Spotlight:

Negan

from 

The Walking Dead (Comics)

**********************************WARNING!!!!!!!!********************************

*******************MASSIVE SPOILERS IN THIS ARTICLE!!!!***********************

********DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE PAST ISSUE 100 OF THE COMICS!!!*********

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

   So for anyone who hasn't heard of it (like 2 people on the planet?),  the Walking Dead is one of those rare comic books that is not only top of it's class.  But it has spawned many offshots into different media that are excellent (The Walking Dead Game and TV series).  However,  the best series is still the comics.   The TV series is just hitting into the Governor (great villain),  however the comics is now touching into someone who is more awful than the he could be.  In the early 90's issues,  we learned about a group of people protecting the colony of Hilltop from the zombie hordes.  Run by a brutal man named Negan,  whom no one had ever seen but his followers said that he spoke through him.  See the Saviors protected Hilltop but at the cost of half of their food and supplies.  If anyone was caught outside of the city,  the Saviors acted like bandits.  Demanding tolls and tribute to Negan,  kidnapping people or even killing them to make an example out of them.   

   Now,  of course Rick's group,  upon discovering Hilltop decides that they can do the job of the Saviors without killing people needlessly.  On their way back from Hilltop to their settlement, they run into one of his roving groups.  Instead of obeying them,  they decide to kill all of them.  One escapes and gets word to Negan.   Rick's group also loses another man, Abraham, via an arrow to the head from Dwight (another of the Saviors), however they are defeated as well.     Thinking that the Saviors are just bluffing about their numbers or their leader,  they brazenly head back to Hilltop and decide to stay the night on the road.  Big mistake as Negan is ready, in full force, to ambush them.  

   He then proceeds to line them all up,  demanding that one of them is going to be killed.  He goes down the row,  proclaiming different reasons why he cannot kill certain ones (racism,  looking weak for killing a cripple).  In the end,  he selects Glenn to be the one.  Negan then brutally crushes in Glenns skull with a barb wire wrapped baseball bat he has named Lucielle.  After this he leaves, taunting Rick and the group and saying he will return in a week for his payment.  This is something Negan seems to love doing (taunting everyone),  which provides a different level to him.  

   Many people are under the impression that Negan is all brawn and no brains.  Some, like myself, are thinking that their are other layers to him.  For one,  we have not yet discovered his base of operations or even why he's doing what he does (as of this writing, the comics are up to issue 103).  He also really enjoys taunting and intimidating others, especially in front of his men.  The last issue had him visiting Rick's group at the Alexandria Safe-Zone,  knocking on the gate saying "little pig little pig let me in!"  Of course, he had Rick show him around and make him hold on to Lucielle (the weapon he murdered Glenn with).   He comes off as very intimidating (although we all know Rick will get him in the end),  his last line to Rick after leaving Alexandria really shows his true arrogance (See panel below).

   So I, like many others,  am looking forward to where Robert Kirkman takes us in this part of the journey.  I also cannot wait for Negan to get what's coming to him,  as I was saddened by the loss of Glenn and Abraham.  Hopefully someone uses Lucielle on him (fingers crossed).

   Thanks everyone for reading.  Please leave me some comments below on any thoughts you have about Negan or the future of the Walking Dead comics.