LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Negan is a big-time jerk.
Hyperaggressive, he bullies and dominates the kids he is entrusted with as a
coach. He's also cheating on his wife, who is dying of cancer. When she finally
succumbs after her long battle, Negan is confronted with an unprecedented
situation when she crawls off her death bed as a member of the living dead. In
fact, a major zombie outbreak occurs simultaneously with her death, leaving him
with no option but to fight his way out of the hospital against rampaging undead
hordes. Negan discovers, however, that while the very self-centered and violent
nature of his personality was problematic for navigating the rules of normal
society, the very same qualities might just allow him to thrive amid the ruins
of humanity's few living survivors. The creative team of Kirkman
(Invincible), Charlie Adlard (Codeflesh), Cliff Rathburn (Super
Dinosaur), and Dave Stewart (Hellboy) supply fans of the venerable
horror series with character development for the repugnant leader who has run
roughshod over Rick Grimes, Michonne, and the other survivors in both the comics
and TV series.
Verdict While it doesn't
contain many of the main characters fans know and love, this stand-alone volume
does offer the oddly compelling origin story of the most hated man of any zombie
apocalypse.-Douglas Rednour, Georgia State Univ. Libs.,
Atlanta