Issue 126 is the one-hundred and twenty-sixth issue of Image Comics' The Walking Dead, the sixth and final part of Volume 21: All Out War - Part Two, and the twelfth and final part of the "All Out War" story arc. It was published on April 23, 2014.
Plot[]
Rick cuts Negan's throat, and announces to his men they can either still fight him or leave. Rick states the war is over, and they have a doctor who can still save Negan. Negan then brutally assaults Rick as Dwight orders the Saviors not to intervene. Meanwhile Jesus and the back-up crew start to slaughter the Saviors from behind.
As Rick and Negan fight, Negan manages to break Rick's leg before passing out. A Savior injures Michonne and attacks Ezekiel, but Dwight saves him by shooting the Savior in the head. Andrea threatens Dwight, causing him to reiterate that he's on their side. As the rest of the Saviors attack, Dwight grabs Lucille and tells the Saviors to stand down and implores them to follow him as they have followed Negan. As the Saviors stare at him in confusion, he reassures then that they don't have to be afraid of Negan anymore and that things will be better if they give him a chance. He then commands them to prepare for the journey home, and the Saviors oblige. As they leave, Harlan rushes to Rick's aid, but the latter orders him to save Negan's life. Harlan is shocked, but Rick is adamant, despite his leg being in critical condition.
Andrea, Carl, and Maggie want to publicly execute Negan, but Rick denies them stressing that that is not who they are. The trio are unsatisfied with his decision, but Rick explains that in rebuilding civilization, they have a chance to do things better. Rick then gets up and delivers a speech to his people, urging them to put their differences aside so they can rebuild civilization together.
Michonne congratulates Rick on his speech after helping him to his bed. He asks her if she thinks he's making a mistake with Negan, but Michonne says she doesn't question his decisions anymore. He asks if Michonne will be returning to the Kingdom with Ezekiel or going back to Alexandria. Michonne says that she hadn't though about it, but is surprised Rick wants to return to Alexandria. As Andrea enters the room, Rick asks her if she'd seen Carl and gets up in a hurry once he realizes where his son went.
Rick finds Carl in Negan's room preparing to execute the tyrant, but Rick talks him down, stressing that if they kill Negan, they are no better than he is and are, in fact, worse since Negan has spared them both when he had a chance to kill them. Carl is angry at the prospect of Negan getting away with killing people but Rick assures him that Negan will be punished, but in a civilized way.
Rick then tells Carl to leave, as Negan is revealed to be awake. Negan asks what happens now, and Rick informs him they are going to thrive without him to prove Negan was wrong all along about their success in this new world. Rick informs Negan that he will be locked up in a cell for the remainder of his life as the new community blossoms without him, and proceeds to tell him that he's "fucked".
Credits[]
- Rick Grimes
- Carl Grimes
- Andrea
- Maggie Greene
- Michonne Hawthorne
- Rosita Espinosa
- Eugene Porter
- Aaron
- Clyde
- Jamie
- Olivia
- Paul Monroe
- Earl Sutton
- Harlan Carson
- Brianna
- Dwight
- Negan
- Carson
- Mark
- Ezekiel
- John
Deaths[]
- At least 8 unnamed Saviors
Trivia[]
- Last appearance of Clyde.
- Last appearance of Jamie.
- It was teased in the Letter Hacks of #125 that after 22 pages of this issue, "nothing will be the same."
- This turned out to be Rick's revenge on Negan; making him watch as the rest of his people enjoy their life.
- This is one of the many issues that does not feature any zombies.
- The figure holding Lucille is revealed to be Dwight.
- Rick's final line in this issue is a callback to Issue 100 and Issue 112, when Negan tells Rick the same thing.
- Maggie agrees with Rick's decision to keep Negan alive and believes Glenn would have liked it. Whilst we could never know for sure, this seems consistent with Glenn's behavior, as he never killed a living person in the comic series.
References[]
- ↑ April 2014 Comic Book Sales Figures - Comichron