gave us Tara. I will happily be in the minority on that one because I feel TV Governor was vastly preferable to Captain Chainsaw.

Edited March 23, 2016 by jsbt

[Eyes High]

Ever notice how Eugene always seems to fixate on (for whatever reason) unattainable women? ;)

Unattainable to him, anyway. Tara was eminently attainable for Denise, as was Rosita to Abraham and Spencer.

 

Unlike a number of the Alexandrians, it looks as if the relative peace and quiet of the last few months in the show hasn't inclined Eugene towards romance. He seems to have other things (sorghum, bullet manufacture, etc.) on his mind.

 

Negan in the comics is basically everything I hate about Kirkman's writing (and the Governor of the comics) on crystal meth. That being said, I have faith in Scott Gimple to make it work and I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an incredible actor. Gimple's approach (and a lot of Mazzara's, I felt) often seems/seemed to be to try to ground those comic book excesses in some kind of relatable human reality. 

Agreed. I feel as if the show is a lot less macho and patriarchal than the comic, thanks in part to Team Gimple writing better and more prominent female characters (genderswapping Douglas Monroe was also a stroke of genius, in my opinion). I feel that the show also at least tries for subtlety, although there's sometimes a disconnect between the TV show having interesting character moments while simultaneously depicting characters with the same cartoonish visual nonsense used in the black and white comics to distinguish them visually and aurally (Abraham's handlebar moustache, Eugene's mullet and odd speech patterns, etc.). Overall, I think the show succeeds tonally more than it fails, and the popularity of characters like TV Carol are a testament to its success.

 

I worry that Negan, a patriarch who devours the comic whole the moment he appears who's as cartoonish and ridiculous as they come, could upset the delicate balance the show seems to have achieved between comicky broadness and nuanced, gender-blind character development. Take a bat to it, if you will. I can't say I'm looking forward to a TV adaptation of the puerile dick-swinging contest that was Rick vs. Negan in the comic.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Eyes High

[Pete Martell]

Comparing Dwight comics and show, and the arrow deaths. 

 

http://www.thewalkingdead.com/who-is-dwight/

[mandolin]

More screen/page comparisons:

 

http://www.thewalkingdead.com/5-times-episode-614-was-just-like-the-comics/

[placate]

Can anyone remind me, does Magna's group just join Alexandria or did they participate in anything afterwards? 144 was harsh but I don't remember anything being shown about this group or survivors or anything else about them past their initial point of entry comics?

[mandolin]

I know she's been mentioned a couple times, but nothing has really come of her group, as far as I remember. Here's her wiki:

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Magna_(Comic_Series)

[rab01]

Oh, absolutely not - and this is probably on me for not explaining myself clearer. I don't think for a second Eugene is doing this as a simple facade, to impress Rosita or anybody else. I believe Eugene is genuinely trying to change himself - to actually be that better person, and not just appear to be.

100% agree with this. Eugene KNOWS (whether he's right or not) that he's no woman's first choice. He's decided that he's going to change those things about himself and change his chances. He doesn't think that he's in Rosita's league but wants to be. And, will not announce his interest until he feels he's changed or circumstances trip him up into admitting it. How many fighters is the only guy who figured out how to make ammunition worth?

 

But he's not just doing it for Rosita, he's doing it because of Abraham too. He loves Abe in kind of the same way Daryl loved Merle. He's also sick to death of being the helpless little brother in that relationship. Abe is such an alpha-type asshole that it's wearing away at Eugene's beta instincts and showing him that he doesn't want to defer to Abe forever.

[SimoneS]

I worry that Negan, a patriarch who devours the comic whole the moment he appears who's as cartoonish and ridiculous as they come, could upset the delicate balance the show seems to have achieved between comicky broadness and nuanced, gender-blind character development. Take a bat to it, if you will. I can't say I'm looking forward to a TV adaptation of the puerile dick-swinging contest that was Rick vs. Negan in the comic.

 

I love TWD and usually am confident in Gimple's vision, but the over the top recent comments about Negan from him, the other producers, actors, et al. has made me start to worry also. I just cannot believe that Gimple would bring cartoony Negan to the show, but that is what he is describing in interviews. Maybe Gimple is just going along with this huge PR campaign. I hope so anyway.

[Eyes High]

One thing I am curious about is how the show will deal with Shiva, Ezekiel's pet tiger. Easiest thing to do would be to leave out Shiva, but I wonder if they would substitute some other type of animal. I guess they could also try using CGI.

[SevenStars]

One thing I am curious about is how the show will deal with Shiva, Ezekiel's pet tiger. Easiest thing to do would be to leave out Shiva, but I wonder if they would substitute some other type of animal. I guess they could also try using CGI.

Is Shiva an important part of Ezekiel's storyline?

Edited March 27, 2016 by SevenStars

[Bongo Fury]

Shiva is to Ezekiel as katana is to Michonne. Without Shiva, Ezekiel is just another guy. Shiva is what makes him different, it gives him panache. 

[Eyes High]

Shiva is to Ezekiel as katana is to Michonne. Without Shiva, Ezekiel is just another guy. Shiva is what makes him different, it gives him panache. 

 

Well said. Ya gotta have a gimmick. Shiva's the gimmick. Michonne has her katana. Negan has Lucille. Ezekiel has Shiva.

[rab01]

That was one of Ezekiel's crew that Morgan saved from Rick at the farm last night, right?

[diebartdie]

So it occurred to me the other night while I was watching the syfy show The Magicians, TWD wont have much problem with Negan's potty mouth. Seriously, I thought I had to have been watching it on showtime or something but no, Syfy!

[SimoneS]

One thing I am curious about is how the show will deal with Shiva, Ezekiel's pet tiger. Easiest thing to do would be to leave out Shiva, but I wonder if they would substitute some other type of animal. I guess they could also try using CGI.

 

I think the easiest solution is the dump Ezekiel and create a completely new character to lead the Kingdom. A pet tiger is beyond ridiculous. If they are keeping Ezekiel, they could give a wolf as a pet. They should also make sure and dump the old English that they supposedly speak. 

 

I was checking out the comics and I don't see how the show can afford to keep the sets for so many new communities and characters going forward. I would like to see Gimple move away from the comics anyway.

Edited March 30, 2016 by SimoneS

[Enigma X]

I am a nonreader of the comics but don't mind spoilers at all. I have a question for the readers, especially those who describe the show as a "wash, rinse, dry, repeat." I have been reading the wikis of past and upcoming characters and find the novels kind of are like that too. I am not saying that in either the show or the comics that it is a bad thing. I would imagine in a real ZA that life would pretty much be the same. I guess I am just wondering what readers feel about that or if they find the novel to even be formatted like that. So, are the situations in the novel "wash, rinse, dry, repeat" in your estimation?

[rab01]

I guess I am just wondering what readers feel about that or if they find the novel to even be formatted like that. So, are the situations in the novel "wash, rinse, dry, repeat" in your estimation?

I've only read through one book past the Negan story line so I can't speak to what's happening in it right now but no, I don't get that feeling from the comics. Part of that is because the characters are more sad, desperate and unhinged than they are on the show. So, a LOT of the earlier comics involved people doing or having to endure terrible things because people snap under the weight of the ZA. There is less often a reason to stare at people's actions and to say "well that's stupid."   

 

Also, there are fewer "big bads" in the comics, with the Governor and Negan head-and-shoulders above all the others.  Comics-Governor was just a stereotypical pirate-king type with long hair who cuts off Rick's hand at first meeting him. Comics-Negan is as brutal as comics-Governor but is much smarter and very intentional and deliberate in how he uses violence. Those differences made the conflict with comics-Negan much different from the fight with the comics-Governor.  (To me, the Show borrowed a lot of Negan's character in their creation of the Governor -- the show-Governor is much more rational and plausible as a real-world person than the comics-Governor -- which makes me a little worried for the Negan storyline to come.)

[HalcyonDays]

Everyone needs to read this ASAP: Revealing Spoilers in the Threads

[The Mighty Peanut]

I am a nonreader of the comics but don't mind spoilers at all. I have a question for the readers, especially those who describe the show as a "wash, rinse, dry, repeat." I have been reading the wikis of past and upcoming characters and find the novels kind of are like that too. I am not saying that in either the show or the comics that it is a bad thing. I would imagine in a real ZA that life would pretty much be the same. I guess I am just wondering what readers feel about that or if they find the novel to even be formatted like that. So, are the situations in the novel "wash, rinse, dry, repeat" in your estimation?

I think the comics have done a better job of putting across that the world they know is rinse, wash, repeat, and exploring how people deal with it as individuals. I think it's acknowledged that depression, insanity, multiple identity crises, and a perpetual sense of futility and resignation are the new normal, whereas on the show IMO it still comes across as emotionally wishy washy. I love the show, it's my favorite thing on TV. But I feel there's an aura of lets do this big out of the box thing that'll make everyone go CRAZY and is TOTALLY NEW. Get this: there's a bad guy and he's RILLY bad and kills someone we like and then for a moment we're safe but in the end it all goes to shit CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? So, it doesn't come across as honest if that makes any sense.

Edited April 3, 2016 by The Mighty Peanut

[Ohwell]

Question from a non-comic book reader:  After Negan kills whomever with the bat, what does he do with the rest of the CDB survivors?  Does he tell them to go back to ASZ to begin amassing the supplies he want?

 

Also, WTF happened to Jesus?

[rab01]

Ohwell - Yes.

 

Jesus lives in Hilltop so there was no reason for him to be in these episodes.

[Ohwell]

Thanks!

[Pete Martell]

It makes me laugh that they could say "shit" that many times (3, 4, 5...however many) but you can't say "fuck." These rules never make sense to me. 

 

If Abraham does live I hope we get a deep talk with Negan just to draw a line under how stupid this is.

[diebartdie]

I dont get that either, on the Syfy show The Magicians they say fuck 50+ times every scene, all syfy does about it is drop the volume on the final "k".

[Black Knight]

Yes, I read an interview with the Magicians showrunners where they said the rule is that "fuck" is fine as long as either the first part or the end is dropped. Hilariously, this same rule applies to the captions for the show - it's always "fu##"... the whole thing is so silly.

[SevenStars]

How do you guys think they will introduce Ezekiel?

Also I think they can keep Michonne and Ezekiel's connection from the comic except make them close friend, not lovers.

[FierceCritter]

Carefully not reading any of this thread, just posting here because it seems the most appropriate place to do so.

Is the comic series still being written with new issues, or is it done, and if it is done, when was the last story published?

Since I'm trying to stay as spoiler-free as possible for the tv show, I'd appreciate it if someone would PM me the answer so I don't have to come back here.

Thank you!