The Walking Dead: Here’s Negan!

It’s not that there haven’t been “The Walking Dead” spinoffs outside the comic before.  They’ve just been limited to shorts appended to issues spotlighting certain characters or Comic Book Legal Defense Fund annuals.  “Here’s Negan!”  originally serialized in the first sixteen issues of “Image+” is the first spinoff to be long enough to warrant its own collection.  At sixty-four pages it’s a brisk run through the pre-Savior life of the series’ most lovably hateable villain.  It starts off with showing how he managed his life as a foul-mouthed gym teacher and awful husband to his wife, Lucille.  That changes when she’s diagnosed with cancer, but all turns out to be for naught when she passes away… just as the dead start coming back to life.  From there, Negan is forced to make his own way through this savage new world because everyone keeps letting him down by dying.

Schedule for the ongoing monthly title notwithstanding, Kirkman and Adlard probably could’ve spun this story into a six-or-twelve issue miniseries.  As it is, “Here’s Negan!” manages some impressive economy in showcasing the character’s evolution from well-meaning but fallible funny asshole to the brutal leader we love to hate in the comic.  The character is given a pretty involving arc with the creators hitting all the right beats in the limited space they were given to work in.  I’m also pleased to report that the “AH-HA!” moments that can ruin a good prequel by spelling out exactly how a character became that way are kept to a minimum here.

While the story itself is told well in the space it was given, it’s worth noting that it ends just as Negan comes into his own.  Those of you expecting to see how he built up the Saviors or scarred Dwight won’t get that here.  It should also be noted that this sixty-four page collection will set you back $20 for the oversized hardcover edition it currently exists in.  I would say that definitely limits its appeal to only people who are already huge fans of the comic and are dying to learn more about Negan’s backstory.  If that sounds like you, then pick this up when you get a chance.