The Walking Dead #158 Has The Most Brutal Death Since #100

09/07/2016 02:02 pm EDT

Major spoilers for The Walking Dead comics follow.

Not only did the Whisperer change the game with one of the best issues since Negan's issue #100 introduction when the character took down the leader of the Whisperers in #156 but the series is going back to its brutal roots now with #158.

The Whisperer War got off to an intense start last month as the groups readied for battle. The Whisperers marched toward Alexandria, rallying behind the loss of their leader. Rick's armies prepared for battle, with Negan standing in as a soldier alongside Dwight and Gabriel at the top of the water tower ready to sound the alarm when the Whisperers approached.

However, the Whisperers approached earlier than expected. While many hoped at the end of #157 that Gabriel would see his moment of ultimate redemption and sound the alarm to alert Alexandria, issue #158 revealed that his cowardice reigned supreme and proved costly.

To start the issue, Gabriel tried to race down the water tower's ladder only to fall, get his leg stuck and broken, and find himself left literally hanging at the mercy of the now Whisperer leader Beta. Turns out, Beta shows little mercy.

The savage leader was quick to slice Gabriel's stomach open, spilling his guts all over, before slashing his throat and leaving him hanging from the ladder for zombies to feast on. The undead quickly tore the meat from Gabriel's bones and continued their march with the Whisperers.

The moment was the first time since Glenn's head was bashed in that the pages were truly difficult to look at, taking up the first four pages, nonetheless. Remember in Jurassic World when the assistant was ripped to shreds and tossed between dinosaurs for a brutal, undeserving death? This felt a lot like that but with brutal graphic nature, showing a character in hope of redemption have his guts poured at as he hung defenselessly, knowing his death was imminent. Terrifying.

The rest of the issue saw several members of Rick's army lose their lives which meant they would join the Whisperer army as a mindless roamer.

However, Negan stepped up to the plate in a big way. Just as Dwight was being overrun by walkers and Beta, Negan batted him to the ground with a machine gun and insisted he rise up for a fight to conclude the issue.

"So hands up if you were awaiting Negan and Frowny McTwoKnives to face off," The Walking Dead writer Robert Kirkman writes in the Letter Hacks section of the issue. "Two heavy hitters.... who look to be facing off next issue. I'm not saying it's going to happen... but it'd be cool if it did."

The issue seems to be another step towards returning The Walking Dead to its full glory. All Out War, which printed 12 issues biweekly, turned out to be a let down for some as the war ended without the casualty of a leader from either side. The Whisperer War doesn't appear to have that option as intense battles kicked off in #158. One full page piece even struck memories of Game of Thrones' Battle of the Bastards which saw Jon Snow and the good guys cornered by Ramsay Bolton's army.

In addition to the action, though, Rick continues to be one of the most interesting leaders. His insecurities regarding trust but overall confidence in leadership abilities, often coming from his backbone in Andrea, have made the character deeper than ever before.

And let's not forget, Eugene keeps chatting with this new group which claims to be out in Ohio. That is going to have to come into play sooner or later.

If Kirkman and company can keep up the pacing, brutality, and complex story telling, the book will continue to be one of the most interesting on shelves every fourth Wednesday.

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